Home insurance is a product surrounded by more misconceptions than almost any other category of personal financial protection. These misconceptions lead many homeowners to underinsure, misprice, or entirely forgo coverage that would serve them well. Understanding the most common myths — and the accurate information that replaces them — is the most effective starting point for making a genuinely informed decision.
Myth 1: HDB Fire Insurance Already Covers Everything
The most persistent myth about home insurance in Singapore is that the mandatory HDB fire insurance provides comprehensive protection. As clearly explained by Dollars and Sense, the HDB fire insurance policy only covers the cost of reinstating damaged internal structures, fixtures, and areas built and provided by HDB — giving some homeowners a false sense of security, because the value of a home today far exceeds just the original fixtures and work that HDB has built.
Renovation works, custom fittings, personal electronics, furniture, and accumulated household contents are all outside the scope of the mandatory policy. A separate home insurance policy addresses what HDB fire insurance does not.
Myth 2: Renters Don’t Need Home Insurance
This is among the most financially costly misconceptions for the people who hold it. Many tenants assume their landlord’s policy protects them — it does not. As highlighted by SingSaver’s guide on renters and home insurance, renters should make a list of their belongings and calculate the replacement cost to determine the amount of coverage needed — particularly if they own expensive furniture, limited-edition items, or expensive gadgets, where under-insurance can leave them with significantly less financial protection than expected.
As further noted by 99.co’s guide to renters insurance, renters insurance in Singapore focuses on what the tenant brings into the dwelling — furniture, electronics, and personal belongings — which is entirely separate from the building structure covered by the landlord’s policy.
Myth 3: Home Insurance Is Too Expensive to Be Worth It
In practice, home insurance in Singapore is among the most cost-effective personal insurance products available. According to SingSaver’s home insurance comparison, for HDB flat owners, prioritising content coverage and renovation protection can ensure comprehensive support for personal assets — and plans from established providers are available at competitive annual premiums. When the premium is measured against the total replacement value of renovation works, furniture, and personal contents accumulated over years of homeownership, the cost-to-coverage ratio is genuinely favourable.
Myth 4: The Sum Insured Should Match the Property’s Market Value
This is a common error that results in underinsurance. The sum insured for a home insurance policy should reflect the replacement cost of renovation works and contents — not the market value of the property itself. As SingSaver’s little-known home insurance facts points out, underinsurance is a very real problem for Singaporeans across home insurance — and finding yourself shortchanged at claims time is the most avoidable financial mistake a homeowner can make.
Conducting a realistic estimate of what it would cost to replace renovations and contents at today’s prices — rather than what they cost originally or what the flat sells for — is the correct basis for setting the sum insured.
Myth 5: A Home Insurance Policy Needs No Further Attention After Purchase
Many homeowners purchase a policy, file it away, and forget about it. But a policy that does not evolve alongside the changing value of a home gradually becomes less adequate. As noted in SingSaver’s guide on reviewing home insurance, home insurance does not cover wear and tear — but it should be reviewed whenever the value of home contents changes, ensuring coverage remains adequate as new items are acquired and renovation costs increase over time.
For homeowners comparing the best home insurance plan options available, the most effective approach is to treat the comparison as a needs-based exercise rather than a price-based one. Start with what needs protecting, determine the appropriate coverage amount for each category, and compare plans from there.
Make your home insurance decisions based on facts, not myths. Explore the full range of comprehensive home insurance options available to Singapore homeowners and renters at www.aig.sg/home/solutions/personal/home-insurance/homes-advantage.







