Cheap Home Contents Insurance

Cheap home contents insurance has become especially important in the wake of several natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Most homeowners need to find an affordable way to make sure that there is a backup plan for replacing their recoverable belongings that might become damaged. Although the general plan is always to find the most coverage for the least monthly premium, there are certain bits of information that should definitely accompany a home and contents insurance quote.

Since money is a primary focus, the first question you should ask an insurer is whether or not there are any discounts. Sometimes, if you, the homeowner take some extra safety precautions like installing smoke detectors and sprinklers, dead bolts and hurricane shutters, you can get a discount on your insurance. If you also select a higher premium, you are eligible for discounts.

You should definitely know about any deductibles when you are shopping for cheap home and contents insurance. Some policies will require you to pay a certain amount for the damage before they will honor a claim from you. This deductible could depend on the location of the house, since homes built in certain hurricane-prone cities will require a relatively high deductible as a normal course of business.

Location could also work in the favor of homeowners when they live near fire stations. Homes that are considered more accessible to local fire protection of course are cheaper to insure. Other factors that figure into your cheap home and content insurance are the kind of building the house is, what it is being used for, the type of material used to make the house (i.e., brick, stone, concrete, wood) and the age of the house.

You should always know all of your options before you sign a policy. For example, what kinds of things are covered on your policy? All risk policies cover every kind of event that could happen in the home, though they may list a few exclusions. Other policies are very detailed about the limit of what is covered.


Mold, for instance, on a cheap home content insurance package, is covered only if the event that caused the mold is covered. Even then many companies choose to only pay for remediation services.

Knowing what is covered also includes knowing what is not covered. In many cases, earthquakes, acts of war and regular wear and tear are not covered. After a damaging event has happened in your home and you try to make a claim, it is far too late to know what is excluded from your policy. The time to know is always before you sign.

If you need to add more coverage to your current policy, you may choose to add a rider or an umbrella policy. This allows you to claim higher limits for the items in your home without worrying about the original cap placed on them by the insurance company.

Those who work from home or have home businesses have even more reason to make sure a cheap home contents insurance policy is solid. They are not only protecting the place where they live, but they are also protecting their work environments and all of the investments.

Home-based business owners have to safeguard against damage to laptops and desktop computers, printers, supplies, faxes and any products that are made as a result of the business. This may require a separate small business insurance policy, depending on the value of the items insured and the state in which you live. Some states allow in-home business owners to add an endorsement to an existing home contents insurance policy, while other states require a completely separate in-home business policy.

With in-home business policies, you must make sure you know how your belongings are covered while they are in your home office and while you use them away from your home office. Many do not give the same coverage for a laptop that is taken out of the home, though the nature of your work may require you to move about.


Cheap home contents insurance is a necessity for any homeowner who wants to make sure his personal or home-business belongings are protected. Make sure that you always know exactly what the limit of your coverage is. Under no circumstances should you ever neglect to read the fine print before you sign. If you need to have something explained to you, then do that. The extra time it takes to gain a full understanding could be some of the most valuable time you ever spend.