Protect the things you love with contents cover from £66 a year[1]
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4.8 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot[2]
[1]The average price paid annually for home insurance purchased in August 2023 by type of cover. For buildings and contents insurance, it was £197. For buildings insurance only, it was £161. For contents insurance only, it was £66.
[2]Based on Trustpilot: Our average rating of 4.8 out of 5 is from 4811 people who left a review for home insurance comparison only. Last checked 19 February 2024
4.8 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot[2]
[1]The average price paid annually for home insurance purchased in August 2023 by type of cover. For buildings and contents insurance, it was £197. For buildings insurance only, it was £161. For contents insurance only, it was £66.
[2]Based on Trustpilot: Our average rating of 4.8 out of 5 is from 4811 people who left a review for home insurance comparison only. Last checked 19 February 2024
Why compare contents insurance with us?
Free £250 home excess cover^
We’ll refund up to £250 of your excess if you make a claim. Excludes accidental loss or damage claims. T&Cs apply.
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^UK residents and home insurance purchases only. Excess refunded after claim settled. Excludes accidental loss or damage claims made on your home insurance. .
We have over 65 UK home insurers providers on our panel including:[3]
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What’s home contents insurance?
Contents insurance is a type of home insurance that protects your household possessions. It’ll cover the cost of repairing or replacing your items if they’re lost or damaged by an insured event like a fire, flood or theft.
Insurers will generally class your contents as any household items you own that are not part of the structure of your property - things like your furniture, gadgets, clothing and jewellery.
Contents insurance is different to buildings insurance, which only protects the structure of your home. Buildings insurance won’t cover the items inside.
You can buy contents insurance as an individual policy, or with buildings insurance as a combined policy. You may not need buildings insurance if you’re renting however.
Types of home contents insurance cover
There are two main types of contents cover to choose from - ‘new for old’ and indemnity cover.
New for old cover
This is designed to replace your possessions with brand new equivalents.
So, if your three-year-old TV was damaged or stolen, new for old cover would replace it with a new equivalent model. Even though your TV may have depreciated since you bought it.
Indemnity cover
The depreciation of an item will be considered and the insurer will only pay out what it would cost to buy in the current market.
So, if you bought a new TV for £600 three years ago, and your insurer calculates it would only be worth £400 now, they’d only pay you that amount to replace it.
You’d likely only be able to purchase a second-hand equivalent model or a new TV of lower quality. Otherwise, you’d need to pay the difference to buy a new equivalent model.
How to compare contents insurance quotes
When you’re looking for quotes with us, we’ll ask for details about your home and your possessions including:
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The value of your contents
Estimate the total value of the items in your home. Remember to include the contents in your attic, garden, garage, shed and freezer.
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High-value items
Details about any individual items worth around £1,000 or more that you want to cover.
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Additional cover
Whether you want cover for accidental damage and away from home cover for items like mobiles, bicycles and laptops.
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Previous claims
Details of any home insurance claims made in the last five years
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Property details
The type of property you live in, what it’s made of and the types of locks and alarms installed.
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Personal details
Your name, address, who you live and when you’re usually home.
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WHAT DOES CONTENTS INSURANCE COVER?
The items you’d take with you when you move to a new house are usually covered by contents insurance. Any single item worth more than £1,000 probably won’t be covered unless you list it separately on your policy.
What's usually covered?
- Furniture
- Gadgets and electricals like TVs and laptops
- Alternative accommodation
- Home appliances
- Clothing and jewellery
- Business equipment
- Items in gardens and outbuildings
- Cash and credit cards
- Digital information
- Freezer contents
What's not usually covered?
- Items over the single-article limit
- Wear and tear
- Accidental damage
- Deliberate damage
- Damage to contents while moving home if you transport them yourself
- Lost possessions
- Negligence
- Faulty workmanship or DIY
- Damage by pets
Is contents insurance compulsory?
It’s not compulsory to have it, but it's a good idea. Without it, you’ll have to pay to repair or replace your possessions yourself.
Homeowners
Putting a personal touch on your home usually means filling it with things that mean a lot to you. Contents insurance is key when it comes to protecting your precious possessions.
Tenants and renters
If you’re a tenant who rents or house- shares, your building will be insured by your landlord, but your contents probably won’t.
Read more about renters insurance
Students
If you’re a student, you may be covered by your parents’ home insurance policy so it’s worth checking with them first before buying your own cover.
