What is Contents Insurance

Contents insurance is a type of house insurance. It’s designed to help protect your personal possessions and belongings against damage, theft, or loss.

You can also purchase contents insurance combined with buildings insurance under Intasure’s home insurance policy.

How does contents insurance work?

Home contents insurance only helps to protect the items in your household, not the structure itself. It can cover damage or loss caused by factors such as fire, theft and flooding and can also extend to cover certain items kept in your garden.

You should have an idea of the value of your items so you know how much cover you want. Providers tend to take three different approaches to help determine the level of insurance you may want. These include:

  • Bedroom rated: Insurance providers calculate the total amount of cover based on the number of bedrooms at your property.
  • Sum insured: You work out the total value of your items to determine how much cover you need.
  • Unlimited cover: A provider sets a maximum amount to cover your home’s contents, possessions, and valuables. They may set limits for individual items, such as £3,000 for one item of jewellery.

It’s important to be as accurate as possible when taking out a contents insurance policy. Otherwise, you may leave yourself at a financial loss if you lose an expensive item that’s not insured for its full worth. On the other hand, you don’t want to be paying too much for a policy if you’ve overvalued your items.

What does contents insurance cover?

Contents insurance covers personal belongings and items in your home up to certain limits. Intasure’s home and contents insurance policy is designed with the following cover:

  • Sum insured

    Maximum sum insured up to £100,000

  • Single limit

    Single article limit of £2,000

  • Valuables limit

    Total valuables limit of up to £33,000

  • Replacement

    New for old replacement

  • Cover for items

    Cover for items in your home and garden

  • Alternative accommodation

    Alternative accommodation if your house is deemed unsafe to live in

We also have several optional extras to add to your policy for an additional fee. These include:

  • Accidental damage cover

    Helps protect your items from accidental damage, such as dropping your phone or staining furniture from a spillage.

  • Bicycle cover

    Insures your bicycles against theft, damage, and loss, which can include away from home – maximum sum insured up to £100,000

Policy limits and exclusions may apply, please see the policy wording for full terms and conditions.

What risks does contents insurance cover?

Home contents insurance can cover risks such as:

  • Theft

    Theft and attempted theft

  • Fire

    Smoke and fire

  • Damage

    Malicious damage

  • Explosions

    Explosions

  • Flooding

    Flooding, burst pipes, and other escape of water

  • Escape

    Escape of oil

  • Storms

    Storms, earthquakes, explosion and lightning

  • Subsidence

    Subsidence and landslip

Policy limits and exclusions may apply, please see the policy wording for full terms and conditions.

What items can contents insurance cover?

  • Jewellery
  • Tech, such as laptops, tablets, TVs, and phones
  • Furniture
  • Artwork, ornaments, and other collectables
  • Wine collections
  • Sporting equipment
  • Musical instruments
  • Personal money
  • Deeds and important documents
  • Hot tubs and spas
  • Fridge and freezer contents
  • Replacement locks and keys
  • Medical equipment on loan
  • Shopping in transit
  • Guest contents
  • Items stored in outbuildings, sheds, and garages

You may be able to insure other items, so it’s worth checking with us first. You can also name important or expensive items on your policy to ensure they’re covered up to a certain limit.

Policy limits and exclusions may apply, please see the policy wording for full terms and conditions.

Do you need contents insurance?

Contents insurance isn’t a requirement like buildings insurance when it comes to mortgages. Most mortgage providers insist that you have buildings insurance in place before securing your mortgage deal. However, contents insurance is optional cover.

You may need different types of cover depending on whether you’re a landlord, homeowner, or student, for example:

  • Homeowners

    Homeowners likely need a comprehensive level of cover, since all their possessions and items are stored within the property. Often, homeowners who own and occupy the property, will combine buildings and contents cover into one policy.

  • Tenants

    Tenants may need contents cover to help protect their possessions. They may also need liability cover to protect damage to their landlord’s property.

  • Landlords

    Landlords might consider building and contents insurance to help protect their property and possessions from damage while it’s rented. This insurance can also provide cover for loss of rent and alternative accommodation expenses.

  • Students

    Students may not need buildings cover as they likely won’t be responsible for the building. However, contents cover may be beneficial to help protect their possessions and items stored at the property.

  • Holiday homeowners

    Holiday home buildings and contents cover can provide tailored insurance against risks such as accidental damage, theft, liability claims, and unoccupied cover.

Policy limits and exclusions may apply, please see the policy wording for full terms and conditions.

How much does contents insurance cost?

Contents insurance isn’t a requirement like buildings insurance when it comes to mortgages. Most mortgage providers insist that you have buildings insurance in place before securing your mortgage deal. However, contents insurance is optional cover.

You may need different types of cover depending on whether you’re a landlord, homeowner, or student, for example:

  • Location

  • Flood and crime risk in the area

  • The items you want to cover, such as all items or just specific possessions

  • The type of property and whether it’s rented or owned

  • Security levels

  • Claims history

Why choose Intasure?

With over 20 years of experience providing cover for second homes in the UK and abroad, we’ve built up a team of specialists to help you find suitable cover.

Some of the benefits of taking out an insurance package with Intasure include:

Cover overseas

We provide cover in more than 20 countries and territories

UK teams

We have an in-house UK-based customer service team

English documents

We provide all policy documents and communications written in English

Rated ‘Excellent’

We are rated ‘Excellent’ on Reviews.io, with 96% of reviewers recommending us*

*correct as at January 2024

Policy documents

View and download policy documentation

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FAQs

Please note that these frequently asked questions are not a substitute for the policy wording. For full terms and conditions, please see the policy documentation.

Is it a legal requirement to have contents insurance?

No, contents insurance isn’t a legal requirement, but without it, your personal possessions could be at risk, and you could be left out of pocket should something go wrong. Contents insurance helps to ensure your prized possessions are covered and offers peace of mind.

Cover is not included for the following:

  • Wear and tear
  • Damage caused by improper use or poor care
  • Lost possessions
  • Negligence
  • Faulty workmanship
  • Electrical or Mechanical breakdown
  • Damage by pets, vermin, or pests

The amount of cover you need depends on how much it would cost to replace an item or multiple items. The sum insured is the maximum amount your contents insurance will pay out if your item is destroyed, so you’ll need to ensure this figure is correct before taking out a policy

You should have an accurate figure so you only pay for the contents insurance you need. You can also save money by combining contents cover with buildings insurance, so you pay for one policy rather than two. Also, consider paying for your policy annually rather than monthly, paying a higher excess, and building up a no claims discount.

You can submit a claim to our in-house claims team. In the event of a successful claim, Intasure can cover the cost of repair or replacement of covered items.

Our mission as second home insurance specialists

We comprise of an in-house team of sales, renewals, customer service, claims, and underwriting specialists. Our aim is to help you find property insurance that suits your needs.

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Years’ experience
providing holiday home insurance

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of reviewers recommend Intasure
on reviews.io*

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*correct as at June 2024

Specialist second home insurance from Intasure

Learn more about the cover our products provide:

Holiday Home Insurance

Insurance for holiday homes in the UK and abroad.

Expat Home Insurance

Insurance for UK expats looking to protect their homes.

Second Home Insurance

Cover in the UK and abroad.

Landlord Insurance

Cover for UK let properties.

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