Home contents insurance

Contents insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing the belongings kept inside your home if they’re damaged, destroyed or stolen. Think furniture, appliances, electronics, clothing and personal possessions.

It’s separate from Buildings insurance, which protects the structure and fixtures (e.g. walls, roof, fitted kitchen and bathroom). Policies usually pay on a “new-for-old” basis up to your contents sum insured, and may include optional add-ons for accidental damage or cover away from the home.

Always check your Policy Booklet and Schedule for limits, single-article caps, specified items and any excesses that apply.

Cover typically includes loss or damage to your household belongings caused by insured events such as theft, fire, smoke, escape of water or oil, storm, flood and malicious damage.

Some policies include limited cover for food spoilage in a fridge/freezer, replacement of locks and keys, and tenants’ liability. Accidental damage and cover for personal belongings taken outside the home are often optional upgrades. Exclusions can include wear and tear, mechanical breakdown, and unattended items left in the open, with limits for “high-risk” items (e.g. jewellery, watches, cameras).

Refer to your Policy Booklet and Schedule for full details, monetary limits and excesses.

Contents insurance protects your movable possessions, the items you’d normally take with you if you moved house, such as furniture, TVs, computers and clothing.

Buildings insurance protects the fabric of the property and fitted fixtures: walls, roof, floors, windows, fitted kitchen units, built-in appliances, bathroom suites and permanent outbuildings.

Homeowners usually need both; landlords insure the building, but tenants are responsible for insuring their own belongings.
Contents claims are settled up to your contents sum insured and subject to item limits; buildings claims are settled under the buildings sum insured. Always review both policies to avoid gaps or overlaps in cover.

Calculate your contents sum insured as the total cost to replace all your belongings as new. Work room-by-room (including cupboards, loft and shed/garage if applicable), list major items, then add smaller items that add up quickly (books, clothes, kitchenware).

Pay particular attention to “high-risk” items such as jewellery, watches, laptops and cameras, many policies have single-article limits, and items above those limits usually need to be specified individually.

Don’t forget rugs, curtains and freestanding appliances. As a sense-check, compare your total with any blanket limit offered by your policy and adjust if needed. Under-insuring can reduce any claim settlement.

It isn’t a legal requirement, but it’s strongly recommended. If you added up the cost to replace everything you own, furniture, clothes, electronics and more, it’s often far higher than expected.

Contents insurance helps you recover financially after events like theft, fire or escape of water. Homeowners typically pair it with Buildings insurance; tenants should arrange contents cover for their belongings (landlords insure the building only).

Consider optional accidental damage and personal-belongings cover if you want protection for mishaps in the home and items taken outside. Always review your Policy Booklet and Schedule for limits and excesses.