What tenant insurance costs in the UK

Prices below are indicative monthly ranges for standard UK tenant policies in 2026, single occupant, no claims, paying monthly. Treat them as a sanity check on a quote, not as a quote.

Indicative monthly premium by contents sum insured
Contents cover	Room in a shared flat	One bed flat	Two bed house
5,000	4 to 8	5 to 9	6 to 11
10,000	6 to 11	7 to 13	9 to 15
20,000	9 to 15	11 to 18	13 to 22
40,000	14 to 22	17 to 27	20 to 32

Add roughly 2 to 5 pounds a month for accidental damage. Paying annually typically saves 8 to 20 per cent against monthly payments.

Why two quotes for the same flat differ

Insurers price postcode, flood history, property age, construction, occupancy and your claims record. Two buildings two streets apart can sit in different flood bands, and that alone moves a premium by a third. The rest is appetite: a new insurer buying market share will underprice an established one, for a year or two.

The five factors worth checking

Postcode flood band

The single largest swing for most renters. Ask the landlord whether the building has flooded, and whether the ground floor is below street level.

Sum insured

Count the replacement cost of what you own. Over-insuring wastes money and under-insuring costs you at claim time, because most policies apply average.

Accidental damage

Worth adding in furnished rentals and where the deposit matters. Skip it if the flat is bare and your deposit is small.

Payment frequency

Monthly is the most expensive way to pay for insurance. Paying annually is the easiest saving on the page.

Cheap is not the same as adequate

A 4 pound a month policy with a 500 pound excess and a 750 pound single item limit will disappoint you. Compare the excess and the single item limit before you compare the premium.

See how the cheaper providers compare, or get a quote for your postcode.