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Students tend to own an abundance of expensive tech and gadgets, making it crucial for them to take out the correct type of home contents insurance to protect those items. Most students also live in shared accommodation, which can be more susceptible to theft. Here’s what you need to know about getting the right level of cover.

What is student home insurance?

Student home insurance is a policy designed for students living away from home in rented accommodation. It can protect personal belongings against loss, theft or damage. Items covered can include:

• Mobile phones

• Laptops and tablets

• Furniture

• TVs

• Clothes and jewellery

• Books

Student home insurance only covers your contents and does not include buildings insurance. This is because your landlord is responsible for insuring the building you are renting against damage.

Here is everything a contents insurance policy should cover.

Compare student contents insurance here

Who can get student home insurance?

Most insurers have set qualifying criteria that need to be met to get a student home insurance policy. To be eligible:

• You must be in full-time education at a university or college in the UK

• You cannot insure any single item worth more than a set amount, often £1,000

• You must not have any current criminal convictions

You will be asked to confirm what university you are attending and how long your course is when you apply for a student contents insurance quote.

Do you need student home insurance?

You should consider getting a student contents insurance policy if you live in:

• University halls of residence

• Rented accommodation with other students

Bear in mind that some university accommodation will arrange contents insurance for you, so it’s worth checking. If your university does provide cover, make sure you know exactly what is and isn’t included, as you may need to take out additional cover on top.

If you share a property, each student may need their own separate policy, but some insurers will cover all occupants together.

Living at your family home while studying should be covered by your parents' home insurance policy. Some home insurance policies will also protect your belongings while you are away at university, even if you do not live at home, so check the terms and conditions or give the insurer a ring to find out.

Always make sure the policy offers enough cover. If it does not, look at specialist student policies instead because they can give you more extensive protection.

What does student home insurance cover?

Student contents policies should protect your personal belongings against damage or loss due to:

• Fire

• Theft

• Flooding

To make sure you have enough cover, you’ll need to take the time to work out how much your belongings are worth. Some insurers can cover your contents up to a total of £15,000, but not all offer such a high amount, so only look at policies that can protect all your belongings.

This guide explains how to work out how much your contents are worth so you get the right level of cover.

Adding extra cover

To make sure your cover is as comprehensive as possible, you may need to add extra protection to cover specific items. For example:

• Gadgets cover: protects items like your laptop, mobile phone or tablet if they are not covered as standard.

• Personal possessions cover: provides cover for items taken outside your accommodation, such as mobile phones and jewellery. Cover may also apply abroad. 

• Musical instrument cover: this can cover the cost of replacing or repairing your instrument up to the sum insured, and some policies also protect accessories like pedals, stands or cases.

• Room key cover: pays for replacement locks and keys to your accommodation and can pay for a locksmith in an emergency.

• Tuition fee cover: pays your tuition fees and rent if you have to leave your course early due to an accident or illness.

• Bike cover: provides cover for your bike if it is stolen or damaged. 

• Accidental damage cover: provides cover in the event you smash your TV by accident, for example.

Always check exactly what your policy covers as standard and what you might need to pay extra for before buying your cover.

Check for exclusions

All student policies exclude cover for some items and cite circumstances under which your policy would not be valid. These are known as policy exclusions and include:

• Items such as bikes (unless you have added them to your policy)

• Theft where there is no evidence of forced entry

• Cover during term holidays 

• Break-ins in shared accommodation if you do not have an approved lock on your door 

You can find out what other standard exclusions apply to contents insurance here.

How to find the best student home insurance

When comparing student insurance policies, think about what items you need to protect and then work out exactly how much they are worth. Next, make sure you find a policy that can:

• Protect all your belongings, or lets you add them to your policy as extra cover

• Replace all your contents if they are stolen or damaged

Also, look at the exclusions to ensure the policy will pay out if you need to make a claim.

Once you know precisely what cover you need, you can compare student contents insurance policies here.