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Business Insurance · UK Research

Office contents and equipment insurance

Office contents and equipment insurance replaces the desks, computers and kit that run your business, and most small UK offices pay between £40 and £120 a month in 2026. Here is what it covers, what it costs and how to size your sum insured.

Compare office insurance quotes
£40–£120
Typical small-office cost per month (2026)
New-for-old
How good policies replace lost equipment
12% IPT
Insurance Premium Tax added to premiums

How much is office contents and equipment insurance?

Most UK offices pay roughly £40 to £120 a month for a package that bundles contents, equipment and liability, though a home-based freelancer with modest kit can start from around £5 to £10 a month. A contents-and-equipment-only policy for a small office with about £35,000 of contents typically lands near £280 to £480 a year. Price is driven by the value of your contents, your postcode, security, your trade and your claims history.

This page focuses on the contents and equipment side. For a full breakdown of every office cover and its price, see our pillar guide: Office insurance cost UK 2026.

Typical 2026 cost by office profile

Indicative annual office contents & equipment premium by office size
Midpoint annual cost rises with contents value and staff numbers.
Home / freelance£95Micro (2–3)£205Small (5)£380Mid-size (10)£710Larger (20+)£1,350

Source: UK insurer and comparison-site data (money.co.uk, NimbleFins, Simply Business), July 2026.

Office profileTypical contents valueIndicative annual premium
Home / freelance office~£10,000£70–£120
Micro office (2–3 staff)~£20,000£150–£260
Small office (5 staff)~£35,000£280–£480
Mid-size office (10 staff)~£60,000£520–£900
Larger firm (20+ staff)~£120,000£900–£1,800

Indicative contents-and-equipment premium bands compiled from UK insurer and comparison-site data (money.co.uk, NimbleFins, Simply Business), July 2026. Orientation only — not a quote.

What office contents and equipment insurance covers

Contents cover pays to repair or replace the physical items inside your office — furniture, computers, servers, printers, phone systems, stock and documents — after fire, theft, flood, escape of water or accidental damage. Equipment cover extends this to the portable kit your team carries, such as laptops, tablets and cameras, often away from the premises.

  • Office contents: desks, chairs, IT hardware, printers and fit-out on a new-for-old basis.
  • Portable equipment: laptops and devices used off-site, usually up to a stated limit near £2,500 to £5,000.
  • Business interruption (optional): lost income while you recover from an insured event.
  • Money and documents: cash on premises and the cost of reinstating records.
  • Accidental damage (optional): for the knocks and spills basic policies exclude.

Contents insurance protects fixed items on-site; business equipment cover follows the tools you take out with you. Larger offices often need both, plus liability. Compare the whole package in our office insurance cost guide.

What moves your premium up or down

  • Contents value: the single biggest driver — insure the full new-for-old replacement cost to avoid an underinsurance penalty.
  • Location: central London and flood-risk postcodes cost more than a regional business park.
  • Security: alarms, CCTV and good locks can shave the premium.
  • Excess: a higher voluntary excess lowers the monthly cost.
  • Trade and turnover: higher-risk sectors and larger firms pay more.
  • Claims history: recent claims push the price up.

Office contents and equipment insurance FAQs

It pays to repair or replace the physical contents of your office — furniture, IT hardware, printers, phone systems, stock and documents — after events like fire, theft, flood or accidental damage. Equipment cover extends protection to portable items such as laptops and tablets, often while they are away from the premises.
Most small UK offices pay about £40 to £120 a month for a bundled package, while a contents-and-equipment-only policy for a small office with around £35,000 of contents is typically £280 to £480 a year. Home-based freelancers with modest kit can start from roughly £5 to £10 a month.
New-for-old means a claim pays the cost of buying an equivalent brand-new replacement, not the second-hand value of the old item. It matters because IT and office kit lose value fast, so new-for-old keeps you from paying the shortfall yourself when you replace equipment.
Only if you add portable or all-risks equipment cover. Standard contents cover protects items at the insured address, so laptops, tablets and cameras used off-site need the portable extension, usually up to a stated limit of around £2,500 to £5,000.
Add up the full new-for-old replacement cost of everything in the office — furniture, IT, equipment, stock and fit-out. Insuring for less than the true replacement value can trigger an underinsurance penalty that cuts your payout proportionally, even on a small claim.
No. Only employers’ liability insurance is legally required for most UK businesses with staff. Office contents and equipment cover is optional but strongly advised, because replacing a stolen or fire-damaged office out of pocket can be ruinous for a small firm.
Contents insurance protects the fixed items inside your premises, while business equipment cover follows the portable tools your team uses, including off-site. Many office policies combine the two so both your on-site fit-out and your mobile kit are protected under one schedule.
Increase your voluntary excess, improve security with alarms and CCTV, insure the correct sum rather than over-insuring, pay annually instead of monthly, and review cover at renewal each year. Comparing quotes across several insurers also keeps the price competitive.

Where our figures come from

  • Association of British Insurers (ABI) — commercial property and business insurance context.
  • gov.uk — Insurance Premium Tax standard rate (12%).
  • MoneyHelper — guidance on business and contents insurance.
  • Which? — consumer guidance on contents cover and underinsurance.
  • Defaqto — policy feature and rating benchmarks.
  • NimbleFins, money.co.uk and Simply Business — published 2026 premium data for business contents and office cover.
  • FCA — regulatory context for UK insurance intermediaries.

Reviewed by the MyInsuranceExpert editorial team. Methodology: premium bands are compiled from published UK insurer and comparison-site data for office contents and equipment cover and rounded to indicative ranges; they are orientation figures, not quotes, and your price depends on your contents value, postcode, security and claims history. Information only — not financial advice. MyInsuranceExpert is not an FCA-authorised intermediary and does not arrange or sell policies. Last updated: 2026-07-14.