Contents insurance sum insured

Calculate what your belongings are worth.

Choosing the right level of cover for your belongings is important, but it can be tricky to get it right. Learn how to calculate your contents sum insured and protect your things.

Understanding contents sum insured

Your contents sum insured is the total amount your belongings are covered for. This sum needs to include the combined value of your general contents, like your appliances, furniture and clothes, plus GST. 

Understanding specified items sums insured

Our contents policies have limits on some items. For example, jewellery, bicycles and works of art are only covered up to a certain amount. If you want to cover something that’s worth more than its policy limit, you’ll need to list it as a specified item with its own specified sum insured.  

You’ll need to tell us the value of your general contents separately from your specified items, to make sure you have enough cover for both.

Contents cover for flatting

If you’re flatting, you only need to include the value of your own belongings, not things your flatmates own or your landlord has provided. You can set the calculator for only the rooms your things are in and include only the items you own.

Why is it important to get it right?

Your contents sum insured is the maximum amount you can claim in a single event for loss or damage to your contents. For example, if your place was destroyed in a fire, flood or earthquake, you’d need to replace all your contents at the same time, from the furniture in your house to the clothes in your wardrobe.

If you underestimate your contents sum insured, you may not be able to replace all your things.

Review your contents cover regularly

Even if you’ve had contents insurance for a while, it’s important that you review your sum insured regularly. Include new items you’ve bought, consider any high-tech household goods, and the cost of inflation if you had to replace your things at today’s prices.

Use the contents sum insured calculator

This calculator is a simple way to get an estimated cost to replace your contents. It takes information you provide about your household’s belongings and your address, then gives a suggested cost based on households similar to yours.  

The calculator is not suitable for landlord’s contents. If you need help understanding your landlord’s contents sum insured, get in touch with us.

Things to know about the sum insured calculator

  • The calculator provides general information. It’s not personalised financial advice and doesn’t reflect your particular situation. You must make your own decision on the sum insured. If you think your amount is incorrect, you can change it.

  • The calculator is an independent tool. We don’t have access to the information you enter, or your estimate. Contact us if you want to adjust your contents sum insured or add cover for specified items over the limit in the policy.

  • The calculator will give estimates based on new items, even if your items aren’t new. Our contents policies provide replacement cover for most items, which means if your covered item is damaged beyond repair, we’ll either repair or replace it with one that’s new.