Contents insurance is optional for tenants, but it is highly recommended, especially if you have valuable possessions or live in shared accommodation.
While your landlord’s insurance may cover the building itself, it does not protect your personal belongings in the event of fire, flood, theft, or accidental damage. Without contents insurance, you would be responsible for replacing your own items, which could be costly.
In short, having contents insurance as a tenant gives you peace of mind and financial protection for your belongings.
Contents insurance protects your personal belongings in your rented home against events covered by your policy. This can include furniture, clothes, electrical items and other possessions, although exclusions, excesses and payout limits will apply.
Personal belongings: such as clothes, furniture, TVs and laptops, usually subject to a maximum payout per item.
High-value items: such as jewellery, watches or artwork, if they’re declared when required by your policy.
Theft and burglary: if your belongings are stolen in circumstances covered by your policy.
Fire and storm damage: damage to your possessions caused by insured events.
Flooding and water leaks: damage caused by events such as a burst pipe, where covered.
Tenants’ liability cover: some policies include cover for accidental damage to your landlord’s fixtures and fittings. Check the tenants’ liability insurance details to see what’s included.
Wear and tear or faulty goods: damage caused by everyday use or a fault with the item itself.
Items stolen from the garden: outdoor belongings may be excluded or subject to separate limits.
Lost or misplaced belongings: unless your policy specifically includes this type of cover.
Damage caused by pets: check whether you can add accidental damage cover.
Items used for business: equipment used for work may need specific cover. See our guide to home business insurance.
Theft without signs of forced entry: some policies restrict cover in these circumstances.
Undeclared high-value items: possessions worth more than your policy’s limits may not be fully covered if you haven’t declared them.
Belongings taken outside the home: these may need personal possessions cover, which is often an optional extra.
No. Landlord buildings insurance only covers the structure of the property and any items owned by the landlord, not your personal belongings.
This means tenants should consider contents insurance to protect their own possessions.
The building itself (walls, roof, floors)
Fixtures and fittings provided by the landlord, such as boilers or kitchen units
Repairs after damage from fire, flood, or storm
Your electronics, clothing, or furniture
Personal items stored in shared or rented spaces
51% of MoneySuperMarket customers pay this amount or less.
10% of MoneySuperMarket customers pay this amount or less.
Costs for flats and apartments:
Costs for houses
You can often add extra cover to a tenants’ contents insurance policy to protect your belongings in more situations. The options vary between insurers, so compare what each policy includes as standard and what you’d need to pay extra for.
Common extras include:
Protects items you take outside your home, such as your phone, laptop, jewellery or bike. Check whether the cover applies in the UK only or abroad too, and look at any limits for individual items, theft and accidental loss.
Protects items in your home if they’re damaged by accident.Can protect you if you accidentally damage your own belongings, for example, spilling a drink on your laptop or dropping your television. Check which types of damage are included and what exclusions apply.
Can help with certain legal costs following an insured dispute, depending on the policy. Check which types of disputes are covered and whether there are limits on the amount you can claim.
May help with the cost of urgent assistance for certain problems, such as a plumbing emergency. As a tenant, check whether the policy covers issues you’re responsible for, as your landlord will usually deal with repairs to the building and its fixtures.
Renters will naturally feel that standard contents insurance policies aren’t right for them, so it’s important to find cover specifically for people who are renting their property. It’s important to remember that your landlord’s buildings insurance usually only covers damage to the buildings itself and not your possessions – that includes any damage or loss of items as a result of fire, burglary or floods.
In the year ending September 2025, the Office for National Statistics revealed there had been 342,00 residential burglaries in England and Wales. And according to our own data, on previous claims that were declared by customers taking out home insurance with us, “Theft” accounted for 12.23%[6]of all claims declared. Finding the right contents insurance policy can help to ensure you’re financially compensated if your possessions are stolen or damaged.
David McDermottroe Insurance & Personal Finance Expert
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If you need to make a claim on your contents insurance, follow these steps.
💡Top tip: Maintain copies of all communications and documents related to your claim.
Notify your insurance company as soon as possible after the incident.
Gather proof of the damage or loss, such as photos, receipts, or police reports (especially for theft).
Fill out any forms your insurer requires, giving full details of what happened and the items involved.
An assessor may need to inspect the damage or stolen items.
Even though some factors affecting your home insurance premium are fixed, like your location, you can still lower the cost.
This can be done by making your home more secure, such as installing better locks or alarms. Choosing a higher excess can also reduce your premium.
To calculate the amount of cover you'll need with your contents policy try to work out the cost of replacing your belongings if they were destroyed or stolen. Be as accurate as you can – especially with more expensive items – to ensure you're quoted for the level of cover you need.
Contents policies usually have single item limits, which is the maximum amount an insurer will pay out for an item. These are usually set at about £1,000.
To get cover for more valuable possessions, you must declare them on your insurance. Doing this will probably increase your premiums.
Alternatively, you can take out a separate policy to cover specific items. For example:
If you work from home, your contents insurance policy may extend to your work laptop or phone. However any more expensive equipment might require a separate business insurance policy.
It may do, although premiums might be higher if you live in student accommodation. Some providers also offer specialist policies for students.
Yes, it can do. Contents insurance policies that offer cover for people in shared house will generally cover your personal belongings but have certain cover limits to match your circumstances.
For example, they may require that your items be stored in your own bedroom and may not cover items that you share with your housemates.
It can. Some tenants’ contents insurance policies cover your belongings kept in a shed or garage, as well as items inside your rented home. However, cover varies between insurers, and there may be limits on the amount you can claim for items stored in outbuildings.
Check your policy wording to see which outbuildings are included, whether specific items are excluded and if extra security measures are required. This is particularly important if you keep bikes, tools or garden equipment in a shed or garage.
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Reviewed on 5 Nov 2026 by
The annual premium that 10% of our customers paid in September 2026 where the cover type purchased was contents insurance.
Accurate as of 05 November 2026.
YouGov Survey 1st July 2025 to 30th June 2026. Net Recommend score derived from "Which of the following online service websites would you recommend to a friend or colleague, or tell them to avoid?" Base: Current Customers of (MoneySuperMarket n=17,883, Compare the Market n=16,193, Go.Compare n=8,523, Confused.com n=7,918, Uswitch n=514)
Data based on the median premium of contents insurance policies sold through MoneySuperMarket in September 2026.
Data based on the average premium of contents insurance policies sold through MoneySuperMarket in September 2026.
Data based on enquiries made between August 2026 to October 2026 where the enquiry contained one or more claims.
SuperSaveClub restrictions and T&Cs apply. Click here for details.
51% of consumers could save up to £204.09 with MoneySuperMarket Buildings and Contents Insurance. Consumer Intelligence, 1-30 September 2026, Exc. NI, CI, IOM
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