Read more about student insurance
Landlords
If you own rented property, then you’re going to need landlord insurance rather than tenants’ insurance or home contents insurance.
Read more about landlord insurance
£250 FREE EXCESS COVER. WHATEVER POLICY YOU PICK.^
If you need to claim on your home insurance - for example, if your building is damaged by subsidence or your possessions are stolen - your free home excess cover will refund up to £250 of your excess.
There’s no hidden charge. But it excludes things like accidental loss or damage.
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^UK residents and home insurance purchases only. Excess refunded after claim settled. Excludes accidental loss or damage claims made on your home insurance. .
COVER FOR HIGH-VALUE ITEMS
It’s the maximum amount a provider will pay out for any individual item should you make a claim. The limit could be anything from £1,000 to £1,500. It could even be more, depending on the policy and level of cover.
If you have valuables that are worth more than the single-article limit, you need to tell your insurer about them so that they can be listed individually on your policy. You’ll likely have to pay extra to do this, but it’s the only way to ensure that valuable items like jewellery, art and antiques are adequately covered.
It may be worth insuring your valuables on a separate, specialist policy, such as a jewellery insurance policy. This way you can keep the cost of your contents insurance down and have the right protection in place for your valuables.
According to our data, in 2022 the most commonly listed high-value items are:[4]
Item | Avg. value |
---|---|
Jewellery | £3,000 |
Watches | £4,000 |
Computer equipment | £1,649 |
Televisions | £2,500 |
Articles of gold | £1,700 |
Works of art | £3,000 |
Sports equipment | £2,500 |
Musical Instruments | £2,000 |
Electrical equipment | £1,500 |
Cameras | £2,500 |
How much does contents insurance cost?
According to our data, the average price people paid for contents-only cover is £66 a year.*
Insurers calculate your home insurance premium based on different risk factors that determine how likely you are to claim.
How much you'll actually pay will depend on your own circ*mstances. Insurers will take into account things like:
- Where you live
- The total value of your contents
- Any high-value items you want to insure
- Your home security
- Your previous claims history
- Whether you own or rent your property
- When your home is occupied
- Whether you live with children or pets
*The average price paid annually for home insurance purchased in August 2023 by type of cover. For buildings and contents insurance, it was £197. For buildings insurance only, it was £161. For contents insurance only, it was £66.
How can I get cheaper quotes for contents insurance?
There are things you can do to keep your premiums down:
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Pay annually rather than monthly
Monthly payment plans have added interest which raises the overall price of your policy.
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Avoid auto renewing
You could find a cheaper deal with another provider.
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Only pay for what you need
Only add optional extras you think are useful to you.
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Build your no-claims
The more years you go without making a claim, the higher the discount you can get.
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Accurately value your contents
Overestimating the value of your contents can mean you pay more than you need to for insurance. Try our handy contents insurance calculator tool to help ensure you don’t overvalue your contents.
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Compare quotes
Comparing quotes from a wide variety of providers can help you find the right level of cover at the right price for your needs.
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Discover more tips for getting cheaper home insurance.
How much contents cover do I need?
Insurers work out how much cover you need in three different ways:
- Bedroom rated – cover is based on the number of rooms in your home
- Sum insured – the cover amount is based on your estimate of the total value of all of your things
- Unlimited cover – everything is covered up to an unlimited amount (except there might be individual limits for particularly expensive items)
To calculate the total amount of contents cover you need, you should walk around your property making a list of all your possessions and how much it would cost to replace them as new.
Include everything you’d take with you if you moved home. (So, only exclude things like a fitted kitchen or bathroom suite). Everything else should be included in the calculation.
The total amount will be the sum insured - the maximum amount your insurer will pay out in the event of a claim.
It’s important to try to be as accurate as possible with your calculations. If you underestimate your home contents, your sum insured won’t be enough to replace all your possessions. If you overestimate your home contents, you’ll pay a higher premium than you need to.
Some insurers will increase your cover limit around Christmas. But not all do, so you should check your policy details to be sure.
Our contents insurance calculator tool can help you get an accurate figure.
Single article limits - Don't leave yourself under-insured
Home insurance policies cover a wide range of items but it’s always best to declare specific items of interest to your insurer, particularly those you consider to be the most valuable. Anything worth more than the single-article limit specified by an insurer, which is usually around £1,000, is unlikely to be covered as standard by your home insurance.So, if you do happen to own a particularly valuable piece of jewellery or a collectible item of any kind, it’s a good idea to discuss this with your provider. They can then put additional valuables insurance in place to make sure those items are accounted for."
