Home Insurance

Do I have to take out both contents and buildings cover?

No. If you live in rented accommodation, your landlord should have buildings cover and you should only need contents cover. However, if you own your home, it's highly recommended to have both contents and buildings cover.

What's the difference between buildings insurance and
contents insurance?

Buildings insurance covers the structure of the home together with its fixtures and fittings: it covers the cost of repair or rebuilding after fire or weather damage for instance. Contents insurance covers the contents of your home, the possessions you would take with you if you moved house. It also covers carpets.

What does buildings insurance cover?

It covers the main structure of your home. If it were to subside, burn down, or be damaged or destroyed by extreme weather, your policy will cover the costs of rebuilding or repair. It also covers any permanent fixtures in your home like built-in wardrobes, kitchen surfaces, taps, basins, baths and showers.

Buildings insurance includes cover for outbuildings, boundary walls, gates, pools, drives and paths as standard. It will also cover the cost of suitable temporary alternative accommodation should your home be uninhabitable following a claim.

What does contents insurance normally cover?

Contents insurance covers the contents of your home and your personal possessions - all the things you would normally take with you when you move house. Your furniture, carpets, computer, entertainment equipment, CDs, DVDs, videos, valuables, clothing, personal belongings. You may be asked to specify certain higher valued items on the policy and you may be asked to make additional security provisions such as locks or a burglar alarm if you live in an area with a high theft rate. Many contents insurance policies will also cover your belongings when you are temporarily away from your home or on holiday, you will usually be covered provided that you are not away for over 30 days, but cover is often restricted. Make sure you check the terms of your individual policy so that you can buy additional cover if needed.

How much buildings insurance do I need?

You only need to insure the cost of rebuilding your home and not its market value. This is simply the costs of rebuilding the property if it were knocked down or burnt to the ground. Commissioning a survey is the most reliable way to work out the rebuild value, but this is expensive unless you're getting one anyway when buying a new home or remortgaging. A quicker, but slightly less accurate way to determine the rebuild cost of your home is by using the home insurance rebuilding calculator on the Association of British Insurers' website.

If you live in a period house or unusual property you should ensure that your cover is high enough to allow for rebuilding it in the style of your original house. You should also ensure that if you extend your house that you increase the amount of buildings cover you have in place.

How much contents insurance do I need?

The amount of contents insurance you need is based on an estimate of what it would cost you to replace everything in your house that you would take with you if you moved house. It's very easy to make the mistake of under insuring your contents by failing to take into account the costs of smaller items such as CD's, DVDs, clothes, carpets, curtains, jewellery, electrical goods, bedding, books and kitchenware etc.

A good way to estimate how much cover you need is to make a list of all the rooms in the house and list all the items within them and then estimate how much it would cost to replace them at today's prices. If you need help the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has a home contents value calculator to help you to value your possessions.

What sort of things are NOT covered by my buildings
insurance?

Most claims can be settled. However, please note that unless you have selected the accidental damage option, you can only claim for the specific events detailed in the policy document. Even if you have opted to take out Accidental Damage cover, there are a few occurrences that are not covered for example, but not limited to, wear and tear or faulty workmanship.

Do I need to provide proof of ownership for all of my
possessions?

It depends on the item. For certain items you may be asked to provide proof of value within thirty days of the policy start date. Also, in the event of a claim you may be asked to provide evidence of value and ownership, such as purchase receipts, valuation certificates and instruction manuals. It is essential to provide such documentation for any valuables specified on the policy, such as jewellery, watches or works of art.

Will my Buildings Insurance cover my outbuildings, such
as the garage and shed?

Yes. All domestic garages, brick built outbuildings, extensions and conservatories with in the insured property boundary fall under the definition of Buildings and are covered under the Buildings insurance section.

What is a home insurance policy excess?

Home insurance policy excess is the part of an insurance payout that must be paid for by the policy holder, not the insurer. For example if the insured has a home insurance policy excess of £100 and makes a claim to the value of £400, if the insurer agrees with the value of this claim, it will only pay the policy holder £300.

What does 'new for old' mean?

Typically, there are two types of contents insurance. An "indemnity policy" takes into account the effect of wear and tear when calculating the benefit paid when claiming. For example, if your sofa is six years old when it is ruined by flooding, the amount you're paid will be for the cost of a six year old sofa and not a brand new one.

The other type of policy is a 'new for old' policy which means irrespective of the age of the item when it's damaged the claim will pay for a new replacement.

We only offer new for old Cover.

We will replace the item(s) you are claiming for with new one(s) of the same make and specification. Claims in respect of clothing, household linen and bicycles will be subject to deductions for wear and tear.

How are claims settled?

Most claims for contents cover are settled on a 'new for old' basis. So, damaged items will be repaired and anything stolen or damaged beyond repair will be replaced as new. With buildings cover, claim settlements are based on the full repair or rebuilding cost. Please note that the sum insured must be high enough to cover the full replacement or rebuilding cost at today's prices.

How can I contact you?

For a Home Insurance quote, call 08448 793 026 or 01638 558 305

Opening hours are;
Mon-Fri 8am - 9pm
Sat 9am - 5.30pm
Sun 10am - 5pm

For existing home insurance policies call 0844 879 3016

How do I make a Home Insurance claim?

Call our 24-hour claimline on 0844 879 3021

In the event of an accident or incident occurring which may give rise to a claim under your policy, you should notify us as soon as possible using the telephone numbers provided.