Contents Insurance Sum Insured Worksheet

Who this is for

Check whether the contents sum insured is enough. Estimate what it would cost to replace the contents of each room, group by group, then list the valuables worth more than the single-item limit, and the sheet sets your total against the cover on your policy.

Householders and renters at renewal who have never checked their contents figure, anyone who has bought expensive items since the policy began, and people moving to a bigger home.

What this helps you track

• What replacing the contents of each room might cost, by group
• The total set against your contents sum insured
• The margin or shortfall, and the share of the estimate insured
• Valuables worth more than the single-item limit
• Which of them are named on the policy and which are not

How to use it

1. Copy the insurer, the contents sum insured, the single-item limit and the renewal date from your policy, with the away-from-home and outbuildings cover as written.
2. Go room by room and estimate what it would cost to replace each group of things with new ones of a similar kind; leave a group blank if it does not apply.
3. On the second page, list every item worth more than the single-item limit, with its value, when it was valued and whether it is named on the policy.
4. Room totals and the summary are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add across each row and down the total column.
5. Work through the policy checklist, then take any shortfall or unnamed valuables to your insurer or broker before renewal.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What value should I put on each room?

Usually what it would cost to replace the contents with new items of a similar kind today, but policies differ. Check how your policy values contents before you start, and estimate on that basis.

What is a single-item limit?

Many policies cap what they will pay for any one item unless it is named on the schedule. Copy the limit from your policy; the second table lists everything worth more than it, so you can ask whether each should be named.

How is this different from a home inventory?

A home inventory lists each item with its details. This worksheet estimates a total room by room, in groups, to check the sum insured. It is quicker, and works well alongside an inventory rather than instead of one.

What if my estimate is higher than the sum insured?

Talk to your insurer or broker before renewal. Some policies reduce what they pay if the sum insured is too low, so check how yours treats that. The worksheet is a check from your own figures, not a valuation.