There are 2 types of contents insurance. They're new-for-old and current value.
Gives you a brand new replacement for your damaged items. Replacing your old belongings with new ones.
Pays out what your items are likely to be worth now. This means you'd get back less money than you originally paid for the item. So, it might not be enough to cover the full cost of replacing it.
If you need to make a claim, you'll most likely need to pay an excess. This can be a compulsory or voluntary contribution towards the claim. The amount you pay for compulsory excess is decided by the insurance provider. For voluntary excess, you choose how much you pay towards the claim.
For example, say the compulsory excess is £100. And, your chosen voluntary excess is £100. You wouldn't be covered for the first £200 of any claim. Make sure before buying a policy that the excess amount is affordable. You need to be able to pay it if you ever need to make a claim.
If you've never claimed on your contents insurance before or it's been a while since your last claim, you might get a no claims discount.
We need to know about your home, the type of cover you want, buildings, contents or combined, and any add-ons you need.
We'll show you prices from up to 64 trusted insurance companies1.
Choose your policy, including any add-ons, then go ahead and buy. After buying, don't forget to claim your free hot drinks for a year and your reward.
To estimate the value of your contents, include everything in your house that isn't part of its structure.
To give you a rough guide, the average contents amount is £39,000*
Your contents insurance should cover the full cost of replacing your personal belongings. Don't forget about things like appliances, family heirlooms, jewellery, and clothes. Remember high-value items over £1,000 need to be listed separately on your policy.
Want help working out how much cover you need? Give our contents calculator a try
*Based on Confused.com data, December 2023 - February 2024.
Average cost by amount of cover*.
£0 - £9,999
£53
£40,000 - £49,999:
£65
£50,000 - £59,999
£70
£60,000 - £69,999
£79
*Confused.com data, December 2023 - February 2024.
The average annual cost of contents insurance is from £53*. But keep in mind, the cost of your cover is likely to increase if you make a claim. How much you pay will vary depending on a range of factors, including:
It's good to know what your policy covers, to avoid invalidating your insurance. Each provider will usually list coverage and exclusions in the policy documents:
Your standard home insurance policy might not provide enough cover for high value items such as laptops, televisions and bikes if they're lost, stolen or damaged.
A single-item limit is the maximum amount you can claim per item on your contents insurance policy. The limit is usually around £1,000, but it can vary, so it's recommended that you double-check your policy.
If you own high value items, you may not be fully covered if any of them are over the single-item limit. If they are over the limit, you'll need to list them separately on your policy. If you don't, you can only claim up to the value of the single item limit.
When you get a quote, you may also be able to get items that are worth over £1,000 covered for being outside the home. But how comprehensive this cover is will vary among insurers.
High value contents insurance is designed to protect your expensive belongings. Generally, this specialist insurance is for items that are worth more than £1,000. You may want to consider buying high value contents insurance for things like:
It might be a good idea to consider getting specialist insurance to protect high value items when outside your home. If you do, check the policy for details on how much cover you have and for what.
You don't have to have contents insurance, but it's a good idea to have some protection in place. It could be useful for anyone who's responsible for the contents of a house, including:
Your landlord is responsible for your home. But, it's up to you to insure your personal belongings. You can do this with tenants or renters contents insurance.
Buildings insurance will protect your home's structure. But, if you want to protect the belongings inside your home, you'll still need contents insurance. You might save money by combining contents and buildings insurance, instead of buying 2 separate policies.
If you live in a shared house or a house in multiple occupation (HMO), you may want to only insure the things that are in your room. Without having to cover your flatmates' belongings and things kept in communal areas.
Whether you live in university halls or in private student accommodation. Student contents insurance can protect your things while you're at university.
There's no specific lodger insurance policy. However, having a lodger is likely to increase how much you pay for your insurance. This is because insurance costs are based on risk. And giving another person access to your home increases that risk.
Landlords contents insurance covers all furniture and possessions that belong to you. This is useful if you're renting out a furnished or part-furnished property. If your property is unfurnished, your tenants should arrange their own contents cover.
If you own a holiday home, you may need specialist holiday home contents insurance. Unlike residential homes, holiday homes face different risks. This is because they usually stand empty for long periods.
**Single annual policy. New and former Paramount+ subscribers only who sign up at ParamountPlus.com. Subscription required. Auto-renews unless cancelled. 18+. Just Eat website account required, geographical exclusions apply. One regular hot drink per month for a year, only available via the Confused.com app. T&Cs apply
To get a contents insurance quote you'll need to answer a few questions, it's worth having the following information to hand:
*Based on Confused.com data, December 2023 - February 2024.
A £250 voluntary excess could reduce your price by about 27%*. This is compared to a policy with no voluntary excess. You'll pay this amount along with the compulsory excess set by your insurer for any home insurance claim you make
Optional extras come at a cost. Look for an insurance policy that offers the cover you need at a good price. Do this before choosing add-ons.
Paying for your insurance in monthly instalments can cost up to 15%* more due to interest charges. If you can afford to pay for your policy in one go, it can help to lower your costs.
Don't over insure. Overestimating the value of your contents and going up in bands can increase the amount you pay. But if you're unsure how much insurance you'll need, use our contents insurance calculator.
Not automatically renewing your existing policy gives you a chance to see whether you can find a better price. You might be able to find the same amount of cover at a cheaper price by shopping around and comparing policies.
Making sure your door locks meet British Standards Institution (BSI) standards, will help to keep your things more secure and lower the risk of theft.
If you have a buildings policy always combine it with contents insurance. This can save you on average £37*, compared to purchasing 2 separate policies.
*Based on Confused.com data, December 2023 - February 2024.
"Every household bill is increasing recently, including the price of insurance. With tighter household budgets, it might be tempting to skip getting contents insurance. Especially as it's not a legal requirement.
But, you should consider how much protecting your contents would cost compared to the cost to replace everything in your home, in a worst case scenario."
Home emergency cover can pay for unexpected incidents. This includes urgent repairs for things such as burst pipes, blocked drains, or electrical faults. To fully protect your boiler, you may need a standalone boiler insurance policy.
Legal expenses cover, also known as family protection cover, helps pay for legal fees. It usually covers personal injury claims, employment disputes, property disagreements, and issues with goods and services. Some policies include this as standard, or you can choose to buy this as an add-on to your home insurance.
Personal possessions insurance covers your valuables against loss and theft when you're away from home. It includes items that you typically take out of the house, such as jewellery, watches, handbags, and phones. It usually covers items worth less than £1,000.
Accidental damage insurance covers non-deliberate damage that happens suddenly and unexpectedly. This includes accidentally dropping something fragile or spilling something on your carpet.
Over 400,000 customers trust us to help them with their home insurance every year. With renewal reminders and our app, it's easy to stay on top of your home insurance renewal.
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Just like the 64 home insurance companies1 we work with. This means that we have to follow strict guidelines in order to operate. So when you use our site, you know you're in safe hands.
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"Came out with extremely competitive prices for my home insurance, when all the other popular comparison sites were showing twice the price!"
Pranav - Confused.com customer (April 2024)
Confused.com Contents insurance scores a
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Page last reviewed: 10 April 2024
Reviewed by: Matthew Harwood
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