Tenants Home Insurance: a quick guide

If you're renting, it's up to you and not your landlord to insure your possessions. This quick guide tells you what you need to know.

What sort of insurance do I need?

Your landlord will probably have buildings insurance to cover the structure of the property. To protect your possessions, you need contents insurance.

What is contents insurance?

Basic contents insurance provides cover in the event of loss or damage to your possessions due to theft, fire or flood.

You may also want to pay for additional cover such as legal expenses or all risks for items you take outside e.g. laptops.

Get a tenants home insurance quote

Do I need contents cover in a fully furnished property?

Your landlord should insure their own possessions, but if you damage them, you could lose money from your deposit.

Contents insurance can cover the value of your deposit, as well as your own possessions.

I'm renting a room in a shared house…

Look for insurers who provide specialist cover for students belongings insurance or those in shared accommodation. Some companies will cover all sharers under one policy, others will need each person to insure separately.

Calculating the value of your possessions

While some policies are based on the number of rooms in your house, most policies require you to estimate the total value of your contents - the "sum insured". Be accurate. Underestimate and you could be out of pocket if you make a claim. Our quick guide to valuing your home's contents will get you started.

Key points

Protect your own possessions - your landlord won't cover them, even if the property is fully furnished.
Read the small print - know what's not included in your policy
Consider a specialist insurer - many offer policies aimed specifically at tenants.
Provide an accurate sum insured - make sure you have the right level of cover.