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Protect the belongings in your rented home
Tenants insurance is contents insurance for renters.
It’ll cover your belongings while they’re in your rented house or flat and pays out if they’re stolen or damaged by an unexpected event like a fire or burst pipe.
Most policies also include tenants liability cover for accidental damage to your landlord’s items. This could save you from losing your deposit because of a mishap like breaking a window.
Tenants insurance covers your personal property that’s not fixed to the home. Everything from your clothes, gadgets and books, to any furniture you may have if the place you’re renting is unfurnished.
Any permanent part of the property, like the walls, roof and windows aren’t your responsibility to insure as a tenant. Your landlord will need their own landlord buildings insurance for that.
What’s covered by your tenants insurance will vary from one policy to another, but most will include:
Read your policy documents to see exactly what you’re covered for.
Each policy will have a set of exclusions to watch out for. Things that won’t be covered by most policies are:
You don’t legally need tenants insurance, so it’s your choice. But you need to think about whether you could afford to replace your belongings if something like a burglary or fire were to happen.
You won’t need to take out buildings insurance though because that’s your landlord’s responsibility. If you’re renting a furnished property, it’s your landlord’s responsibility to insure the furniture that they provide as well.
But your landlord’s contents insurance will only cover the items in their property that they own. It won’t cover your possessions too.
Some properties are at higher risk than others. You might especially want to consider tenants insurance if:
Our data showed that customers pay on average £74 a year for contents insurance.**
How much you pay will depend on a few factors, such as the sum insured you opt for and whether you live in a high-crime or flood-risk area.
**The average price paid annually for home insurance purchased in September 2022 by type of cover. For buildings and contents insurance, it was £190. For buildings insurance only, it was £146. For contents insurance only, it was £74.
It depends on the total value of your possessions. You need to calculate what it would cost you to replace everything you own. Our contents insurance calculator can help you work out how much your possessions are worth.
You can usually save money by paying for the whole year in one go, rather than in monthly instalments
If you let your tenants insurance auto-renew, you might not be getting the best deal
Accurately calculate the value of your contents so you don’t end up under or overinsured and only pay for the optional extras that you need
Ask your landlord if they would upgrade the locks and alarms – it’ll protect their investment, as well as your possessions
Always make sure that you set it at a sum you'd be able to afford comfortably if you needed to make a claim though
Renters insurance is just another name for home contents insurance for people who rent, rather than homeowners. It covers the cost of replacing or repairing the possessions in your rented accommodation if they’re lost or damaged due to things like fire, flood and theft.
This type of insurance covers accidental damage to your landlord’s property. It’s often included in contents insurance for renters and in some cases your tenancy agreement may stipulate that you need this cover in place.
It means you won’t be left out of pocket or lose your security deposit if you accidentally damage something in your rented accommodation. It includes things like the windows and bathroom suite in the property, or sofas and carpets in furnished accommodation.
It can also pay for legal costs if you had to go to court with your landlord over a dispute.
If you're a student living in rented accommodation away from home, you may have items in your room that are worth quite a lot of money. Things like your laptop, phone and television, as well as your clothes and books. So it can be a good idea to get contents insurance to protect them.
Check that you’re not already covered, though. If you’re a first-year student staying in halls, you may already have contents insurance through your accommodation provider. In some cases, students’ possessions are covered by their parents’ home insurance policy, but this isn’t always the case. Also be aware that, under your parents’ policy, your belongings may only be protected when they’re in your accommodation and not when you’re out and about. And you’ll want to check the level of cover as it might not be enough to cover all your possessions.
Yes, some providers will offer cover if you share a flat or house with other renters. You can look at policies that cover your own and your housemates’ possessions under one policy, or choose a policy that just covers your own possessions. This type of policy may state that your door must have a lock and that there must be signs of forced entry if you’re claiming for theft. There may also be the condition that you don’t leave your possessions in communal areas.
If you have personal possessions cover (sometimes called ‘cover away from home’) included in your contents policy, your items will be insured while abroad. This includes things like your phone, tablet, camera, jewellery and clothes.
While you’re on holiday, your belongings at home will still be covered provided you don’t exceed the unoccupied property limit on your policy (usually 30-60 days).
Yes, renters insurance covers you whether you live in a flat or a house. You need to tell your insurer about the type of property you live in though as it could affect the price of your policy.
Your landlord will have buildings insurance in place to cover the fabric of the property, plus its fixtures and fittings. And they’ll likely have a contents policy to cover any furniture they’ve provided, but their insurance won’t cover your possessions. You need your own contents insurance to protect your belongings.
Also, if you accidentally damage the fittings or the landlord’s furniture and furnishings, you could be held liable for repair or replacement. This is where having a contents policy which includes liability cover can come in handy.
If you work from home either part or full-time, you should let your home contents insurance provider know.
You may not see any changes to your premium, but it’s best to let your insurer know anyway.
In some cases, if you run a business from home and make or keep large amounts of stock on the premises then you’ll need a tailored contents policy. Similarly, you may need this type of policy if you have visitors coming to your home for business purposes (perhaps you’re a dog groomer or hairdresser) because of the extra risks involved.
Yes, most insurers will allow you to transfer your policy to a new address should you move and take on a new tenancy, or if you buy your own home. You need to inform your insurer and they may need to recalculate your level of risk based on your new location, so your premium could change.
Contents insurance won’t cover the payment of rent if you’re unable to pay.
If you’re concerned about payment due to possible loss of income in the future, you could consider taking out income protection insurance.
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Page last reviewed: 07 March 2023
Page reviewed by Jasmine Hembury
^UK residents and home insurance purchases only. Excess refunded after claim settled. Excludes accidental loss or damage claims made on your home insurance. Full T&Cs apply.
**The average price paid annually for home insurance purchased in September 2022 by type of cover. For buildings and contents insurance, it was £190. For buildings insurance only, it was £146. For contents insurance only, it was £74.
[2]As of January 2023, there are 68 active home insurers on the panel at GoCompare