Working out the cost of insurance

Before you apply for contents insurance for your council home, you'll need to work out how much it would cost to replace your belongings.

The policy covers:

• items that are less than 5 years old - at the current replacement cost
• items over 5 years old, clothing and household linen - at the current replacement cost with an allowance deducted for wear and tear

Get a more detailed breakdown of what's covered by 'simple' insurance.

Contents insurance for valuables

Valuables are items which are particularly prone to theft, such as jewellery.

This policy allows a maximum amount of cover of one third of the total sum, limited to £1,250 for any one valuable item.

Make sure you're adequately covered

The minimum values you can insure for are:

• £6,000 - for customers aged 60 and over, or residents of sheltered or supported accommodation
• £9,000 - for all other customers

How much you'll have to pay

You can pay your annual premium:

• in one lump sum - by cash, cheque, Girobank credit or postal order (payable to 'Royal and Sun Alliance')
• through Girobank at your local post office - weekly, fortnightly or monthly

Download our 'simple' contents insurance scheme application pack to help you calculate how much your insurance will cost.

Also see

• Housing
• Council homes