A quarter of Brits don’t have home contents insurance

Go.Compare home insurance has released new research, revealing that just over a quarter of people (26%) do not currently have home contents insurance in place.

The survey asked over 2000 people about home insurance and whether they have a contents policy in place, and 26% of those who took part admitted that they do not currently have a home contents policy. This number jumped to over a third of people (36%) when it came to those aged between 25 and 44.

The survey also revealed that, of those who don’t have a contents policy in place, 47% said they couldn’t afford it, 33% don’t think they need it as they don’t have enough belongings to insure, and 12% said they’d previously had a policy but cancelled it in order to save money.

Ceri McMillan home insurance spokesperson for Go.Compare, said on the findings: “These are really worrying numbers, and even more concerning is the number of people cancelling their contents policies to save money.

“Unlike buildings insurance, which is compulsory when you have a mortgage, contents cover is optional. And when everyone is looking to save on their outgoings, an optional insurance policy may be something that people look to cut back on. But if you think about it in real terms, the average contents home insurance policy costs £59** – and that covers all of your belongings in the home. Or another way to think about it is that if you tip your home upside down and give it a good shake, everything that would potentially fall out is your “contents”.

“If you add up the value of those belongings, it’s often surprising how much this can amount to. And then consider if something should happen - such as theft or a fire – could you afford to replace all of those belongings? Our data shows that the average amount that people insure under a contents policy is £30,000, and with the average policy costing £59, it’s one of the best investments you could make to protect yourself financially in the future.”

Home insurance cover is split into two parts - contents insurance and buildings cover. A home contents policy provides cover for possessions such as furniture, electrical items, jewellery and clothes.  Buildings insurance then covers the structure of your property and its fixtures and fittings. It covers the cost of repairing or rebuilding the permanent bits of your home if anything should happen. They can be bought separately, but are often sold as a combined home insurance policy.

Ceri continued: “While we absolutely wouldn’t recommend going without home contents cover, you can still make sure you buy the right policy for your requirements and you don’t need to overspend. For example, it’s worth thinking about whether you need accidental damage protection or cover for items outside of the home. And check if you already have cover elsewhere first, such as through a packaged bank account or from your phone provider, for example.”

If you are looking to buy home contents cover, Go.Compare has compiled a list of considerations:

• Value your contents – it’s worth spending some time and walking around your home and making a list of your possessions. This will ensure you have the right amount of cover when you take out a policy.
• Accidental damage – accidental damage is one of the top reasons for a claim, but this type of cover isn’t always included as standard in a contents policy so always check what’s included before you buy.
• Cover for individual items – in addition to your total contents cover, you may need to take out additional cover for any expensive items such as jewellery, watches, or collectables. Check your policy limits for individual items, and if need be, get an up-to-date valuation for your items.
• Bike cover – Insurance cover for bikes isn’t traditionally included as standard within home policies so you may have to take out additional cover to make sure you have cover for your bike away from the home.

For more information on calculating the value of your belongings and home insurance, please visit:

https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/contents-insurance/.

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