Home insurance exclusions

Insurance companies won't pay out for certain risks or types of loss or damage. These will be clearly set out in the terms and conditions of the policy and are known as exclusions.

Examples of exclusions are:

• Pollution or contamination unless it arises from a sudden incident within the period of insurance and is entirely accidental and unexpected
• The failure of any equipment or any computer program to recognise or correctly interpret any date or change of date or to continue to function correctly beyond that date or any consequential loss or legal liability (other than to your domestic employees)
• Loss or corruption of any item or items including computer hardware or software or data caused by any program or software intended to cause such loss or corruption or by the failure to keep adequate back-up copies
• Loss, damage, liability, cost or expense resulting from or in connection with terrorism
• Gates and fences are not usually covered for storm or flood damage

As well as the exclusions noted above, there are also a number of things that can affect any claim you make on your policy, some of which we've listed below. Our top tip to you is to always tell your insurance company about anything you think may be important to them or any changes you make to your property so they have full and up to date information to make any claim related decisions on. You should also take sensible measures to make sure your property is secure.

Other things that may affect or invalidate a claim you make are:

• Incorrectly describing the locks on your property – look on the side of door locks for their correct name
• Not using your burglar alarm when you’ve told your insurance company you've got one
• Not reporting a burglary or theft to the police and not getting a crime reference number
• Being burgled where there is no forced entry into your property (i.e. leaving a door open)
• Not using the locks on your windows or leaving windows open when you are away from the property
• Being away from your property for over 30 days (e.g. going on holiday for 6 weeks and leaving no one occupying your home)
• Not locking up your garden furniture, bbq, etc. when your property is not occupied (don't forget to check whether or not these items are covered under your policy)
• Using your home as a place of business without telling your insurance company

To ensure you get the right level of cover for your needs, always compare policy features as well as price before you buy.

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