Home Contents Insurance

Insurance, in its various forms has existed for thousands of years, but home insurance in the UK is a relatively modern phenomenon for the majority of homeowners. Available only to the wealthy prior to the start of 20th century, the uptake in home contents insurance policies has more or less matched the growth in accumulated wealth of the UK population.

Prior to 1900 the majority of the British population did not own their own home and the houses in which they lived boasted very few possessions. Home ownership grew moderately during the next 60 years, but it wasn’t until the last 40 years of the 20th century that it really boomed. In 1950 home ownership in the UK stood at 29%, by the mid-1990s that had risen to 70%. In addition, the personal wealth of Britons, even excluding property, rose rapidly.