Contents insurance is often waved away with a shrug. “The landlord’s got insurance.” “I don’t own much.” Famous last words, usually muttered just before a laptop meets a burst pipe.
Contents insurance is about belongings. Not bricks, not roofs, not the value of the property. The things that would fall out if the building were turned upside down.
What home contents insurance covers
Contents insurance protects items inside the home that aren’t permanently fixed. Furniture, clothes, electronics, kitchen equipment, personal possessions. The everyday items that are expensive to replace all at once.
Policies respond to insured events such as fire, theft, escape of water and storm damage, subject to limits and conditions.
- Furniture and furnishings
- Electrical items and appliances
- Clothing, books and personal belongings
Replacement cost is the usual basis, not what you paid years ago or what something might fetch second-hand.
Contents insurance for tenants
Tenants are responsible for their own belongings. The landlord’s insurance does not extend to a tenant’s possessions, even when the damage wasn’t the tenant’s fault.
A leaking pipe, a neighbouring flat flooding, a break-in through a communal door. The building may be insured, but the tenant’s belongings are not unless they’ve arranged cover themselves.
Contents-only policies are designed for exactly this situation.
What tenants often get wrong
Underestimating value is the most common issue. A bed, a sofa, a television, some clothes. It sounds manageable until everything has to be replaced at once.
Another common mistake is assuming shared areas are included. Personal items left in hallways, communal kitchens or shared storage areas may have lower limits or exclusions.
- Belongings outside the main living space may be limited
- Cash limits are usually low
- Accidental damage may be optional
Contents insurance for landlords
Landlord contents insurance is different from tenant contents insurance. It covers items owned by the landlord and supplied with the property.
This usually includes furniture, white goods, carpets, curtains and fittings provided as part of the let.
It does not cover tenants’ belongings.
Furnished, part-furnished and unfurnished lets
The amount of contents cover needed depends on what’s provided.
In an unfurnished property, contents cover may be minimal. In a furnished or part-furnished property, it becomes more important.
- Furnished lets usually need higher contents limits
- White goods should be included if supplied
- Floor coverings are often overlooked
Getting this wrong can leave gaps that only show up after a claim.
Accidental and tenant damage
Accidental damage is not always included as standard. Dropped items, spills, broken fittings. These often sit behind an optional extension.
For landlords, damage caused by tenants may be excluded unless specifically added. Even then, conditions often apply.
This is an area where assumptions cause trouble.
Personal possessions outside the home
Some contents policies include limited protection for items taken outside the property. Phones, watches, jewellery.
Limits are usually modest unless extended cover is added. Losing an item away from home can feel very different to losing it indoors when the policy response changes.
Excesses and claims behaviour
Contents policies come with excesses. A lower premium often pairs with a higher excess.
That affects whether it makes sense to claim for mid-sized losses. A smashed television may fall below the excess. A full-room flood probably won’t.
Where contents insurance overlaps and where it doesn’t
Contents insurance does not replace buildings insurance. It does not cover the structure, permanent fixtures, or shared areas of a building.
It also does not act as a maintenance plan. Wear and tear, gradual damage and neglect sit outside most policies.
Keeping values realistic over time
Belongings change. New purchases arrive. Old items leave. Values creep up.
A policy set up years ago may no longer reflect what’s actually in the property.
Home contents insurance works best when it matches real life rather than assumptions made at the start.