Contents Insurance
Compare Contents Insurance Quotes
You could save up to £257* on contents insurance in minutes.
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What Is Contents Insurance?
Contents insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing your personal belongings if they are damaged, destroyed, or stolen.
It protects items you would take with you if you moved house, including furniture, electronics, clothing, jewellery, and kitchen appliances. The Association of British Insurers reports that the average UK household owns around £55,000 worth of contents, though many people underestimate what their belongings are actually worth.
Contents insurance is not a legal requirement, but it is the only way to recover the value of your possessions after a fire, flood, burglary, or other insured event.
How To Compare Contents Insurance Quotes
You can compare contents insurance quotes in a few minutes by entering your details, choosing your cover level, and reviewing prices from multiple insurers side by side.
Value your contents
Add up the total replacement cost of everything in your home. Go room by room and include furniture, electronics, clothing, kitchenware, and personal items.
Enter your details
Provide your address, property type, security features, and claims history. These details help insurers calculate your risk profile and premium.
Compare quotes side by side
Review cover limits, excess amounts, and pricing from multiple providers. Every insurer on our panel is authorised and regulated by the FCA, so all quotes meet the same consumer protection standards.
Buy your policy online
Choose the policy that matches your needs and budget. Your cover documents arrive by email, so your belongings are protected straight away.
What Does Contents Insurance Cover?
Contents insurance covers your personal possessions inside the home against damage or loss from fire, flood, storm, theft, and vandalism.
Furniture and household items
Sofas, beds, tables, chairs, curtains, carpets, and rugs are all covered. This includes items in bedrooms, living areas, kitchens, and bathrooms.
Electronics and gadgets
Televisions, laptops, tablets, smartphones, games consoles, and cameras are covered while inside the home. Items taken outside the home usually need a personal possessions add-on.
Clothing and textiles
Wardrobes full of clothing, shoes, bags, and linen are included. These items often add up to thousands of pounds without people realising it.
Jewellery and valuables
Watches, rings, necklaces, and other valuable items are covered up to a single-item limit, which typically sits between £1,000 and £2,500. Items worth more than this limit need to be listed individually on your policy as specified items.
Kitchen appliances and white goods
Freestanding cookers, washing machines, fridge-freezers, microwaves, and dishwashers are covered by contents insurance. Built-in appliances like integrated ovens are usually covered by buildings insurance instead.
Personal items stored in outbuildings
Most policies cover belongings kept in locked garages, sheds, and outbuildings, though cover limits are usually lower than for items inside the main property.
Compare Contents Insurance
Compare contents insurance quotes from UK insurers in minutes.
What Types Of Contents Insurance Can You Get?
The two main types are new-for-old cover and indemnity cover, and the one you choose affects how much you receive when you make a claim.
| Feature | New for Old | Indemnity |
| What it pays | Cost of a brand-new replacement | Value at time of loss (minus wear and tear) |
| Best for | Replacing items like-for-like | Keeping premiums low on older items |
| Premiums | Higher | Lower |
| Example (5-year-old TV) | Full cost of an equivalent new TV | Original price minus 5 years of depreciation |
New-for-old cover
This is the most common type and pays for a brand-new replacement of the same quality, regardless of how old the original item was. Most standard policies offer new-for-old as the default.
Indemnity cover
Indemnity policies pay the current market value of the item at the time of loss, accounting for age and wear. Premiums are lower, but payouts can be much less than the cost of buying a replacement.
Bedroom-rated policies
Some insurers offer bedroom-rated policies where your cover level is based on the number of bedrooms in your home rather than a specific sum insured. This can simplify the process, but you may end up over- or under-insured.
What Is Not Covered By Contents Insurance?
Standard contents insurance excludes general wear and tear, deliberate damage, items left unattended in public places, and losses caused by poor home maintenance.
General wear and tear
Faded curtains, worn-out shoes, and ageing furniture are not insured events. Contents insurance only covers sudden, unexpected damage or loss.
Deliberate damage
Damage you cause intentionally to claim a payout is fraud. Claims may also be refused if you leave doors or windows unlocked and a theft occurs.
Items left unattended
Standard contents cover only protects items inside the home. Possessions left in a car, at a restaurant, or in a park are not covered unless you have a personal possessions add-on.
High-value items over the single-item limit
Any item worth more than the policy's single-item limit is not fully covered unless you specify it individually. Check your schedule and list expensive jewellery, watches, and artwork separately.
Business equipment
Laptops, tools, and stock used for business purposes are usually excluded from personal contents policies. You would need separate business equipment cover or a home business extension.
Property in unoccupied homes
Most policies exclude claims on contents in properties left empty for more than 30 consecutive days. Tell your insurer if your home will be unoccupied for an extended period.
How Much Does Contents Insurance Cost?
The average cost of contents insurance in the UK is around £100–£150 per year, but prices vary depending on the value of your contents, your location, security measures, and claims history.
| Contents Value | Typical Annual Premium |
| Up to £25,000 | £50–£90 |
| £25,001–£50,000 | £80–£140 |
| £50,001–£75,000 | £110–£190 |
| £75,001–£100,000 | £150–£260 |
| Over £100,000 | £200–£400+ |
What affects the price?
