Student contents insurance

What is student contents insurance?

Student contents insurance is a type of insurance policy that will protect your contents and belongings (such as your clothes, furniture and electrical items) while you’re living in university accommodation. As standard, gadgets aren’t usually included in ‘contents’ insurance. But with Endsleigh, once you’ve selected your contents insurance, you can also add cover for gadgets if you’d like to!

You may also find that student contents insurance is called student possessions insurance, student belongings insurance, plus some other variations.

Get a student home contents insurance quote

If you’re a student at university, you’ll probably have all sorts of belongings to help make your student halls/house feel more homely. If having to replace all of your stuff doesn’t sound like a mood to you (or your bank account), you may want to take out insurance to make sure that if anything did happen – we’ve got your back.

Why else should I take out student home contents insurance?

Remember: Not only is it a hassle to replace belongings after a mishap, but some items can also be expensive to replace – a cost you could probably do without when you’re living on a student budget.

Not only that, but students can sometimes be seen as “easy targets” by thieves and usually have lots of valuable items. Having student house insurance in place will help make sure you’re not left out of pocket should anything unexpected happen to the things you couldn’t live without.

Being a student, this may be the first time you’ve had to get your head around insurance. So we’ll try and break things down as much as possible for you.

When you take out our student contents insurance, these are the key points you’ll need to know:

• You’ll get cover for your general student home contents (this includes things such as clothes, jewellery, furniture and some electrical items).
• You’ll be covered in lots of different scenarios, for example, if there’s a fire, flood or you experience theft.

What else is covered?

Now that you know the most important part, let’s get into the details. You’ll also get:

• NEW for OLD cover. This means that if your TV was stolen, we’d replace it with a brand new model.
• Protection for the things you’re responsible for under your student tenancy agreement (if there’s a fire/flood/theft). This is known as tenant's liability cover. So if anything happens to the fixtures/fittings/furniture in your halls/student house, you’re covered for up to a huge £2,500.
• Cover for frozen food – just in case you’ve been bulk-buying to save money and your freezer throws you some shade.
• Cover when you’re out of your student home for up to 60 days (for example, if you’re away for a reading week, or taking a family holiday).
• Optional cover if you want to be protected for accidental damage (for example, if you break something belonging to you).
• Optional cover if you want to be protected for accidental damage to your landlord’s fixtures and fittings (for example, if you break something belonging to them).
• You can also later add cover for gadgets (such as mobile phones/laptops) so they’re protected too.

It’s normal for some student room insurance providers in the UK to let you know the things you won’t be covered for too. And it’s important that they tell you this so you know where you stand (and what you’re covered for!).

At Endsleigh, our students contents policies do not provide cover for the following* :

• Accidental damage (to your own belongings) – unless you choose to include it on your policy.
• Accidental damage (to your landlord’s fixtures and fittings) – unless you choose to include it on your policy.
• Accidental damage (to your landlord’s household goods, furniture and furnishings).
• Cover for gadgets and mobiles (you can add it on additionally afterwards if you’d like to!)
• Cover for bicycles and their accessories
• Cover for contact lenses
• Cover for vehicles and craft
• Any other item that’s been excluded as part of your policy
• The first £25 of any claim (this is your excess amount which you’re required to pay).
  
  

*Please read your insurance documents for full terms and conditions of your student room insurance policy.

Get a student renters insurance quote

As standard, gadgets and mobiles aren’t included on contents insurance policies. But if you’re keen to add cover for your gadgets, Endsleigh’s student insurance policies are flexible. You can add gadget insurance once you’ve selected your contents insurance to make sure your favourite pieces of tech are looked after.

It’s important to note that policy covers may be different for your gadgets than your student contents, so take a few minutes to check your full policy wording to make sure you understand the protection you have in place.

Once you’ve taken a look at the cover you get with your student contents insurance, you may decide to play it safe and add some extra cover to make sure you’re as protected as you can be.

We have a few extras available that can be easily added to your student contents insurance quote, including:

• Accidental damage cover – This protects you against drops/spills etc.
• Accidental damage to landlord’s fixtures and fittings
• KeyCare cover - This gives you cover for replacement keys, replacement locks and any locksmith charges.

What if I have other things to insure?

You may also find that you have other things you’d like to protect (in addition to your clothes and personal items). You can also get insurance for the following belongings with Endsleigh:

• Musical instruments
• Bicycles and their accessories
• Gadgets, such as mobile phones and laptops – we’ll even give you 15% off for insuring 3 gadgets or more!

If you’re heading to university, this may be your first time taking out an insurance policy. If so, it’s super important to make sure you fully understand the details of the policy you’re signing up for before you buy.

Have a think about the following before getting your student contents insurance quote:

1. Am I already covered elsewhere?

Take the time to find out if you already have cover in place for your personal belongings – after all, you don’t want to be paying for cover you don’t need! There are 2 main things to check:

• Find out whether you’re covered under your parents’ or guardians’ home insurance (check out our blog post on this!)
• Check if you already have contents cover in your student accommodation. You can then decide if this cover is enough, or whether you need to top it up.

2. What do I need to protect? Is the level of cover right?

It can be difficult to judge what level of student contents cover you’re going to need at university, and it’s easy to underestimate the value of your belongings – particularly your clothes and personal items. Here are some things to think about:

• Add up the cost of your stuff - Spend some time calculating the full value of your possessions before you get a quote. This is so you can make sure you’re not under-insured if you need to make a claim.
• Consider additional items - Consider whether you need cover for any additional items you might be taking to university, such as your tablet, laptop, mobile phone, bike or musical instrument – remember that these won’t be included as part of a standard contents insurance policy.
• Find out where you’re covered - Find out if your things will be covered whilst you’re out and about at uni. If not, is this enough cover for you?
• Get to know your policy - Finally, read the full details (T&Cs) of the policy to understand the cover you’re getting. It seems a bit boring, but it’ll help you decide whether you need to add any extra cover to your policy, such as accidental damage or Key Care.

