Cover that reflects how you actually live.
Personal and property insurance protects your home, your belongings and your personal liability, in Hong Kong and abroad. We find practical, good-value cover, not a generic policy.
Why personal and property insurance matters
Living in Hong Kong often means high-value homes, expensive contents and a fast-paced life where accidents, loss or damage can happen without warning. Without the right cover, even fairly common events can bring significant out-of-pocket costs.
Personal and property insurance protects your home, possessions, personal liability and household staff, so you avoid unexpected expenses and legal exposure that would be hard to absorb.
Types of personal and property insurance.
Building (fire) insurance
Damage to your home and fixed structures from typhoons, water damage, fire or accidents. Key for owners who are fully responsible for repair and rebuilding costs.
Home contents insurance
Furniture, electronics and personal items against fire, theft, water damage or accidental damage. Cover can often be extended worldwide and on an all-risks basis.
Jewellery, watches and valuables
High-value items, art and collectibles insured on an agreed-value basis. If an item is insured for a set amount and lost, that amount is paid.
Travel insurance (annual policies)
Ongoing cover for frequent travellers: medical emergencies, trip delays, baggage loss and document replacement across multiple trips a year.
Personal liability insurance
Protects you and your family if you are held legally responsible for injury to another person or damage to their property, at home or abroad.
Personal accident insurance
Benefits for accidental injury, disability or death, as extra financial support after a serious accident.
Motor insurance
Liability and damage from owning or using a vehicle, including third-party claims and, where selected, damage to your own vehicle.
Domestic helper insurance
Mandatory in Hong Kong. Covers employees’ compensation for domestic helpers and can include medical care for when a helper falls ill or is hurt.
Ceilings, excess and the three numbers that decide a claim
Three figures on the schedule do most of the work at claim stage, and all three are chosen when the policy is written, not when the claim happens.
- The sum insured is the most payable under that section. Set it on the cost of reinstating or replacing, not on resale value.
- The single-article ceiling is the most payable for any one piece. A piece worth more is covered only up to that ceiling until it is specified.
- The excess is the first part of every claim, which you carry. A higher excess lowers the premium and suits a household that could absorb a small claim.
Underinsurance and the average condition
If the sum insured is set below the true value of what the policy covers, most policies apply average: the insurer pays the same proportion of the claim as the sum insured bears to the real value. Insure your contents for half their worth and a partial claim is settled at half. It is the most expensive saving in home insurance, and it costs nothing to avoid.
Eight lines to read before you renew
Eight lines decide whether a policy answers when you need it. Read them before renewal, not after a loss:
- The figure set against each section
- The date each figure was last reviewed
- The single-article ceiling
- Which possessions you have specified above it
- The standard excess
- Any separate, higher excess for water damage
- The unoccupancy condition and its maximum number of days
- Whether your possessions are covered away from home
If one of them is out of date, you will find out at the worst possible moment.
What moves the price in Hong Kong
Home insurance premiums are driven by a short list of factors, and a broker can move most of them.
- The figures you set, the largest single influence. Accurate figures cost less than inflated ones.
- The excess you accept, the fastest reduction on most quotations.
- The age and construction of your home.
- The floor level and the flood exposure below it.
- Security, including a guarded lobby and alarms.
- Claims history over recent years.
- Which sections you take, since valuables and liability price separately.
When to review the figures
A home insurance programme drifts out of date quietly, almost always toward underinsurance. Six events are worth a phone call: finishing a renovation that changed the fittings; acquiring jewellery or a watch above the single-article ceiling; letting the flat to a tenant; leaving it empty for an extended period; taking or repaying a mortgage on the property; and any year in which replacement costs have moved materially.
What we do
We do not quote a single figure here, because any figure that ignored those factors would mislead you. We put two or three genuine options side by side, with the ceilings, excess and exclusions set out plainly, so the comparison is one you can make yourself. We keep the schedule under review with you, and when a claim comes we deal with the insurer on your behalf.
What clients say
Real reviews from expats, families and businesses who use Expat Insurance for clear advice and reliable support.
“I have my annual travel insurance and Hong Kong home insurance from Expat Insurance. Awesome service and easy to deal with unlike most Hong Kong insurance companies. Prices are also way better than what I would be able to get directly.”
“I have been using Expat Insurance services for a couple of years for home, life, car insurance and I am very happy with them. The team is very efficient and supportive and I know I can count on a quick and detailed reply anytime I have a question.”
“We have used Expat Insurance for several years over multiple different products including life, travel, contents and helper insurances. They have always been super attentive and I have always felt that they have listened to our needs and requests, helping us to find the best solution on the market. They are really friendly and have been great to work with! Highly recommend!”
Frequently asked questions
Is property insurance mandatory in Hong Kong?
Not for an individual flat owner. Two obligations sit nearby and are often confused with it: a mortgage lender will normally require building insurance for the term of the loan, and under the Building Management Ordinance an owners’ corporation must insure third-party risks for the common parts. Neither insures the inside of your flat.
Does my landlord’s insurance cover my belongings?
No. A landlord insures the structure, the fixtures they installed and their own liability as owner. Your furniture, clothing, electronics and personal effects are yours to insure. It is the most common gap we find in a rented flat.
What is the difference between building and contents insurance?
Building insurance answers damage to the structure and anything permanently attached to it. Contents insurance answers damage to, or theft of, the movable possessions inside. A useful test: turn the flat upside down and shake it, and broadly what falls out is contents.
Am I covered if water comes in from the flat above?
Usually, though the loss is normally split across two sections. Damage to ceilings, walls and permanent decoration falls under building cover. Damage to furniture, rugs and electronics falls under contents. If you hold only one, expect only that half to be met.
Does contents insurance cover items I take out of the home?
Only if the policy has been extended to say so. Cover for personal effects away from the property, across Hong Kong or worldwide, is an optional extension, and high-value items generally need to be specified individually.
Is my domestic helper covered under my home policy?
Not for the thing that matters most. Employing a helper carries a statutory employees’ compensation obligation that no property policy answers, and a helper’s own possessions are not your home contents.
What does using a broker cost me?
Nothing. We are paid by the insurer you select, at the same premium you would pay going direct.
Guides on home and personal insurance
Everything we have written on this cover: what it includes, what it costs and the questions worth asking before you commit.
- Renting in Hong Kong: What Your Landlord Does Not Cover
- Typhoon, Flooding and Water Damage: What Is Covered
- What Home Contents Insurance Really Covers in a Hong Kong Flat
- Insuring a Watch or Jewellery Properly in Hong Kong
- Personal Liability: The Cover Nobody Thinks About
- Household Insurance Hong Kong: How Much Home Cover
Tell us what you need. We reply within one business day.
Talk to an adviser about your business, health, home or family. No charge, no obligation, no hard sell.