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Buildings insurance is a sort of home insurance that offers cover for your property's structure and its permanent fittings and fixtures, but not the contents.
A good policy should cover things like the ceiling, floors, walls, the roof, windows and doors, plus outdoor constructions such as fences and garages.
It should also cover things like fitted bathroom suites and kitchen units, plus drains, pipes, tanks and cables that you're responsible for from the mains supply to your property.
There is no legal requirement to insure your building. But it may be a good idea, or even essential, for some people.
If you're unsure whether you need buildings insurance, take a look at the below:
All buildings insurance policies cover damage by fire, flooding and theft as standard. They don't usually cover things like gradual wear and tear or poor workmanship.
This generally includes water leakage from faulty appliances like your washing machine, frozen pipes and tanks, burst pipes that are old or corroded and disconnected pipes.
If your policy includes escape of water, it’ll probably have trace and access cover as well - which covers the cost of finding and repairing leaks.
More about home insurance and water leaks >
Most policies provide some compensation for damage caused by falling trees and branches, aerials and satellite dishes. But you wouldn’t be covered if it was due to lopping or felling.
If your home’s damaged by a tree, your insurer might help cover the costs of removing it, so it doesn’t cause any problems in the future.
More about trees and home insurance >
Structural damage that occurs due to high winds, torrential rain fall, lightning or earthquakes may be covered if you can prove your home has been maintained to a reasonable standard and that the damage didn’t occur due to wear and tear.
Most policies cover loss and damage caused by subsidence, but won’t cover the cost of preventing further subsidence.
You won’t be covered if the subsidence, heave or landslip is caused by riverbank or coastal erosion, water escaping from pipes or failure to disclose existing subsidence when the policy is purchased.
If your home has suffered from it in the past, you’ll probably need specialist cover.
More about subsidence insurance >
This compensates you if your homes damaged due to a vehicle colliding with your home, or damage caused by an animal or aircraft, for example.
Our customers pay £146 on average for buildings insurance*, but a number of factors – like where you live and the type of home you have – affect the actual price you pay.
The number of bedrooms you have is a good indicator, so here’s how much your buildings insurance could cost depending on the number of bedrooms.**
When calculating your premium, insurers look at a variety of factors about you and your home. To get you the most accurate prices, we need to know about.
This is the cost of rebuilding your property to the same specification if it was demolished. The cost determines how much cover you need.
If your home is listed, timber-framed, or has a flat or thatched roof.
Claims for burglary, vandalism, fire, subsidence, water or storm damage in the last five years will need to be declared. Failure to do so could invalidate your policy.
If your property is fitted with smoke alarms and burglar alarms, it may reduce the cost of your premium
Properties in flood risk areas may require extra attention and information from your insurer
Unless you’ve specifically added cover, home insurance doesn’t cover things like accidental damage to your property. If you accidentally drill a hole through a water pipe while putting up shelves, you may not be covered unless you’ve bought the extra protection.Ceri McMillan - Home insurance expert
If your policy doesn’t include cover for things like accidental damage or legal expenses as standard, you can usually add them on for a fee.
Common optional extras include:
Buildings insurance covers the structure of your property and its fixtures and fittings. Contents insurance is cover for your possessions - things like your furniture, TV, jewellery and clothes.
You can purchase buildings and contents insurance separately, or together as a combined home insurance policy.
When you compare quotes with us, you’ll find a rebuild cost calculator within the set of questions. Alternatively, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has a rebuild cost calculator you can use, or you can hire a Chartered Surveyor.
You won’t be covered for damage that occurs when your house has been left unoccupied for more than the period shown on your schedule. This is usually 30 to 60 consecutive days.
Most policies won’t cover damp and condensation, but it’s worth checking your policy details.
No, your landlord should have buildings insurance. But you might want to think about protecting your belongings with contents insurance.
Yes, you can get buildings insurance if your home is at risk of flooding.
Yes, most policies will cover your home for loss and damage due to subsidence, but it won’t be able to help with preventing further subsidence.
No, you don’t have to. The easiest way to find the right cover for you at a great price is by comparing multiple policies and providers.
That depends. If you’re a renter you don’t usually have to worry about buildings insurance as your landlord should have a policy. But you might need cover if you’re a leaseholder that doesn't have contact with their freeholder, or if it’s a condition of your mortgage.
No, your home insurance is unlikely to cover claims due to you extending or renovating your home.
You can usually find out when your home was built by checking:
No, you’ll usually be asked about outbuildings and garages separately.
You should still be able to get buildings cover for non-standard construction homes, but it might be more expensive. Insurers usually ask what your home is made out of, so you’ll be able to declare it then.
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Page last reviewed: 02 February 2023
[1]As of January 2023, there are 68 active home insurers on the panel at GoCompare
[2]Based on Trustpilot: Our average rating of 4.8 out of 5 is from 3116 people who left a review for home insurance comparison only. Last checked 02 February 2023.