Tenants contents insurance

Key takeaways  

• While renters’ or tenants’ insurance isn’t mandatory in the UK, it can offer useful financial protection if your belongings are lost, damaged or stolen 

• You can cover things like your laptop and tablet, jewellery, bicycles and home entertainment systems 

• You’ll need to calculate the total value of your belongings, and declare any high-value items separately if they exceed the single item limit  

Do I need contents insurance if I’m renting? 

You aren’t legally required to take out contents insurance as a renter, but it’s generally recommended as it offers valuable financial protection that you won’t get from your landlord. Even if they have a landlords insurance policy, it will generally only offer cover for the structure of the building - you’ll need to take out your own policy to protect your personal possessions. 

What is contents insurance for renters? 

Contents insurance for renters is just the same as any other contents insurance policy in that it will cover your belongings against loss, theft or damage resulting from insured events.

As a renter, you won’t need to take out buildings insurance, so renters’ contents cover is the only home insurance you’ll need to think about. 

What’s covered by renters’ contents insurance? 

The exact level of cover you’ll get with your tenants insurance policy depends on the insurer and the type of policy you take out.

However, you should generally expect the following to be covered by most tenants insurance policies: 

• Theft: If your belongings are stolen from your property 

• Vandalism: If someone causes deliberate damage to your property 

• Water leaks: If any pipes burst and cause a leakage of water 

• Storm damage: Any damage resulting from a storm 

• Flooding: Any damage resulting from a flood or natural disaster 

• Fire: Any damage resulting from a fire or explosion 

• Tenants’ liability: If you cause accidental damage to your landlord’s property or belongings 

• Alternative accommodation: You may also get cover for additional living expenses and alternative accommodation if you’re required to leave your home while it’s being repaired 

What isn’t covered by renters’ contents insurance? 

Any items like furniture that don’t belong to you are up to the landlord to cover, so your tenants contents insurance policy won’t protect these items. Likewise, a tenants insurance policy won’t cover the building itself, as this is also down to the landlord. 

Items you own in the property that might not qualify for cover include:  

• Items or belongings used for professional purposes, excluding office furniture and equipment 

• Items that break down due to a mechanical or electrical fault 

• Items that break down due to wear and tear 

• Items that have been damaged deliberately by you or members of your household 

• Items that exceed your single-item value limit - so be sure to check the value of your belongings and declare any high-value items separately 

• Items kept outside the home 

• Items that are damaged or stolen while the home is unoccupied for a long stretch of time - normally 30 days unless you have unoccupied home insurance 

Which of my belongings are covered? 

Protection will apply to any personal items or belongings you keep in the property, including:  

• Appliances such as microwaves and toasters 

• Furniture like sofas, tables and chairs 

• Guitars, keyboards and other instruments 

• Clothes and jewellery including wedding dresses, designer clothes, rings and bracelets 

• Gadgets like tablets, laptops and mobile phones 

• Collectables such as art, antiques and heirlooms 

• Other belongings including things like bicycles 

• Home entertainment for example TVs, DVD players, games consoles and stereos 

You'll also have the option of adding extras to your policy, such as out-of-home, accidental damage and legal cover. 

How much cover will I need? 

To estimate how much cover you’ll need on your tenants contents insurance policy, you should try to estimate the total value of your belongings and what it would cost to replace them. Try to be accurate with your valuations, as if you over-estimate you’ll end up paying too much for an amount of cover you don’t require - but under-estimating can lead to you not having enough insurance in place.  

It’s likely your policy will have a single item limit in place, so anything valued over that limit will need to be declared separately to be covered. The cap is usually around £1,500 but check your policy to be sure. 

It’s also worth noting that some policies might have a maximum claim limit, so the most your insurer would pay out for one of your belongings is set at a certain amount – for example, around £5,000 – even if it was worth more. If you have a lot of expensive items you can get specialist high-value home contents insurance.

What extra cover can I get with renters’ insurance? 

If they aren’t included in your policy as standard, you might want to consider adding some of the following add-ons for extra protection:  

• Legal cover, which pays out for the cost of legal fees and advice you might need for common property disputes 

• Accidental damage cover, which covers you for repairing or replacing things that are damaged accidentally, often not covered by standard home insurance  

• Personal possessions cover, which protects your belongings when you take them out of the house 

How much does renters’ contents insurance cost? 

The table shows information about the prices paid by MoneySuperMarket customers who have taken out contents insurance. The exact cost of your own renters insurance will depend on a range of factors, including where you live and the amount of cover you want to take out.

Some areas see higher crime rates and are therefore at greater risk of theft or vandalism, while other areas may be at a higher risk of flooding due to their proximity to bodies of water. The higher the risk of making a claim is associated with your property, the more likely you’ll need to pay for cover.  

If you’ve got lots of items that need to be covered, especially high-value items, then the total amount of protection you’ll need with your policy will be higher. As such, this can also mean your premiums are more expensive than those that need less cover. 

Compare renters’ contents insurance quotes 

This is why it’s so important to compare renters insurance policies before buying - and it’s easy with MoneySuperMarket. Just tell us a bit about yourself, where you live and the belongings you need to cover, and we’ll show you deals from the biggest providers on the market.  

You can compare them by the overall cost of cover, the protection you get, and the excess you’ll need to pay. Once you’ve found the one you want, just click through to the provider to finalise your purchase.