What does your contents policy pay for, and where does it stop?

Contents insurance covers what you would take with you if you moved. The building around it is insured separately, see who insures what.

What counts as contents?

Your household goods and personal belongings in the home. Liva’s 2026 wording defines contents as “Household goods and other articles in the home … owned by any member of your household”, and includes “Fixtures and fittings for which you are responsible as occupier”, valuables, clothing, personal possessions, money and visitors’ belongings not otherwise insured.¹ It leaves out vehicles, boats, living creatures, business property and “Money and stamps belonging to resident domestic servants”.¹

GIG Gulf’s Home Comfort handbook covers contents “for which you are legally responsible or belonging to resident domestic helpers”, and excludes goods used for business and livestock and pets.²

The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre tells owners in shared buildings that the community management company insures the building and common parts through the service charge, and encourages owners to insure their homes and belongings.³

What events does a contents policy pay for?

A standard list of events, called insured perils, plus anything you add. In Liva’s wording the contents section names fire, explosion, lightning and earthquake; smoke; escape of water or oil; impact; falling trees and aerials; riot; malicious damage; storm or flood; and theft involving “forcible and violent entry to or exit from the building”.¹ GIG Gulf’s list is close to the same.²

Read your own schedule. It sets the sums and switches optional sections on or off.

How much contents cover do insurers sell?

Insurers sell contents cover in fixed tiers or for a sum you choose. On 12 November 2026:

• Salama listed four levels, with contents up to AED 50,000, AED 100,000, AED 200,000 or AED 500,000.⁴ Its flyer gives jewellery inside the home of AED 5,000 to AED 50,000 across the same tiers, and an excess of AED 350.⁵
• Union Insurance’s Home Shield table gives household items of AED 50,000 to AED 250,000 and jewellery and valuables of AED 10,000 to AED 50,000.⁶
• ADNIC’s page describes Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum policies with contents cover up to AED 50,000, AED 150,000, AED 250,000 and AED 400,000.⁷
• Sukoon’s Home Umbrella page sets contents “As per Policy Schedule/Total Contents Value”.⁸

A tier that is lower than the value of your belongings can cut every claim, see under-insurance. Add up your belongings with the contents value worksheet before you pick a tier.

How is a contents claim paid?

The insurer chooses whether to repair, replace or pay cash. Liva’s wording lets it “pay the cost of repairing”, “pay the cost of replacing as new”, “replace as new” or “make a cash payment”, and limits payment to “the cost of replacement by our preferred supplier” where it can replace.¹

Liva also deducts for age. Its guideline scale is nothing in year one, then 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% from year five, and “The depreciation does not apply to valuables”.¹ GIG Gulf’s handbook says there is no deduction for wear and tear when an item is a total loss or beyond economic repair, except clothing, household linen including carpets, and pedal cycles.²

What does a contents policy not pay for?

Every wording lists exclusions. These come up most often:

• Theft without force. Liva and GIG Gulf pay theft only with forced entry or exit, and need a police report.¹²
• Items lost at home. Liva excludes “unexplained losses or mysterious disappearance”.¹
• An empty home. Many sections stop paying once the home has been unoccupied for 60 days in a row in the Liva and GIG Gulf wordings, and 45 days in QIC’s 2016 wording.¹²⁹ Sukoon’s page offers cover “even if your home is left unoccupied for up to 60 days a year”.⁸ See leaving your home empty.
• A home that is let. Liva excludes theft “while your home or any part of it is lent or let unless force is used”.¹
• Wear, breakdown and gradual damage. Liva’s accidental damage cover excludes wear and tear, mechanical or electrical breakdown, pets, and scratching or denting.¹

Ask your insurer for the full wording, not only the product page, before you pay.

The small print

• Which wording. Liva’s figures are from its Home Insurance Policy Wording, version 3.0 dated 15 October 2026. GIG Gulf’s are from the Home Comfort handbook on its site. QIC’s wording on its site was uploaded in January 2016, so ask QIC whether it still applies.¹²⁹