Cost of replacing contents of average home is £45,000

The cost of replacing the contents of the average British home, in the event of a fire or other major disaster, currently stands at around £44,500 according to Sainsbury's Home Insurance's analysis of Loss Adjuster's data.

The findings reveal that out of all of the rooms in the home, the living room typically holds the most expensive items, equivalent to 27% of the overall value of the house's contents. This is followed by the master bedroom, where the cost of replacing clothes and shoes and other furniture can amount to £5,900 (17% of total home contents); and the kitchen, where white good appliances and kitchenware comprise some £5,400 (16%).

Neil Laird, Sainsbury's Home Insurance Manager, said: "It's staggering when you tot up all the contents in your home, just how much it would cost to replace them all should the unthinkable happen. It's therefore essential that you compare policies not only on price, but also on the level of cover they provide. It's important to make sure you not only have sufficient sum insured cover but also accidental damage cover. Not all policies provide cover for soft furnishings, including carpets, as standard for example.

"Quality contents cover doesn't have to be expensive and significant savings can be made if householders shop around, they can take advantage of deals such as ours where there are significant savings to be made."

Unsurprisingly, the most expensive single collective items that cost the most to replace are carpets and curtains, which are estimated to cost on average £7,500 to replace throughout a house. This is followed by householders' clothes and shoes, which amount to around £3,700 to replace. Televisions, DVD recorders and game consoles cost a further £3,300 to replace.

Sainsbury's Home Insurance offers the following tips when considering contents insurance:

When working out how much sum insured is required, try to tot up, on a room by room basis, what it would cost to replace your belongings

Always consider accidental damage cover and make sure it extends to soft furnishings

Not all polices cover damage made by pets - it's import to check you are coved if you have a pet at home

Flat screen televisions, DVD players, computers or laptops are the kind of'high risk items'that are easy for thieves to take from your home and then sell on. It's a good idea to mark your name and postcode on them with an invisible ink pen that shows up under ultra-violet light. That way, if they are stolen, you stand a better chance of getting them back if recovered by the Police.

One of the most common causes of disappointment with insurance is to find that you're not covered for something you thought was in your policy, so it's worth familiarising yourself with your policy summary and documents carefully.

To find out more about Sainsbury's Home Insurance, visit sainsburysbank.co.uk