Contents Insurance covers you for items and possessions within the home. Think about if you moved house – your contents would be everything you transferred from your old house to your new house. The right contents insurance policy can help protect all your possessions, whether you’re a homeowner and your property is mortgaged, or you’re a tenant who rents your home from a private landlord or social housing scheme.
Your possessions are the items you have bought or accumulated over the course of your lifetime. Some of your goods might be very valuable or have significant sentimental value. For this reason you need to make sure your home contents are protected and that your insurance will replace everything should the worst happen.
These types of policies protect you from loss or damage caused by:
• Theft
• Fire
• Storm or flooding (including escape of water)
• Malicious damage
• Subsidence
Typically, contents insurance policies will provide:
• New for old replacements
• Cover for contents away from the home
• Loss or damage to home office equipment
• Accidental damage cover for home entertainment equipment, mirrors and fixed glass
• Replacement locks if keys are lost or stolen
For extra cover, you can enhance most policies to include extra accidental damage cover, protected no claims discount, cover for personal belongings and portable items, family legal protection, bicycle and garden cover and public and employers' liability. Some contents insurance policies provide cover for occasions when you are temporarily away from home or on holiday, but do check this is applicable when you purchase your policy.
It’s worth knowing that not all insurance providers are the same and levels of cover can be significantly different. Don’t automatically go for the cheapest quote – look at what’s covered and what's excluded from the policy. Are you covered if you lose your smart phone or if your laptop is damaged for example? What about the new leather jacket you’ve somehow misplaced? Be realistic; think about your lifestyle and what’s important to you.
Read our home insurance articles and guides for more great topics or get a home insurance quote.