Do I need council house insurance?
As a council tenant, the only type of council house insurance you need to worry about is contents cover.
Your buildings insurance should already be taken care of by your council. This means they cover repairs to your home’s structure in the event of a fire, storm or flood. This includes issues with:
- The walls and roof
- The bath, sink and toilet
- Any fitted kitchen cupboards.
But if you want protection for the possessions you keep in your home, you’ll need contents insurance. This can pay out if your personal belongings are damaged or stolen from your home.
If you’re not sure whether you need contents insurance, it’s worth thinking about how much it would cost to buy your possessions again. Consider things like your:
- Furniture
- Laptops
- Musical instruments
- TVs
- Clothing
- Curtains and carpets.
If you couldn’t afford to replace them all in the event of a flood, for example, it’s worth considering contents insurance.
You can use our handy guide to valuing your home contents to help you work out how much your possessions are worth.
You can also use our home contents calculator when you get a quote.
Start a quoteIs the council responsible for contents insurance?
No, the council isn’t responsible for your contents insurance. Generally, only the cost of your buildings insurance is covered by the council you rent your home from.
So if, for instance, a storm caused your building’s roof to leak, the council would likely cover repairs to the roof. But it wouldn’t cover the cost of replacing your water-damaged computer.
Contents insurance is something you’d need to buy yourself if you want cover for your possessions.
How much does contents insurance for council tenants cost?
Whether you’re a council house tenant, a renter or a homeowner, how much you pay will depend on several factors.
These include how much your possessions are worth, the size and location of your home and which provider and policy you choose.
Shopping around is one of the easiest ways to get a good deal on your contents insurance. According to our data, many Compare the Market customers pay less than £59 a year[1] for their contents insurance.
[1] 51% of our customers were quoted less than £58.25 for their contents home insurance in June 2025.
Start a quoteWhere can I buy contents insurance for my council house?
Many councils offer tenants the option of taking out contents insurance through them. But before you do that, you could see what other deals are available.
Comparing quotes from a range of insurance providers is one of the easiest ways to make sure you’re getting a council house insurance policy that suits your needs and budget.
Compare contents insurance with us
When you compare home insurance for council tenants with Compare the Market, we do the legwork for you.
Simply give us a few details about you and your home contents and we’ll show you a range of suitable quotes.
We compare up to 81[2] home insurance products from some of the UK’s most respected home insurance providers to save you time and effort.
Let’s get started.
[2] Correct as of June 2025.
Start a quoteWhat do our customers say about our Home insurance comparison service?
Based on 28,737 reviews, customers who bought Home insurance rated our comparison service 4.7 out of 5.
Makes an onerous task so much easierKeith • 18/02/2025
Cheaper than existing insurance. Very happy customer.Denise • 17/02/2025
Found a very competitive price for my home insuranceG Sehmi • 20/02/2025
Lots of options for my home insuranceKim • 05/02/2025
Why use Compare the Market?
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We compare prices for 81 home insurance products[2] |
Rated 4.9/5 on Trustpilot[3] |
[2] Correct as of June 2025.
[3] As of July 8th 2025, Compare the Market had an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 from 93,668 people who left a review on Trustpilot. The score 4.9 corresponds to the Star Label ‘Excellent’.
What our expert says...
“According to our data, where almost 90% of homeowners have contents insurance, around half of people renting their homes don’t. If something were to happen and you didn’t have home contents insurance as a council tenant, you could end up seriously out of pocket.
“With council house insurance, your possessions – including furniture, TV, clothes and even carpets – could be covered in the event of something like a flood. Just make sure you estimate the total cover you’d need carefully.”
- Anna McEntee, Home, pet and travel insurance expert
Frequently asked questions
What about insurance if I buy my council house?
If you buy your council property as a leaseholder, the council will likely arrange the buildings insurance.
This will be included in your annual service charge. But you’ll still need to arrange your own contents insurance.
If you buy your home as a freeholder, or you buy the freehold later, you’ll be responsible for buying buildings and contents insurance.
Also, your mortgage provider will probably insist you have buildings insurance.
Will contents insurance cover me if the council damages my property?
If a tradesperson working for the council damaged your property, you might be able to claim on your council’s insurance.
An example of this could be if a plumber accidentally disconnected a pipe and you had a flood. See further details on GOV.UK
If you did the same thing yourself, the council’s insurance might not cover you. But if you had accidental damage cover, you might be able to make a claim for damage to your possessions under your own contents insurance policy.
Accidental damage is standard with some home policies, and can be added as an optional extra to others.
How can I find out if my council has buildings insurance for my property?
Check your lease. You may also be able to find details of the insurance arrangements for council properties on your local authority’s website.
What if the council doesn’t take out buildings insurance?
The council doesn’t have a legal obligation to take out buildings insurance. But they are responsible for the building and any repairs that might be required.
However, if you damage the building and there’s no buildings insurance in place, the council may hold you accountable for repair costs.
One example of this could be if you failed to address a leaking pipe which later burst and caused water damage.
For peace of mind, you could take out tenants’ liability insurance. This could cover costs relating to accidental damage to the property.
What should I do if I’m having problems with council repairs?
For advice on council repairs, see:
If you’ve had issues with repairs and your landlord’s complaints procedure hasn’t resolved them, you may be able to get help from the Housing Ombudsman.
