To not have home insurance.

[PiperIsOrange]

I am renting, so any damage on the house is covered by HA.

I just don't see the point.

My parents have just moved and asked what my insurance is like, I said I didn't have it and they read me the riot act.

YABU. What if there was a fire and everything you own was destroyed? Even if the furniture belongs to your landlord just think about the cost of replacing bedding, all your clothes, PC, camera etc, etc. Contents only insurance would be very cheap.

If the buildings are insured then that's certainly nothing like as bad as having no insurance at all. Add up the value of everything in your flat that belongs to you and then get a couple of quotes from insurance companies. And then decide whether it's worth your while or not.

It is entirely your choice.

I can't afford not to have it, and I would be surprised if there was many people on here without basic contents insurance. YABU.

We had a hot water flood a few years ago. Our contents paid for new wallpapering and flooring throughout. Could you afford that?

As someone who rents and has been unfortunate enough to have suffered a house fire, I'm not surprised your parents went mad.

Although the fire damage was limited to a relatively small area, the smoke got everywhere. By the time the final claim was settled by the insurance company the total claim was more than £25k!

You might not think that you have much of value, but you'd be surprised at how quickly the cost of replacements can accumulate.

It's easy to think that you'd rather have the £20ish for the "fun" stuff each month, but it's better than having to deal with a much bigger cost after what would have been an already stressful situation (e.g. burglary, fire, flood).

I think it's about time I looked into it, I can be so naive sometimes.

Also, check your rental agreement, the last few I've had have required me to have renters insurance.

We have basic contents insurance with a very high excess on our rented property. We have the savings to replace most items so we are only interested in insuring against catastrophic damage like a house fire. It's silly to make small claims on house insurance as it has such a large impact on future premiums.

your choice. No whinging though if there is a flood or fire and your stuff is lost/damaged. The HA is not responsible.

also no whinging if you accidentally damage something in the house and the cost comes out of your deposit. That is NOT covered by the HA.

Oh, and the firefighters I work with say that in most fires they go to, the tenants don't have insurance and it's one of the worst parts of their job. Seeing everything gone and knowing the people they just saved will be unable to replace things. Let's not upset the firefighters... OK?

BoomBoom what country are you in? I'm shocked by your mention of being sued! That's ridiculous!

Mine only costs £9ish a month and I think it's worth it. Covers items out of the home as well such as my son's bike which is worth £550. Would be gutted if that was nicked and didn't have insurance.

If you can afford basic contents insurance, but you can't afford to replace all your stuff, then I can see why your parents were concerned. In your situation I would obtain insurance.

I've had to claim on contents insurance a couple times since leaving home. Nothing really major but neither were the incidents my fault.

I had to replace a mobile phone that was damaged fairly early in a 2 year contract. If I hadn't been able to claim insurance it would have cost £££ to buy a new handset cash. If I hadn't then been able to afford that, I would have still been paying for a contract I couldn't use.

I haven't got it either. Haven't had it for 15 years or more. I rent too. I just think my clothes are old, nothing that special, I don't collect anything any more, electronics are old, furniture is old. Yes, I'd have to replace if there was a fire or flooding but I can afford that, luckily, even in a lump sum. I live quite frugally and probably wouldn't bother replacing everything. A couple of instruments are insured though as we value those.

excellent news, OP. Comparison sites will help and it really isn't expensive.

Honestly get it. We pay £8.91 a month as renters for contents and accidental damage up to £60,000. My mum had a house fire last year and everything was completly gone. Its devastating and not something i could afford to replace, you amass so much stuff when you count it all up roughly. Its worth every penny imo.

We didn't have any for years, then I watched a programme where a family cancelled their home insurance and then lost everything in a fire. Wouldn't be without it now, we only payed about £6 a month when we were in rented just for contents cover- well worth it for the peace of mind. Check out cashback sites too to bring the price down further.

I might get a basic cover now that it's in my mind.

Piper

Please do walk around your home and note down how much it would cost you to go out and replace the lot tomorrow.

Including clothes, crockery, furniture, bedding, CD's, phone, laptop...

It adds up. I wouldn't want to be without insurance.

Even the smallest fire and the cheapest, oldest stuff can be surprisingly expensive. There is really nasty, toxic shit in modern furnishings and everything can be ruined really easily.

When I was younger I remember my home town had bad floods in one area and they were asking people to donate to help people who weren't insured replace their belongings. My dad refused to donate because no matter how poor we were (at times we were very) my parents had insurance. Df felt he paid his insurance and it is outrageous to expect others to pay for you because you couldn't be bothered. Ours is £15 a month for home and contents. Also, what happens if you cause damage in your property? Is that covered? Tiles and laminate flooring come under buildings insurance but carpet is contents.

Definitely worth it - you'd be surprised how much just clothes come to, even if you shop at the low end of the high street - it's all very well thinking 'oh I buy cheap clothes' but imagine if you had to replace 30 items and shoes, underwear, a coat etc all in one go. It would probably be at least £500 per adult and that's being conservative.