Home and Contents Insurance - Unbiased Review

House insurance and contents insurance are two distinct types of policies that cover different parts of your property. House or property insurance covers the outside of your home, including the structure and any permanent fixtures on the outside, while contents insurance covers all the items inside the house, including personal possessions, appliances and electronics. However, many providers now offer home and contents insurance that combine these two types of coverage into one policy. There are many advantages to taking out this kind of policy as opposed to buying separate policies, and some of these are discussed below.

Home and Contents Insurance - Know The Facts

One obvious advantage is savings. If you buy home and contents insurance from one provider, you will pay a lower premium. You also enjoy the convenience of paying only one premium as opposed to having two separate premiums to settle monthly. Another advantage is to avoid conflicts over what exactly constitutes a part of the house and what is considered contents. For example, if you have light fixtures on the outside of the house, are they considered part of the structure or one of the contents of the house? Getting a home and contents policy avoids such problems if you ever have to file a claim, since it covers everything.

Of course, since disasters rarely just strike the outside of the house without affecting the contents inside, having a joint house and contents policy saves you the hassle of having to file multiple claims. And you also have to pay only one deductible instead of two, which requires you to pay less out-of-pocket in case the worse happens and you have to file a claim.

Home and Contents Insurance Quote

When choosing between home and contents insurance quotes, make sure to pick the one that offers you the most protection at a price that is acceptable to you, rather than the one that offers the cheapest premium. After all, there are a number of ways you can get lower premiums, such as by investing in a security system for your home and installing smoke alarms. You should also consider optional add-on coverage that offer you protection against particular risks, such as injury to your pets or damage to the contents of visitors to your house. If you are considering taking out other types of insurance, such as car insurance, buying them from the same provider could save you money as they may offer you a bulk discount. You may also get a discount if you buy your policy online.

Last Updated: September 16, 2010.