Why contents insurance is often overlooked by new families

Raising young children and managing a household can be challenging – emotionally and financially. With so many things to keep on top of, insurance often falls down the priority list.

Despite rising household values, many families could be underestimating how much their belongings are actually worth. At Zurich Insurance, we understand the importance of protecting your home and its contents. That’s why we think our home insurance content calculator could be useful to you and help you to determine the value of your contents in your home.

The most common things families forget to cover

When families calculate home contents insurance, it’s easy to overlook certain items or underestimate their value. Here are the most common things people forget to cover:

Electronics: Laptops, tablets, and smartphones; cameras, drones, and audio equipment; gaming consoles and accessories.

Items in sheds or garages: Tools, gardening equipment, and bicycles; sporting equipment such as skis or golf clubs, trampolines or play equipment.

Home office equipment: Desks, chairs and computers; printers, scanners, and monitors; work-from-home supplies.

Kitchen and household appliances: Small appliances such as blenders, toasters and coffee machines; high-end cookware and cutlery; wine collections or specialty food items.

Children’s items: Musical instruments; expensive toys or gaming devices; baby equipment such as prams, car seats and monitors.

Soft furnishings and linens: Curtains, carpets, and rugs, designer bedding or linens.

Clothing and footwear: Seasonal clothing stored away such as winter coats and boots; designer or high-value clothing.

Garden and outdoor items: Patio furniture, BBQs, or garden ornaments. With a Zurich home insurance policy, we cover up to €750 for contents in the garden.

Valuables and collectibles*: Jewellery, items of gold, silver or other precious metals, watches, photographic equipment, binoculars, paintings, works of art, curios, antiques, furs, musical instruments, radios, televisions, other audio or video equipment and computer equipment.

*The most we will pay is one third of your sums insured under contents or €4,000 for any one article, set or collection, whichever is smaller. Subject to the terms and conditions and limits as noted in our home insurance policy booklet.

We all have items in our homes that are often underestimated in value such as gifts received recently, items inherited but not yet valued or newly purchased goods not yet added to the policy. Sentimental items can be hard to quantify, but are still worth protecting, so think about these items too when estimating your contents insurance requirements. Zurich’s home insurance content calculator can help you with this.

What is the real cost of being underinsured?

Being underinsured means not having enough insurance coverage to fully protect yourself, your family, or your business in the event of a loss. Zurich research from April 2024 reveals that almost half (49%) of homeowners in Ireland said they would not be confident that their home would be fully insured if they made a claim.

If your insurance doesn’t cover the full value of a loss, you may have to pay the difference yourself. For example, if your home is insured for less than its replacement cost, you may have to cover repair or rebuilding costs out of your own pocket.

Underinsurance can delay your ability to recover after a loss, prolonging the time it takes to rebuild, repair, or replace what’s lost. Funds used to cover uninsured losses could have been invested elsewhere for you and your family.

How to avoid being underinsured

• Review your coverage regularly: Life changes, and so do your insurance needs.
• Update valuations: Ensure your policy reflects the current value of your home, possessions, or business assets.
• Understand policy limits and exclusions – know what’s covered and what isn’t.
• Work with an advisor as a professional can sometimes help ensure you have adequate protection.

Being underinsured can cost far more than higher premiums. The peace of mind and financial stability that comes with being properly insured is well worth the investment. If you’re unsure about your cover, it’s a good idea to review your policies regularly and seek advice as needed. Our article on underinsurance provides lots of useful tips to help you make sure your home is sufficiently insured.

How to calculate your family’s home contents

Calculating your family’s home contents is a smart way to ensure you have the right insurance cover and can recover quickly in case of loss or damage.

A simple 3-step walkthrough of your home is important. List, estimate, calculate as you go through each room is an effective way of ensuring you have estimated everything and will help you spot forgotten items.

Here are some other steps you can take to ensure you have estimated correctly:

Room-by-room walkthrough: Go through each room in your home (including the garage and attic) and list all items of value.
For each item, note:

• Description (e.g. brand, model and size of your TV)
• Purchase date and price (if known)
• Serial numbers (for electronics/appliances)
• Receipts or proofs of purchase (if available)

Document each room and valuable item visually. Videos can be especially helpful—narrate as you go, pointing out key details.

Organise and store your records: Use apps, spreadsheets, or cloud-based tools to keep your list safe and up-to-date and keep a copy of your list, photos, and receipts.

Update regularly: Add new purchases and remove old or discarded items. Review your inventory annually or after big life events (moving, renovations, major purchases).

Review your insurance cover: Share your updated inventory with your insurance provider and make sure your policy limits and coverage reflect the true value of your possessions.

Calculation: Use Zurich’s Contents Calculator to gain peace of mind, knowing your family’s belongings are protected.

Protecting peace of mind with Zurich

At Zurich we understand the dynamics of an ever-changing family life. Your world is so unique –that's why we've devoted the last 70 years in Ireland to protecting it.

At Zurich Insurance, our experienced claims handling teams for home insurance are here to provide excellent advice and guidance if you need us, and we provide a 24-hour claims helpline on: 01 609 1436.

Taking out a home insurance policy with Zurich gives peace of mind and confidence that you're with an insurance company that understands your unique world here in Ireland. Contact our local support team in Wexford today.