Your premium depends on the total sum insured, the area you live in, the type of property, how secure your home is, and whether you have made previous claims. Properties in higher-crime areas typically attract higher premiums.
How is the sum insured calculated?
The sum insured is the total replacement cost of every item in your home. Go room by room, adding up furniture, electronics, clothing, kitchenware, and personal items to reach an accurate figure.
*51% of consumers could save £257.05 on their Home Building & Contents Insurance. The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next fourteen cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website. This is based on representative cost savings from April 2026. The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances.
What Add-Ons Are Available For Contents Insurance?
Most insurers offer optional extras that extend your contents cover beyond the standard policy, including accidental damage, personal possessions away from home, and bicycle cover.
Accidental damage cover
Covers damage you cause accidentally, such as spilling wine on a sofa, knocking over a television, or dropping a laptop. Without this add-on, only damage from insured events like theft or fire is covered.
Personal possessions away from home
Extends cover to items you carry with you, including phones, watches, and wallets. This add-on protects you against loss, theft, and accidental damage outside your property.
Bicycle cover
Covers your bicycle against theft and damage both inside and outside the home. Many standard policies only cover bikes kept inside the property, so this add-on is worth considering if you cycle regularly.
Student possessions
Extends your contents cover to a son or daughter living away at university. Their belongings in student accommodation are protected under your policy rather than needing a separate plan.
Legal expenses cover
Pays legal costs if you need to pursue or defend a claim, such as a dispute with a retailer over a faulty product or a personal injury case.
Buildings insurance
Adding buildings insurance to your contents policy creates a combined home insurance package. Bundling the two together usually works out cheaper than buying them from separate providers.
How To Save Money On Contents Insurance
The most effective ways to reduce your premium are getting an accurate contents valuation, comparing multiple quotes, increasing your voluntary excess, and improving your home security.
Get an accurate contents valuation
Over-insuring means you pay for cover you do not need. Under-insuring means your claim could be reduced proportionally, leaving you out of pocket.
Compare quotes from multiple insurers
Prices for the same level of cover can vary by hundreds of pounds between providers. Comparing side by side takes a few minutes and is the fastest way to find a better deal.
Increase your voluntary excess
Raising the amount you agree to pay towards any claim lowers your annual premium. A £250 excess instead of £100 can reduce the price by 5–10%.
Improve your home security
Fitting deadlocks, a burglar alarm, and window locks can lower your premium. Some insurers offer specific discounts for homes with monitored alarm systems or smart security cameras.
Pay annually instead of monthly
Monthly instalments include interest charges that typically add 10–15% to the total cost. Paying the full year upfront avoids this extra charge.
Bundle contents and buildings insurance
A combined home insurance policy is almost always cheaper than buying contents and buildings cover from different providers.
Avoid unnecessary claims
Every claim-free year builds your no-claims discount. Small claims can cost you more in higher premiums over the following years than the payout is worth.
Review your cover each year
Your belongings change over time as you buy new items and get rid of old ones. Update your sum insured annually so you are not paying for cover you do not need or left under-insured after a big purchase.
Check your flood risk
Use the GOV.UK flood risk checker to see whether your property sits in a high-risk area. If it does, the Flood Re scheme may help keep your premium affordable.
Compare Contents Insurance
Compare contents insurance quotes from UK insurers in minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contents insurance is a type of home insurance that covers your personal belongings against damage, loss, or theft. It protects items you would take with you if you moved house, such as furniture, electronics, clothing, and jewellery.
Yes, the average UK household owns around £55,000 worth of possessions, and replacing everything after a fire or burglary without insurance would be financially devastating for most people.
New-for-old pays the cost of a brand-new replacement regardless of the item's age. Indemnity cover pays the current market value, which factors in wear and tear, so payouts are typically lower.
Not as standard. You need a personal possessions add-on to cover items like phones, watches, and laptops when you take them out of the house.
Most standard policies cover bicycles kept inside the home, but theft from a garden or a public bike rack is usually excluded. A bicycle cover add-on extends protection to outside the property.
Yes, most policies cover belongings stored in locked outbuildings such as garages and sheds. Cover limits for outbuildings are usually lower than for the main property, so check your policy wording.
You need enough to replace every item in your home at today's prices. Go room by room, add up the replacement cost of all furniture, electronics, clothing, kitchenware, and personal items, then set your sum insured to match.
Your landlord's insurance covers the building and their fixtures, but it does not cover your belongings. If your possessions were damaged by a fire or stolen in a burglary, you would have to replace them at your own cost without a contents policy.
Yes, renters and leaseholders who do not own the building often buy contents-only policies. Homeowners can also buy contents separately, though bundling it with buildings cover is usually cheaper.
The single-item limit is the maximum your insurer will pay for any one item, and it typically sits between £1,000 and £2,500. Items worth more than this need to be specified individually on your policy.
Contact your insurer as soon as possible after the loss or damage. Provide a description of what happened, a list of affected items with approximate values, and any supporting evidence such as receipts, photos, or a crime reference number.
