Before you invest in Churchill Home Contents Insurance and start your filing system you should take into account how much we can cover you for and any limitations we impose.

We provide automatic cover of up to £40,000 for the contents of your home but here is a quick breakdown of what we insure:

• Household goods, including non-permanent fixtures and fittings such as carpets and curtains
• Personal belongings in the home, garages and sheds (but not more than £2,000 for any one theft claim for items which are in the garages or outbuildings belonging to your home)
• High Risk Items - (home entertainment equipment and valuables) to £12,000
• Single High Risk Item up to the value of £1,500
• Accidental damage to home entertainment equipment
• Money in the home up to £300
• Items in the garden up to £250
• Replacement door locks and keys if your keys are stolen, up to £500
• Freezer contents up to £300
• Wedding gifts cover to £4,000
• Christmas gifts cover to £4,000
• Personal Possessions Cover (optional extra) for items designed to be worn or carried that you normally take out of the home or on holiday such as jewellery, cameras, sports equipment, musical instruments, money (up to £300) and credit cards (up to £600)

High-risk items are defined as home entertainment equipment (all computer equipment (including games and laptops), television sets, DVD and video players and recorders, games consoles and audio equipment in your home, including aerials and satellite dishes fixed to your home) and valuables (jewellery, objects made of precious metal, pictures and other works of art, clocks, watches, photographic equipment (including video cameras), furs, antiques (but not antique furniture) and stamp, coin and medal collections). Go through your contents and see if any of them fall into this category – if they are worth over £1,500 each you need to list them on your policy separately. If you have high-risk items not worth £1,500 each but totaling over £12,000 give us a call to discuss what we can do.

In order to apply for an adequate Churchill Home Insurance quote you need to know how much your contents are worth. This means it’s important to be organised with your receipts. Get into good habits and set up a filing system. You can do this with a concertina file or filing cabinet from your local stationery or business supplies shop. Then just drop receipts in as you purchase items and file them alongside other documents such as contracts.

It’s also a good idea to take pictures of any expensive items so that you can provide even better evidence or purchase or ownership if they are lost or stolen. Plus you can security mark high-risk items such as jewellery, laptops or plasma TVs with a UV pen. Simply write your house number and postcode with the ‘invisible’ ink and this can be used to identify any recovered items that have been stolen. You can also register and value jewellery with the Guild of Valuers and Jewellers at www.gvj.org.uk.

Once you have a total cover amount – up to £40,000 in total – and have identified high-risk items, it’s quick and easy to apply for a quote online. You can then file your insurance policy documents alongside your receipts and other important documents.

With Churchill Home Insurance, there are no forms for you to complete, making the claim process quick and hassle free. To report a claim, simply call us on 0845 603 3590. Lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You’ll need your policy schedule to hand, a crime number if you’ve been a victim of theft or vandalism (report this to the police immediately) and as you’ve been super-organised and filed all your receipts, it should be easy to give us any proof of purchase or ownership evidence we need!

New customers can protect their home with Churchill home buildings and contents insurance. It’s quick and easy to get an online quote today, just visit www.churchill.com and see how much you could save.