Home contents value total "staggering"

The home of today is crammed full with more expensive technology and goods than 20 years ago. While this may seem like a common sense statement, many people are failing to ensure that they have adequate cover for all of their new items.

In any household today it would be common to find a host of televisions, DVD players, games consoles, mp3 players and other expensive pieces of technology littered around. It is estimated that these items alone can be worth more than £1000, not to mention other contents that could be stolen or damaged.

An expert has commented that the value of contents in many houses is "staggering".

Neil Laird is home insurance manager at Sainsbury's and he highlighted the expense of replacing items should they be stolen.

His firm's 2009 research, based on data provided by Criterion Loss Adjusters, found that the typical home has a high amount of money tied up in goods.

Mr Laird said this means it is "essential" to compare policies on the cover they offer as well as price.

"It's important to make sure you not only have sufficient sum insured cover but also accidental damage cover. Not all policies provide cover for soft furnishings, including carpets, as standard for example," he asserted.

His firm made a number of suggestions to people shopping for a policy.

They should work out how much insurance is needed on a room to room basis, it said. This can be measured by finding out the value of the goods in each room and working out the overall total - many people will be shocked with the results they find.

Pets can also affect damage clauses, so they must be considered in a quote.

Marking expensive items such as computers and TVs could also be advised, as they can then be more easily recovered.

"Quality" cover did not have to be a large expense, Mr Laird concluded.

"Many people think they can get away with having cheaper cover for their contents - this really is a false economy, as if you're goods are stolen or damaged then a cheaper policy may not cover you entirely" he concluded.

Direct Line and Churchill are among other organisations that offer home contents insurance.