[1]25% could save up to £111.48
[2]Dine membership, please read our terms and conditions and FAQs page
[1]25% could save up to £111.48
[2]Dine membership, please read our terms and conditions and FAQs page
Over 2,250 home insurance reviews on reviews.co.uk[†]
I got a great deal for house/contents insurance and saved £100
Easy to navigate and very good layout and it helped me save £70.00 on my contents insurance, which makes me very happy.
Great service. Got insurance quick and hassle free. Looking forward to using the free dine club.
Managed to insure my property for half the cost of my present insurer's renewal price.
Simple to use. My house insurance quote was £300 cheaper than my original quote.
Comparable offers enabled me to make decision on placement of home and contents insurance and made saving over existing provider.
Home insurance is protection against things like fire and theft that damage your home or your belongings.
It’s made up of two features, buildings insurance and contents insurance, which can be bought individually or combined.
You might also see it called house insurance, it’s all the same thing.
Basically, if it’s something you’d take with you when you moved house it’s classed as contents, if it would stay behind – it’s buildings.
Just pop in a few details. Here’s our quick checklist of what you’ll need:
When it was built, if you have a flat roof, type of lock on the front door
If you’re not sure, then we’ve got a guide on how to estimate rebuilding costs
No need to fret, we've got a How to estimate how much contents insurance you need guide and a contents calculator too!
If you have a no claims bonus or what you claimed on insurance in the past
and when they're usually at home
In 2017, 56% of householders said they had last switched more than a year ago, potentially missing out on cheaper premiumsBased on a survey of 1,949 randomly selected UK adults, conducted on behalf of Gocompare.com by Populus between 16 May, 2017 and 21 May, 2017
Home insurance can protect your property and what's inside it, depending on whether you have buildings insurance, contents insurance or both.
Unlike car insurance, there’s no legal requirement to have home insurance but it’s a good idea to have some form of insurance in place.
Also, if you have a mortgage, your lender will insist you have buildings insurance.
You can compare quotes to find out exactly how much you'll need to pay for your home. However, if you’re after an estimate, the average combined buildings and contents policy quote was £163.06 in August 2018, according to The AA’s British insurance premium index.
Here are 12 things that might help lower your premiums:
Get better locks and or an alarm system
Fit smoke alarms on every floor of your home
…if a scheme is active nearby
Insulate your pipes in winter, fix guttering and roof tiles, keep trees and foliage in check
If you claim, you have to pay an excess. Increasing this can reduce your quote prices. Just remember to make sure you can afford the higher excess should you need to make a claim
Watch out for your renewal date and shop around before your insurer auto-renews your policy
Pay annually rather than monthly and you could save money
Don't overestimate the rebuild cost of your home
Check for hidden expenses on home insurance and weigh up whether a slightly more expensive policy works out cheaper when admin fees are factored in
Decide whether you could pay for a small claim yourself. It may be cheaper to preserve your no-claims discount in the long run
Choose a buildings and contents insurance policy if you need both
Compare home insurance quotes before committing to a policy
94% of our 2,333 customers on reviews.co.uk would recommend us[†]
Just as there are lots of different types of homes in the UK, there’s lots of different types of home insurance covering them too. There’s also all sorts of extras that you can add to your policy. Here’s our round-up of some of the alternative kinds of home insurance…
Buildings insurance protects the permanent structure and fittings of your home. It basically covers anything you wouldn’t take with you when moving house, for example, the windows and walls, as well as things like fitted kitchens and toilets.
Find out more >Contents insurance covers your personal possessions and valuables against accidental damage, theft and fire. This includes items like televisions and electricals, household goods and furniture.
Find out more >Tenants’ insurance is pretty similar to home contents insurance, just for renters instead.
Your landlord should take care of the buildings insurance.
When you're letting, the tenants and the property itself will be your priority. And that's where landlord insurance comes in.
Get cover for buildings, contents, accidental damage, landlord liability, and/or alternative accommodation.
Living in halls or in a house share? Then there’s special student insurance policies on offer but you can also look at standard contents insurance too.
Find out more >Flat insurance comes in two parts – buildings and contents. It can often be arranged through a communal policy with other residents in the building. If you own the flat, you’ll want to look into flat insurance, but if you’re renting, then it’s probably the landlord’s responsibility, although you may want to take out contents insurance for your personal belongings.
Find out more >Regular home insurance policies are unlikely to cover a second home, which may be left unoccupied for long periods of time and could be subject to additional risk factors if the property's let out. There are specialist holiday home insurers who can offer you quotes, though - try our dedicated holiday home insurance guide.
Find out more >Even though it’s fresh out the box, it’s still a good idea to get some protection and cover with a new build home insurance policy. But also make sure your new home has a guarantee from the builder that offers a fixed period during which you can raise any issues or snags.
Find out more >You’ll need to tell your insurer if your home is listed - our forms help you make the appropriate declaration.
You may find your choice of insurers more limited.
Make sure you declare an accurate rebuild value.
If your home is not a standard build, i.e. brick walls with a tile roof, you may require specialist home insurance. Features such as flat roofs or thatched roofs are widely viewed as non-standard by insurers.
Find out more >Gadget insurance provides cover for items including mobile phones, laptops, cameras, tablets, music players, eReaders and GPS devices, which can be expensive goods. Your home insurance policy may already offer gadget insurance - check your policy so you don't double up on cover.
Find out more >Protect watches, engagement rings, wedding rings and other precious jewellery.
Jewellery, watches and valuables can be covered for theft under your home contents insurance or by a separate jewellery insurance policy.
Make sure expensive jewellery is covered by single-item limits.
A huge variety of goods can be covered by household appliance insurance, with typical items including cookers, microwaves, music systems and washing machines. Home appliance insurance could be a cheaper alternative to purchasing extended product warranties.
Find out more >Policies may include cover for certain possessions when you leave your home - such as jewellery, keys and mobiles phones - as standard. However, it’s best to specify if you want to cover your possessions away from home when taking out a policy.
Items such as bicycles, laptops, or any items over £1,000 need to be individually listed to be covered for claims involving accidental damage or loss.
Not all home insurance policies include accidental damage, so it’s important to check before choosing a deal. It could be possible to purchase accidental damage as an optional extra if you want complete peace of mind, particularly if you have children - but pet damage won't be covered by most policies.
It can be. Frozen and burst pipes are a major source of home insurance claims, but cover varies enormously from policy to policy. You may also want to check if you have trace and access cover on your home insurance, as this can be invaluable if you need to find and repair a leaking pipe.
Here’s the four stages on making a claim on your home insurance:
If you're burgled, first call the police for a crime reference number.
Next, ring your insurer's hotline to submit a claim.
Collect receipts and take photos as evidence of your claim.
If repairs aren't urgent, make sure your insurer agrees to any work beforehand.
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