3. Have I answered all the questions accurately?

• Double check your details 
  It’s super important to double check the details you’ve provided to make sure your quote is right. Things like your level of cover and personal details (like your job, home address etc.). Things like this can actually have an effect on your overall insurance cost!

• Find out if your student home has any security 
  Locks and alarms can be confusing, so it can be easy to get things wrong when you’re trying to find them all. It’s a good idea to double check these details, as providing the wrong information could mean that your policy isn’t valid and you won’t be able to claim.

• Check your door locks
  You will also need to make sure that your door locks (and other security measures) meet your insurer’s requirements. This may seem complicated, but we’ve broken it down here in our blog post all about door locks.

4. Are there any student home insurance discounts available?

As the UK’s No. 1 student insurance provider, we’re dedicated to keeping costs down for students and graduates. That’s why we offer the following discounts on our student contents insurance:

Get up to 10% off your student contents insurance with your TOTUM card!

If you need to insure multiple gadgets, you'll receive 10% discount when you insure two gadgets, with 15% off when you insure three or more.

It’s really simple to make a claim with Endsleigh. Firstly, to report a claim under your Endsleigh student house insurance policy, please visit our claim centre.

Here are some additional tips if you need to make a claim:

Be clear - It’s important to be clear about exactly what happened. This is so things are consistent when telling your story to your insurance provider.

Take photos and videos – Take photos and videos of whatever you’re claiming for as soon as the damage happens. For example, damaged possessions. The more solid evidence you have, the quicker it will be for an insurance company to process your claim.

Make yourself aware of the wait times - Once a claim is reported, we try our very best to carry out repairs to items as quickly as possible to make things as convenient as possible for you.

What happens if something is stolen?

Student contents insurance claims are settled on a New for Old basis – this means, we'd replace your stolen TV with a brand new model.

How many claims can I make?

You can make two claims in any single period of insurance.

Will I have to pay anything?

You’ll need to pay the excess stated on your policy. With our student contents insurance, this fee is usually just £25. But you should check your policy to make sure.

Want to learn more about the insurance side of things?

What insurance will I need at university?

What is student gadget insurance?

What is tenants’ liability cover?

Am I covered under my parents’ home insurance?

Or are you looking to find out more about moving into student accommodation?

Finding last minute student accommodation

6 reasons to lock your door at uni

What to take to uni

12 tips to keep your bike safe

How to organise your student finances

Find more useful tips on the blog!

Yes, you can! You can add ‘Key Care’ onto your policy which would cover your student home keys.

What kind of cover would Key Care give me?

Our Key Care cover protects your keys/key cards if they’ve been lost or stolen.

What other things do I need to know?

• The cover protects a maximum of 3 keys per lock.
• It includes cover for replacement keys, locks and locksmith charges.
• Keys must be attached to the key fob provided by Key-Care Ltd.
• Costs relating to a damaged key or lock or general wear and tear won’t be covered.
• You won’t be able to claim until the key has been lost for at least 3 days.
• The keys must have been lost or stolen from the policyholder, or a member of their immediate family living at the same address.
• The policyholder must notify Key-Care Ltd within 30 days of loss or theft of keys.

Once you move away from home, you may find that your belongings are no longer covered under your parents’ or guardians’ home insurance policy – and even if they are, it may not provide the level of cover you need. For example, your belongings may only be protected inside your uni room, not whilst you’re out with friends or at lectures. It’s a good idea to check with your parent’s home insurance to see what the situation is.

Do I have student halls insurance without knowing?

Before taking out your own student contents policy, you should also check whether your accommodation provider has arranged any insurance for you whilst you’re staying with them. If they have, this cover is sometimes provided by Endsleigh and you can find out whether you already have any student cover in place here in just a few seconds.

I have student insurance with my halls of residence, is this enough?

If you do already have cover in place, it’s still important to check what is/isn’t covered. You can then decide whether you need any additional protection whilst you’re out and about at uni.

Get a student belongings insurance quote

A replacement cost is the amount of money needed to replace one of the items you want to cover on your Everywhere Student Pack insurance.

Our Everywhere Student Packs each have a limit which means that you won't be covered for items that are more expensive than the replacement cost on your statement of insurance.

Maximum placement costs for our Everywhere Student Packs are as follows:

£1,000 pack = Items that cost no more than £500 are covered
£1,500 pack = Items that cost no more than £750 are covered
£2,500 pack = Items that cost no more than £1,250 are covered

Let’s give you an example.

Jack just bought a new laptop which cost him £300. He then takes out our Everywhere Student Pack insurance which gives him £1,000 of cover. Jack also knows that he wouldn’t be able to claim for anything more expensive than the maximum replacement cost of £500 on this pack.

A few months later, Jack’s laptop is dropped and damaged. Because the maximum replacement cost on Jack’s policy is £500 and his laptop cost £300, this means that he can make a claim. Had Jack's laptop cost more than £500, it wouldn't be covered and Jack would be unable to claim.

It's always worth checking that your items don't cost more than the maximum replacement cost when taking out our Everywhere Student Packs. If any of your items do cost more than the highest replacement cost (£1,250), you can choose to build your own cover.

What about Endsleigh’s laptop/tablet theft policy?

Our laptop/tablet theft policy provides cover for devices with a replacement cost up to £1,250.