If you rent your property instead of owning it outright, don’t assume that obtaining home insurance is someone else’s responsibility to arrange. While you may not own the house or apartment you’re living in, you’re likely to own some – if not all - of the items in it. Even if you’re renting a furnished property, you’ll have personal belongings that you’ll probably want to insure. As such it’s wise to take out contents insurance. This guide will look at why home contents insurance for tenants is important.

Contents:
What does tenants insurance cover?
Tenants (contents) insurance is a form of insurance that provides cover for your belongings while you’re renting a property.
What that actually covers depends on your insurer, and the contents insurance policy you take out.
Typically, tenants contents insurance protects against any damage, loss or theft to your possessions that occur within the home.
That can cover furniture, carpets, curtains and other items, and also damage and loss of electrical goods, clothes and jewellery. So, it can cover your TV, laptop, games console, and gadgets such as an ipad or iphone, for example.
What’s not included?
Check the details of your contents insurance policy to see what is covered. You might not be covered for accidental damage, and certain high value items might not be included as standard. If you have an item of high value, you may need to declare this and get specific items covered for peace of mind. Wear and tear of items isn’t usually covered, either.
Do I need to cover the property too?
No, if you rent a property the building itself is the responsibility of the landlord. However it’s always a good idea to check your tenancy agreement to make sure that’s the case for you.
House shares and other tenants
Obtaining contents insurance when living in a house share is different to when you rent a property on your own. If there are multiple people living in a house, some insurers might consider there to be a higher chance of damage, loss or theft of items. As such this may be seen as a greater risk.
You could look to see if you can be insured on a room only basis. However, it’s worth remembering that a claim from a roommate could affect your premium.
Student Contents Insurance
Students living away from home in rented accommodation while at university may be covered under the home contents insurance policy held by their parents or older family members. If, as a student, your main permanent address is your parents’ home and you’re effectively living away from it for a period of time, the belongings you have at your university accommodation may be covered.
For example, RAC Contents Insurance can offer cover for a student’s possessions up to £5,000 at a UK university on their parents’ contents insurance policy. However, cover would not extend to shared properties, nor would a single policy covering multiple students be offered.
If you’re looking to rent a property and need tenants insurance, get a home insurance quote and get covered.
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