Your Contents Insurance sum insured should generally reflect the replacement cost of the household belongings you want insured, rather than their second-hand value.

It can be easy to underestimate the total value of the belongings throughout a home, and the valuation basis in the policy should be checked.

What should I include? #

Consider items throughout the whole home, including:

• Furniture.
• Clothing.
• Appliances.
• Computers.
• Televisions.
• Kitchenware.
• Tools.
• Linen.
• Sporting equipment.
• Jewellery.
• Other personal belongings.

Should I use second-hand values? #

Generally no.

The amount you could sell an item for second-hand can be substantially lower than the cost of replacing it.

The valuation basis in the policy should be checked.

How can I estimate the total? #

It can help to work through each room and record:

• Items.
• Approximate replacement cost.
• Higher-value property.
• Serial numbers where relevant.

Photographs or a contents inventory can also assist if a major claim occurs.

What about jewellery and other valuables? #

High-value items can have special limits under the general Contents section.

Some items may need to be separately specified.

How often should the contents value be reviewed? #

Review the amount regularly, particularly after:

• Moving home.
• Buying expensive furniture.
• Purchasing jewellery.
• Renovating.
• Acquiring new electronics.