Cohabiters advised to check house insurance

Cohabiters are being advised to make sure their house insurance meets their joint needs.

Moving in is likely to double the value of the contents in a house but often couples fail to increase their cover to take account of the increased value.

Policies should itemise important items like jewellery, heirlooms, collectibles and fine art. People are also being encouraged to review security at their joint homes to ensure that details lodged with insurers are accurate and up-to-date.

"It is vital that people in this situation re-assess their insurance needs, especially for any heirlooms or collectibles, to ensure that everything in the new shared home is covered," said David Norton, head of marketing at Halifax General Insurance.

"It could be a costly mistake not to. Unless you already have unlimited contents cover you will almost certainly need more insurance than you had before."