This guide walks through buying home insurance for the first time in Singapore. It covers what to have ready, what the quote form asks and why, how to read the results, what happens on the insurer's site and what arrives after payment. It is general information. It does not cover the needs of any one household.
Before you start: what home insurance is for
Home insurance in Singapore is mainly about what is inside the home. HDB fire insurance covers the building structure only. It does not cover contents or renovations. For tenants, the landlord insures the building. A tenant's own home insurance covers their belongings and their liability to others.
Home insurance plans cover:
- Belongings against fire, flood, burglary and accidental damage
- Renovations and fixtures that the policyholder paid for
- Legal liability if someone is hurt in the home
- Somewhere to stay if the home cannot be lived in
Home insurance plans do not cover:
- Wear and tear, and gradual deterioration
- Losses while the home is left empty for more than 60 days
- Damage by pets or pests
- Business equipment and stock
What to have ready
The quote takes a few minutes if the details are at hand. The main figure to prepare is the value of the contents. One way to estimate it is to walk through each room. Add up what it would cost to replace each item new, not what it is worth today. Most HDB households fall under S$60,000.
A checklist of what to gather:
- Home type: HDB flat, condominium or landed house
- Ownership: whether the home is owned or rented
- Contents value: furniture, appliances, electronics, clothes, kitchenware and other items, at replacement cost
- Renovation cost: for owners, a rough figure for fixtures and fittings added, such as built-in cabinets, flooring and false ceilings
- Past claims: any home insurance claims made in recent years
- Start date: the date cover needs to begin, such as the key collection date or the start of a lease
Filling in the quote form
The home insurance quote page asks about the home and roughly what the things in it are worth. Each answer changes the price or the cover. Price examples on this site differ by home type, by owner or tenant, and by contents value.
What the main answers do:
- Home type affects how insurers price the risk. An HDB flat, a condo unit and a landed house are priced differently.
- Owner or tenant affects which cover matters. Renovation cover pays for fixtures and fittings the policyholder added. A tenant usually has not paid for these.
- Contents value sets the amount insured for belongings. Contents cover needs to be enough to replace everything new. If the amount is too low, every claim can be paid less.
- Claims history can affect the price. The typical price examples on this site assume no claims in 3 years.
Things to check before submitting:
- The home type and ownership match the actual situation
- The contents value is a replacement cost, not a resale value
- The start date is correct
Reading the results
The results list plans from each insurer on the panel. They are ordered from the lowest premium up. The order reflects price only. Two plans side by side may give quite different cover.
The spread of prices can be wide. Today's examples, as of 23 October 2026, show this:
- HDB flat, owner, S$60,000 contents: 20 insurers price it, from about S$68 to about S$414
- Condo, tenant, S$30,000 contents: 20 insurers price it, from about S$44 to about S$402
- Landed house, owner, S$100,000 contents: 19 insurers price it, from about S$121 to about S$643
These are today's examples for set profiles. They are not what any one reader will pay. Other profiles are listed on the prices page.
What to compare between plans:
- Contents limit: whether it matches the value entered, and any limit on single items
- Renovation limit: for owners, whether it is enough to restore fixtures and fittings
- Personal liability: whether it covers someone hurt in the home, and water from the flat damaging a neighbour's unit
- Alternative accommodation: how much is paid, and for how long, if the home cannot be lived in
- Excess: the amount paid by the policyholder on each claim, which differs between plans
- Add-ons: optional extras and their extra cost
Benefit limits and excesses differ between plans. The compare page sets plans side by side.
Buying on the insurer's site
After a plan is picked, the purchase is completed on the insurer's own site. The answers from the quote form are already filled in. The contract is between the policyholder and the insurer.
Things to check on the insurer's site:
- Every pre-filled answer is still correct
- The price shown matches the price in the results, or any difference is explained
- The amount insured for contents and renovations is as intended
- The start date and end date are correct
- The declarations are true, such as questions about past claims or the use of the home
- The policy wording has been read, especially the exclusions section
A wrong answer on the application can affect a later claim. It is easier to correct details before payment than after.
After you pay
After payment, the insurer usually sends a confirmation by email. This is typically followed by the policy documents. These often include a policy schedule, which lists the details of this policy, and the policy wording, which sets out the terms.
A checklist for after purchase:
- Save the policy schedule and policy wording where they are easy to find
- Check that the name, address, cover amounts and dates are correct
- Note the renewal date
- Keep receipts and photos of major items and renovation works
- Review the contents value after a renovation or a large purchase
- Note the insurer's claims contact details
Things to note
- HDB fire insurance is not home contents cover. It covers the building structure only. Belongings and renovations are not included.
- The lowest premium is not the same cover at a lower price. Plans differ in limits, excess and add-ons.
- Insuring for too little affects every claim. It is not only a problem when everything is lost.
- A home left empty for more than 60 days is excluded. This can matter during a long stay overseas.
- Business equipment and stock are excluded. Items used to run a business from home are not covered by home insurance.
Where to get help
For the steps to take after a loss, see the Claims page. For questions about a specific policy, the insurer named on the policy schedule is the first point of contact. For questions about how comparisons on this site work, see the About page or write to us through the Contact page. More guides on home insurance are listed on the guides page.