What this calculator works out
This calculator estimates the total value of household contents from an average per room plus a separate figure for high-value items.
It exists because contents insurance is routinely under-set. People estimate a total by imagining their possessions rather than counting them, and the imagined figure is consistently low.
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Before you set a sum insured
- Insurers generally want replacement cost as new, not what your things are worth second-hand. That is a much higher number.
- Count every room including the loft, garage, shed and any storage. They add up faster than expected.
- High-value items — jewellery, watches, bicycles, cameras, musical instruments, art — usually need specifying individually above a single-article limit.
- The estimate is a starting point. A room-by-room list is what a claim will actually require.
Many policies apply average: if you are insured for half what your contents are worth, the insurer may pay only half of any claim, not just claims above the sum insured. A £2,000 claim on a household insured for half its value could be settled at £1,000. That is why the sum insured matters even for people who expect only small claims.
How this calculator works
Rooms times an average, plus extras:
Total = (number of rooms × average value per room) + high-value extrasSeparating high-value items is deliberate. They distort a per-room average badly, and most policies treat them differently anyway — with a single-article limit above which items must be listed by name.
Worked example: a six-room home
Using the default figures — 6 rooms at £3,500 each, plus £5,000 of high-value extras:
- Room contents: £21,000
- Total: £26,000
£26,000 is around the level many households discover they are underinsured against, because a first guess is typically £15,000 to £20,000. The test that usually settles it: imagine replacing everything in one room from scratch, at today's prices, including the flooring, curtains, clothing and the contents of every drawer. Most people revise upwards sharply.
Common mistakes
- Valuing at second-hand prices. Most policies replace as new.
- Forgetting clothing. A household's wardrobe is frequently worth thousands.
- Omitting the loft, garage and shed. Most policies cover them, at least in part.
- Not specifying high-value items. Above the single-article limit they may not be covered.
- Setting it once and never reviewing. Contents accumulate and prices rise.
Frequently asked questions
How do I do this properly?
Room by room, with a written list and photographs. Open drawers and wardrobes. Include flooring and curtains if the policy covers them. Photographing each room and each drawer takes an afternoon and is genuinely useful at claim time, when remembering what you owned is surprisingly hard. Store the record somewhere outside the house — cloud storage or with a relative.
What is a single-article limit?
The maximum a policy will pay for any one item unless it is specifically listed, commonly between £1,000 and £2,500. Anything worth more — an engagement ring, a good bicycle, a laptop, a musical instrument — needs naming on the policy, usually with a valuation. Assuming general cover applies is a common and expensive error.
Does contents insurance cover items away from home?
Only if you have personal possessions cover, which is usually an optional extra. Standard contents cover applies inside the home. Bicycles, phones and jewellery taken out regularly are the usual reasons people add it, and it typically has its own limits and conditions.
Should I insure for new-for-old?
Almost always. Indemnity cover deducts for wear and depreciation, so a five-year-old sofa is settled at five-year-old value, which will not replace it. New-for-old costs a little more and is what most people assume they have. Clothing and linen are sometimes excluded from new-for-old even on such policies, so it is worth checking.
Is what I enter stored?
No. Figures are processed in your browser and never transmitted or retained.
Related tools
References
- Financial Conduct Authority — insurance regulation, underinsurance and consumer protection
- MoneyHelper — guidance on choosing and setting contents insurance
Sources are checked at publication and can change — how I choose and check references.