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Contents insurance for students
Insure your gadgets and possessions with contents insurance.
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Contents insurance is not tailored specifically for students, but it can cover your possessions if you're in privately rented accommodation.
Compare contents insurance from 87^ insurers
We gather quotes from the leading home insurance providers in the UK, including:
What is students contents insurance?
Students contents insurance is cover you can take out to protect your personal belongings while you’re living away from home.
It means you’ll be able to claim for the cost of repairing or replacing your items if they’re lost, damaged, or stolen.
This kind of home insurance is designed for a student lifestyle, like living in a property with lots of other people and term-time occupancy.
That’s why students content insurance addresses specific circumstances like room-only cover, communal-area exclusions and thefts from unforced entry, as well as providing optional extras like away-from-home cover and accidental damage.
It also takes into account that many students have several important or valuable items in one room or area, such as laptops, phones, bikes or musical instruments or equipment.
Do I need contents insurance cover?
Maybe. But it’s worth checking for overlapping insurance policies as well as doing a little myth-busting around who is responsible for what.
A university is responsible for maintaining and insuring students halls of residence themselves, while private landlords have their own landlords buildings insurance.
But these are policies cover the structure of the buildings, and neither are likely to cover occupants’ own possessions inside those buildings.
That could mean that unless you arrange your own insurance, you won’t be covered. But before you buy, it’s worth checking if your contents are already covered:
Your parents or guardians’ home insurance policy may already provide cover for items away from home
You might have contents insurance as part of a packaged bank account or mobile phone contract
You could have existing insurance policies for each separate item – for example, if they were taken out at the time of purchase
What does student contents insurance cover?
Each policy is different, and when you buy student insurance you can pick the level of cover you need.
Standard contents insurance will replace items affected by fire, flood and theft. You can also buy add-ons to protect against loss or accidental damage. Contents insurance covers all your belongings, from clothes and books to mobile phones and tablets.
Many contents insurance policies will offer similar types of protection as well as exclusions:
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What is usually covered?
Burglary and vandalism from forced entry or theft of secured or locked items
Fire damage
Burst pipes, water leaks and flooding, as long as the property had been adequately maintained
Tenants liability cover, which offers financial protection if you accidentally damage your landlord’s property. Though sometimes included in students contents insurance, this is often an optional add-on
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What isn’t usually covered?
Wear and tear of your items. Contents insurance is designed to cover unforeseen circumstances, not the effects of typical use
Burglary or theft from unforced entry or of unattended items. If your home is burgled after someone left a window or door open or unlocked, or your bike is stolen while it was left unsecured, you probably won’t be covered
Lack of maintenance. For example, damage due to escape of water from broken plumbing could mean a claim is refused
Incorrect information. Policies or claims can be declared void if they are made based on inaccurate, missing or misleading information, such as inconsistencies in declared security features, contents values or inaccurate inventories
Items worth more than £1,500 each. You may need to declare more expensive items to your insurer separately
How does contents insurance work?
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Pick a policy
Calculate how much cover you need, including high-value items, check the compulsory excess amount and consider any voluntary excess you’d be prepared to pay. Select the start date.
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Additional cover
Choose any extras you would like, such as accidental cover and legal protection. Consider additional cover for common scenarios such as lost keys or accidental damage to fixtures and fittings.
Also check whether the standard policy offers new-for-old replacement, or provides indemnity, which instead covers the value of the item at the time of the claim.
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Making a claim
Once your policy is up and running, you are entitled to a two week ‘cooling-off’ period which entitles you to a partial or full refund if you change your mind and need cancel the policy.
If you need to make a claim, contact your insurer directly. If it’s a claim for theft, you’ll also need to contact the police.
How much does students contents insurance cost?
The average price of student contents insurance is £74.11 per year*, but the exact cost will depend on factors including:
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Your property
It can make a difference whether you live in a house or flat, as each comes with different risks
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The cost of your belongings
More expensive items will usually cost more to insure – and keep an eye out for single item value limits if you have any particularly valuable items
How to get cheaper contents insurance
Contents insurance policies are not particularly expensive, but there are steps you can take to get a cheaper quote:
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Shop around
Prices vary between insurance companies, so get a range of quotes from different insurers to see how much you could save, particularly taking into account discounts offered through TOTUM cards, UNiDAYS codes and other student-specific money-saving schemes.
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Cut out the frills
Be clear about the level of cover you need to get accurate quotes and if you don’t need any added insurance extras like accidental damage cover, you could cut your cost by opting for basic cover only.
But bear in mind that will limit the amount you can claim for. If you do need add-on cover for things like bikes or gadgets, look for bundling options rather than several standalone extras.
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Think about security
High-quality certified locks and permanently marking and/or registering individual valuable items like bikes and laptops, can all reduce your premiums.
The safer and more traceable your stuff, the less likely you may need to claim on an insurance policy but focus on measures that secure your possessions rather than seeking to alter the building itself.
