Tony Revans Financial Planning

Contents insurance – protecting your possessions

Spread over time, the outlay for filling your home with furnishings, trinkets, the latest gadgets and gizmos may appear manageable. But if you had to replace every item in one hit, what would the cost be to you? Walk around each room, including your loft, garage, cellar and shed and do a rough calculation. Add in clothes, DVDs, CDs, electrical items, not to mention jewellery, antiques and furniture, and you're probably talking many thousands of pounds

Contents insurance is a cost efficient way to restore some degree of normality if your house burnt down tomorrow, was broken into and items stolen or vandalised, or flash floods washed away your prized possessions.

Think current value, not what you paid

If, like most people, you simply renew your contents insurance annually, you could be in for a shock. The price you paid three years ago for a flat screen TV, or to re-decorate a bedroom, could have jumped significantly in real cost. Your sum-insured today, needs to reflect the current cost of replacing all your items.

Even more important, luxury goods or high value items purchased as maybe a future investment should be listed separately. We would advise obtaining professional valuations of rare antiques, including furniture, or works of art, every two to three years. 

Types of contents insurance