Insurance

Whether you rent or own your home, it’s always a good idea to consider home contents insurance. It protects your possessions against damage, theft, fire and other risks.

We do not provide cover for your home contents and personal possessions. If you’re renting or have bought one of our homes, you’ll need to arrange your own contents insurance. This page explains what contents insurance is, how to choose a policy and what your policy should cover. 

What is contents insurance?

Contents insurance is a type of insurance that protects the contents of your home. This includes personal possessions and household items, such as: 

• furniture
• carpets
• curtains
• clothes
• bedding
• electrical items
• jewellery 
• pictures and ornaments

If anything happened within your home, it could cost a lot of money to replace your belongings.

Personal possessions insurance can also be taken out (for an additional premium) to cover any items you take out of your home or on holiday.

Choosing a policy

There are lots of different contents insurance providers. It’s often a good idea to get quotes from several providers before choosing one. This way, you can see which policy will be best for you and your home.

The My Home Contents Insurance Scheme is a home content insurance policy specifically for social housing tenants. It is provided by Thistle Tenant Risks. There’s no excess to pay in the event of a claim, and the scheme offers flexible payment methods. You can learn more about the scheme in the video below and get more information on their website.

What your policy should cover

A standard home contents insurance policy would cover damage caused by:

• fire
• flooding
• storms
• theft

You may have to pay extra to extend the cover to include:

• accidental damage
• accidental loss  
• items you take out of your home
  

Many policies will include an excess in the event of a claim, so it’s worth checking the amount of the excess. 

Some policies will offer new for old cover. This means you will receive the full cost of replacing any damaged items. Other policies will only offer you the amount that your items are currently worth. Make sure you consider this when choosing a policy that is best for you. 

If you plan to be away from home for three months or more, please get in touch with our Customer Contact team on 0300 123 5544 as we may need to notify our buildings insurance company. You may also need to check your contents insurance policy or contact your contents insurance provider.The National Housing Federation working in partnership with Thistle Insurance Services Ltd. Thistle Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Firm Reference Number 310419. Registered in England under No. 00338645. Registered office: Rossington’s Business Park, West Carr Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 7SW. Thistle Insurance Services Ltd is part of the PIB Group. Our Data Protection Privacy Policy is online at www.thistleinsurance.co.uk/Privacy-Policy