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What is home insurance?
Home insurance, also known as house insurance, is designed to protect your home. As long as your home insurance premiums have been paid, your home will be covered for insurance risks such as fire, flooding, storm damage, subsidence, burglary and other emergencies.
Do I need home insurance?
Home insurance is not a legal requirement but it's definitely worth considering. In some cases you are required to buy a policy as a condition of your mortgage when buying a property.
A buildings insurance policy is designed to help with the cost of rebuilding your home if it is damaged by fire or flooding. Or it can help to pay for the cost of a damaged roof, for example. It varies by policy but buildings insurance also covers general repairs such as roof repair, or any damage to internal pipe.
Contents insurance is designed to provide cover to help you protect your belongings if they are stolen or damaged.
Shopping around for the best home insurance quote is vital, but bear in mind that the cheapest policy isn’t always the most suitable.
What type of home insurance do I need?
Buildings insurance
This applies to your home’s structure and provides protection for things such as fire, flooding and subsidence. Buildings insurance covers the cost of rebuilding your home and general repairs. It typically covers accidental damage to things like the roof, walls, ceilings, floor, doors and windows.
You only need buildings insurance if you own the property, not if you rent it or are a tenant.
Contents insurance
This protects possessions inside your home and, depending on the policy, related buildings such as a garage or garden office.
There is also no legal requirement to have contents insurance but the cost of replacing damaged or stolen belongings could be expensive.
Combined home insurance
Although both insurance policies can be bought separately, it may be worth buying them in a combined buildings and contents insurance policy.
That way you only have a single renewal to worry about every year. A combined policy might also work out cheaper than buying buildings and contents insurance separately.
How do I choose the best home insurance for me?
It is important to compare a range of home insurance policies to find the cover that meets your needs at the best possible price. But the type of property you own may dictate what kind of insurer you should get quotes from.
Standard-built home
If you have a standard-built home that has no particular risk factors (such as being in a high flood-risk area, or having previously been affected by subsidence) then you should be able to get a range of quotes from mainstream home insurance providers.
Specialist needs
If you have specialist needs – for example a thatched roof, a home in a flood risk area, or a particularly large property with a lot of rooms and high-value items, then you may need to find a specialist insurer to provide cover.
"When comparing home insurance, it's important to find a policy that fits both your needs and your budget. Under-insure and you risk not being able to replace everything if the worst should happen. While over-insuring could see you paying for additional extras you might not even need. Think carefully about what you need to keep your home and belongings safe."
What's covered with home insurance?
What is and isn't covered on a home insurance policy often varies by provider, so it's a good idea to check the policy documents before making the purchase. Here are some examples of what typically is and isn't covered:
What's usually covered?
- Flood damage
- Storm damage
- Fire damage
- Water damage from burst pipes
- Theft and vandalism
- Subsidence
What's not usually covered?
- Wear and tear
- Negligence
- Lack of maintenance
- Pet damage
- Pest damage
- Burglaries using keys
Find the home insurance provider that suits you
We compare home insurance from over 70 insurance providers across the UK so that you can choose the deal that’s right for you.
See all home insurance providers we work with at Uswitch and compare today.
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Hastings Direct
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Post OfficeTips on how to get cheaper home insurance quotes
There are a number of steps you can take to help keep home insurance costs down:
- Compare prices
Whenever you come up to renewal, it is vital to shop around to see if you could get a better price for the same cover. Don’t assume that, just because your insurer offered the best deal last year, the same will be true now.
- Increase your excess
The amount you have to pay towards the cost of any claim is known as the excess. Choosing a higher excess could help to cut the cost of your premium. Remember, though, that you’ll also have to pay your insurer’s compulsory excess if you need to make a claim. So, make sure the excess that you have chosen is affordable.
- Fit good quality locks to windows and doors
The more secure your home, the cheaper your contents insurance cover should be. Insurers normally give discounts if you fit locks that are recognised as being particularly reliable.