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Raise the excess
Most insurance policies include an 'excess', which is the amount you have to pay towards any claim before the insurer pays out. If you agree to increase the excess you will usually pay a lower upfront cost. But bear in mind that you will need to stump up the amount of the excess if you need to claim.
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Pay your premiums annually
Many insurers charge extra if you pay by monthly direct debit. You’ll save money if you make a one-off, annual payment instead, if you can afford it.
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Build up a no-claims discount
Insurers usually reward people who don’t make claims with a cheaper policy premium. You may even be able to protect your no-claims discount after you’ve built it up. Don’t forget to keep your address up to date as you move around.
How do I claim on my students contents insurance?
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Keep receipts
Before starting the process, make sure you have evidence of how much you’ve paid out in related expenses & why the spend was necessary
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Contact provider
Contact your insurance company, providing your policy details and details of the incident
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Provide evidence
Include photos of damages items, receipts for the items or a police report if relevant
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Complete your claim
Complete your claim and submit your claim form to your provider
Our expert says…
Students are in a unique position, often living in a house or flat share with other adults who are non-family members.
There are usually lots of people coming and going, sometimes forgetting the close or lock doors or windows behind them, for example, and times when properties are empty for long periods. At the same time, there are also likely to be lots of valuable items in one building, such as laptops.
It’s no wonder insurers consider student cover higher risk than other kinds of insurance, and therefore potentially more expensive.
Whether you decide to insure just your own room with your own contents insurance policy or insure the whole flat or house with housemates, it’s worth taking measures to increase security – not just to help reduce the chance of theft or damage, but also to keep your premiums in check.
Ensure all windows and doors, including your own room door, have locks certified for insurance (look for BS 2621 or TS007 rated locks), enable device tracking on portable items like phones, and register valuables through free, police-approved services including the Secure Asset Register.
Kate Hughes Money & Savings Expert
Why compare students contents insurance with MoneySuperMarket
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It doesn’t take long
Estimate the worth of your home contents and any particularly high-value possessions, and quickly compare contents insurance quotes
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We’ll search for savings
We’ll show you which contents insurance is the cheapest along with claims experience, a quality score, cover level and more
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Get covered
Once you’ve found a contents-only insurance policy you like, you can call or click through to apply directly with the insurer
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When should I buy students contents insurance?
You should buy your policy from the first day your possessions are on site, it could be the tenancy start date or the date you move in.
Don’t wait until something happens to set up a policy because you won’t be able to backdate your cover, and make sure your policy covers holidays and temporary moves so that your contents are covered around term times and long absences.
Don’t forget the two-week cooling off period that means you can cancel your policy with a partial or full refund on payments if it isn’t right for you.
Are my expensive items covered by student contents insurance?
Most student contents insurance policies will cover expensive items, such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. However, there may be a limit on how much you can claim for each item, so if it is worth more than around £1,500, list it separately in your application so you aren’t underinsured.
Keep proof of ownership, particularly receipts and serial numbers, as well as marking and/or registering your valuables.
Check that your policy includes cover for expensive items that you may use away from your home such as your laptop or phone, and remember that your policy is unlikely to pay out if you have left your possessions unattended and/or unsecured.
Standalone gadget insurance may also be worth considering instead if you’re worried about repairing or replacing unique or important items.
Do students need buildings insurance?
No, buildings insurance isn't necessary for students renting accommodation. Your landlord or university are responsible for what happens to the building.
Do students need room-only contents insurance or a joint policy?
Both could offer appropriate cover, but the right choice depends on your circumstances. Grouping together with the other students in your building could save money, but if one person makes a claim against the policy, the premium will probably increase for everyone.
That means a joint policy could work best if you live in a smaller private student rental house or flat, for example.
An individual room-only policy may be more suited to those in big student accommodation with a large number of individuals, particularly halls of residence.
Are bikes covered under student contents insurance?
Yes, pedal bikes are usually covered under these policies, but the amount and conditions of the cover can vary a lot.
Some insurers have maximum claim amounts for bikes - and not particularly generous ones - so if yours is specialist or worth more than a few hundred pounds, check the details of your policy and consider a specific bike insurance policy if it won’t cover the value.
Look for lock and other security requirements, away-from-home exclusions, or even specific areas or locations that aren’t covered, and remember that e-bikes are often excluded.
Does student contents insurance cover term breaks and holidays?
It depends on the policy. Though students content insurance is designed for the specific needs of students who may not be at their accommodation for months on end, check for stipulations around unoccupied property clauses, as some insurers will reduce or even stop or void cover if the property is empty for more than around 30 days, particularly if you don’t state that the property is likely to be empty for extended periods when you first apply.
Remember to also check your policy for ‘away-from-home’ inclusions or exclusions for protection while travelling, and that any family home insurance policies will cover your possessions while you’re home for the holidays.
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