Ceri McMillan – Go.Compare home insurance expert
Frequently asked questions
Cover for accidents like spilling a glass of wine on a rug or breaking a vase isn’t usually included as standard. You can add this type of cover to your policy for a fee.
It’s the maximum amount a provider will pay out for any individual item should you make a claim. The limit could be anything from £1,000 to £1,500. It could even be more, depending on the policy and level of cover. If you have valuables that are worth more than the single-article limit, you need to tell your insurer about them so that they can be listed individually on your policy. You’ll likely have to pay extra to do this, but it’s the only way to ensure that valuable items like art and antiques are adequately covered.
It may be worth insuring your valuables on a separate, specialist policy, such as a jewellery insurance policy. This way you can keep the cost of your contents insurance down and have the right protection in place for your valuables.
Mobile phones should be covered under a standard home contents policy against theft and damage from things like fire and flood.
However, you won’t be covered for damage or theft that occurs outside the home, unless you choose to add away from home cover to your policy. To be insured against common events like dropping and smashing your phone (or if it falls down the toilet!), you’d need accidental damage cover too.
Mobile phones can be expensive, so you should check if yours is worth more than the single-article limit of your policy. If it is, you’ll need to list it with your insurer as a separate item to fully insure it.
You can also buy mobile phone insurance
Your pedal cycles (and in most cases electrically-powered bikes, too) should be covered under a contents policy, up to a certain amount, when they’re at home.
But to insure them against loss, theft or damage when you take them out and about, you’ll need to add bicycle cover as an optional extra. This covers your bicycles when they’re away from your home and often up to a certain number of days anywhere else in the world.
To be covered for theft, you mustn’t leave your bike unattended in a public place unless it’s locked to an immovable object or inside your vehicle.
Most home insurance policies will provide cover for items kept in your garden, shed and garage as standard. But not all policies do, so be sure to check.
If it’s not included, you can usually buy garden cover as an optional add-on.
It protects things like garden equipment, lawnmowers, tools, garden furniture and plants too.
Some policies might stipulate that things like your lawn mower or garden tools need to be locked away overnight.
If you have a particularly valuable garden item, like an expensive barbecue, you’ll usually be able to pay an additional sum to list it on your policy.
Insurers consider an item as high risk if it’s particularly attractive to thieves. High-risk items are usually expensive and can be easily sold on to make money.
Examples of high-risk items are jewellery, gold, watches, artwork and antiques.
You’ll be asked by your insurer to specify any particularly valuable items you want to insure on your contents policy.
Be sure to let your insurer know about these items as their value may exceed your policy’s single-item limit.
The more high-risk items you want to insure, the more expensive your policy could be, but it can pay to ensure you’re properly protected and fully covered in the long run.
Students living in rented accommodation away from home should consider contents insurance. Check first that your parents’ home contents policy doesn’t already cover your possessions when you’re living away, though.
If you're sharing and/or living in a hall of residence, you may need to think about a dedicated student insurance policy.
You might find less insurers are willing to offer you a quote, particularly if you live in shared accommodation. Some insurers refuse cover, others add extra exclusions, especially if bedrooms don't have their own locks.
Always be upfront about your living arrangements with insurers. If you’re not, and you need to make a claim, your policy could be invalid. That means the insurer won’t pay out.
For valuable items, you might need to give your insurer a valuation certificate, or a receipt as proof you’ve bought it. Some insurers ask for them when you buy a policy, others might ask for them if you make a claim.
Home contents insurance policies last one year. It’s possible to buy temporary property insurance to cover your possessions while you're away if your home is empty for a short period of time.
Out of 327 contents insurance policies on Defaqto, 54% had no cover for matching sets and a further 30% had restricted cover, or it didn’t apply to all areas of the policy.[4]
Not all insurers offer matching set insurance, so if it’s something you need, check the policy details for cover before you buy.
Kitchen and electrical items tend to be standard parts of contents insurance.
But if the item is regarded as a ‘fixture and fitting’ it can be part of buildings insurance instead. Check your policy and take note of any single article limits and your excess.
Having a combined buildings and contents policy can simplify instances like this when you’re not sure what cover you might need.
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