- Check out combined deals
Buying buildings and contents cover in a combined package can work out cheaper than individual policies as this approach reduces insurers’ administrative costs.
- Try to build up a no-claims bonus
If you don’t make a home insurance claim for several years, you can build up a significant no-claims discount.
- Pay annually
If you can afford to do so, paying your premium in a single lump sum up front is usually cheaper overall than paying monthly.
What home insurance optional extras are available?
There are a number of extras you can choose to add to your home insurance policy to give you even greater levels of protection for an extra fee.
Home emergency cover
This is designed to provide cover if you face an emergency such as your heating breaking down.
Accidental damage cover
Standard buildings and contents insurance won’t usually pay out if your home or possessions are damaged by accident. Accidental damage cover provides protection for accidental damage to heating pipes, for example, or if you ruin furniture or carpets with a wine spill.
Legal expenses
This covers a wide range of legal issues for you and your family – not just those related to your home.
Personal possessions
You can extend your contents insurance to cover possessions when you are away from home. This provides protection for things like if your mobile phone is stolen when you are travelling, for example.
Alternative accommodation
If can’t stay in your home as a result of fire, flooding or storm damage, this provides cover to re-house you and your family on a temporary basis.
Find home insurance cover that’s right for you
While standard home insurance work for most people, there are also specialised home insurance policies that might be more suited to your needs
Why choose Uswitch for home insurance?
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FAQs
What is the average cost of house insurance in the UK?
The average cost of home insurance in the UK varies depending on your location, type and size of house or flat.
How much home insurance costs also depends on the value of your possessions. but generally speaking, the average cost of home contents insurance is around £67 a year, while buildings insurance premiums are an average of £208. The average price for combined buildings and contents insurance is £230.*
*Based on Confused.com data, September - November 2024
What else do I need to know about home insurance?
When it comes to home insurance it's worth looking out for exclusions – these are events or occurrences that your insurance will not cover. For example, if you live near a river, you may not be able to get insurance cover for flood damage.
Your home insurance policy costs will also be affected by the value of your home or the contents within it, the location, the cost of rebuild, and whether you have had any previous claims.
Is it better to buy buildings and contents home insurance together?
Some insurance companies offer a discount if you buy buildings and contents insurance together, but it's also worth getting separate quotes as this may work out cheaper.
What happens to my home insurance when I'm moving house?
You may need to think about getting buildings insurance when you're in the process of buying a new house. It's worth looking into buying home insurance from the point at which you exchange contracts.
In some cases you can transfer your policy from your old to your new home. But you might be able to save money by cancelling your old policy and shopping around for new cover. It's likely that you may incur a fee if you cancel your policy so it's worth checking your policy documents before you do this.
What is my home insurance excess?
Every home insurance policy has an excess. This is the amount of you will need to pay towards any claim you make. The total excess is made up of a compulsory excess and a voluntary excess.
The compulsory excess is an amount set by the insurer, whereas the voluntary excess is an amount chosen by you.
Choosing a higher voluntary excess can lead to cheaper premiums. But you must make sure this is an amount that you can afford. As you will need to pay it along with the compulsory excess if you make a claim.
How do I claim on my home insurance?
If you need to make a claim, call your insurance company as soon as possible – but call the police first if you have been burgled. Have your policy details to hand, as well as information about the claim.
Take pictures of any damage, and don’t dispose of any damaged items until they have been assessed by the insurance company. Make a note, with the time and date, of who you have spoken to at your insurance company as well as any witnesses or police officers.
Make sure you speak to your insurer before you get any repair or rebuilding work carried out.
How does my credit score affect home insurance?
Insurers might check your credit file when you apply for cover to confirm your identity. But your credit score shouldn’t affect your home insurance costs if you pay for your premium annually up front. However, if you choose to pay monthly by direct debit, this involves entering into a credit agreement, and your credit score could affect how much you pay.
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