Around a quarter of UK households are not protected by any form of household insurance. That is despite the fact that over 1 in 3 of us will get burgled at some point in our lives. Not to mention the damage that fire, storms, flooding and other catastrophes can cause. Around six million households are throwing themselves open to severe financial loss in the event of burglary or some other nasty occurrence. Household insurance provides varying levels of cover against such unhappy events.

For homeowners

Homeowners should have cover for both their building and the contents, though leaseholders in a block of flats often have a shared buildings insurance policy which is normally sufficient.

For tenants

Normally, the insuring the structure of the building is not the tenant’s responsibility, so a contents—only policy will usually suffice.

For landlords

Landlords need to have buildings insurance and contents cover, though the contents element may be limited if the property is let unfurnished or part furnished. Specialist landlord policies can also offer cover for legal expenses, rent guarantee and emergency assistance.