Home Contents Insurance

The cost of contents insurance is determined by the value of any belongings you’d like to cover.

To work out the level of cover you need, you need to add up the value of your personal possessions, furniture and any other items you’d like to include in the policy.

It’s important to remember to check the small print of any content insurance policies and look out for the excess in case the worst does happen and you need to replace some of your more precious items.

Contents insurance covers you against most types of a home emergency, such as loss, theft or damage to your personal and home possessions.

This can range from homeware items such as furniture or kitchenware to electrical goods and jewellery.

It applies to the belongings of anyone living in a property on a permanent basis. The details of the cover can be decided by the individual. But in general, the higher the value of the items, the more expensive the cost of the policy.

Contents insurance is an insurance policy taken out to cover the cost of replacing all your belongings in case you’re unfortunate to be the victim of theft or an accident such as a fire or flood.

It is different to buildings insurance, which covers the basic elements of a property, covering things like subsidence and structural damage.

In some cases, a comprehensive car insurance policy will cover any personal possessions left inside a vehicle.

However, it’s always sensible to check the policies for both car and contents insurance to make sure you’re not paying for the same cover twice. Protecting personal possessions when outside of the home is usually an extra to standard contents insurance policies.

Contents insurance is not legally required or needed by mortgage providers. However, no one knows what the future might bring, so it's best to err on the side of caution and invest in protecting your belongings.