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Farmhouse insurance
Get home insurance for your farmhouse and find out more about what it covers you for and whether you need a specialist working farm policy
Reviewed by Jasmine Hembury
Information on this page was reviewed by our fact-checkers before it was published. Learn more about our fact checking process and our editorial guidelines.
What is farmhouse insurance?
If you live in a farmhouse, you’ll need home insurance just as you would for any other type of home.
A buildings and contents home insurance policy will cover the structure of your farmhouse, as well as the furniture and possessions kept in it, protecting them from unexpected events like fire, storm damage, flooding and theft.
If you live in a farmhouse and run a working farm, you’ll need a specialist farm insurance policy to protect you from the risks associated with running an agricultural business.
Farm insurance policies are business policies designed to cover things like farm buildings, livestock and machinery. They can also cover goods in transit and protect against events that significantly interrupt the running of your business, causing you to lose income.
A farm insurance policy can include home insurance cover for your farmhouse as part of the package too. You’ll need to check if the cover is adequate for your farmhouse if you do choose one of these combined policies. It won’t necessarily be cheaper than buying home insurance and farm insurance separately, so it’s worth comparing costs.
What’s included in a farmhouse insurance policy?
Home insurance is split into two separate types: buildings and contents.
Farmhouse buildings insurance
The buildings part of home insurance is there to protect you from the costs of repairing or rebuilding your farmhouse if it’s damaged by an unexpected event like a fire, flood, subsidence and heave, falling trees and branches, or even vehicle or animal impact.
The physical structure of your farmhouse is covered - including the walls, roof and windows, as well as permanent fixtures and fittings inside the home like the kitchen and bathroom suite.
Find out more about buildings insurance.
Farmhouse contents insurance
Contents insurance covers you against loss, theft or any unexpected damage that might happen to your personal belongings and household goods. This could be due to a fire or flood, or because of an escape of oil or water, for example.
Everything from your furniture and furnishings to your clothing, jewellery, TVs and computers are covered.
It should also include public liability cover which protects you if someone claims against you for an injury that happened in your home, for example if they tripped over a rug and hurt themselves.
Find out more about contents insurance.
Add-ons and extras
Depending on your insurer and the level of cover you buy, a farmhouse home insurance policy could also include the following types of cover as standard, or available to buy as an optional extra:
Can pay out for damage if you knock over the TV when vacuuming or spill paint onto furniture when decorating, for example
Insures belongings you take out of your home against loss, damage or theft. Things like your mobile phone, wallet or purse
This pays up to a certain amount per claim for legal costs if you or a family member need to pursue or defend against a personal legal dispute. It could be for something like a personal injury claim that wasn’t your fault, or issues over faulty work done by tradespeople
Can pay for an authorised repairer to come to the rescue for home emergencies like a burst water pipe in the home
What isn’t included?
As is the case with all home insurance policies, a farmhouse home insurance policy will have some exclusions. For example, you can’t usually claim for things like:
This is the gradual damage and deterioration that happens to things as they age. Home insurance policies won’t cover damage and deterioration to your property or contents that happens slowly over time
Poor maintenance
As a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to look after your property and to protect it from peril as much as you can. So, if you have a leak that’s happened as a result of your farmhouse roof being poorly maintained, you probably won’t be able to make a successful claim
Loss due to negligence
Insurers may not pay out on a claim if you were negligent. For instance, if you left your doors or windows open and were burgled
Deliberate damage
You can’t claim for damage to your home or its contents that’s done deliberately by you or anyone living in your home. That includes family members or guests you’ve invited over
Not many insurers include this cover, though some do. So if it’s important to you, check your policy carefully before buying
How factors affect the cost of farmhouse insurance?
The price for a farmhouse insurance policy will depend on several things such as:
The buildings sum insured
This is the amount it would cost to rebuild your farmhouse from the ground up if it was destroyed by an unforeseeable event like a fire or flood. The higher the rebuild cost, the more expensive the insurance policy. You can usually find the rebuild cost in your mortgage valuation report or in the surveyor’s report from when you bought the house
If your home is of non-standard construction
Most standard homes are built of brick or stone with a tile or slate roof. But if your farmhouse is of non-standard construction - perhaps it has a thatched roof or is timber-framed for example, your home insurance will likely cost more. That’s because repairs to homes like these can cost a lot more as they need specialist materials and expert craftspeople to work on them
Where you live
Your postcode will influence the price of your premium. Some areas have a higher number of claims for things like theft or flooding than others, so insurance costs more if you live in an at-risk region
The value of the contents of your home
The higher the value of your possessions and furniture, the more expensive the policy. Try our contents calculator to estimate how much your items are worth altogether.
Tips for cheaper farmhouse insurance
There are a few things you can consider if you’re looking to keep down the cost of your farmhouse insurance:
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Improve home security. Installing professionally fitted burglar and smoke alarms and insurer-approved locks on windows and doors could help you save
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Pay annually, rather than monthly, if you can afford the lump sum. It means you won’t be charged interest
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Buying a combined buildings and contents policy from one provider usually works out cheaper than buying separately from different providers
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Choosing a higher excess can bring your premium down, just make sure it’s affordable
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Check your level of cover. If you overestimate the value of your farmhouse contents or its rebuild cost, you could be paying for cover you don’t actually need
What if my farmhouse is a listed building?
If your farmhouse has special architectural or historic interest and is a listed building, it’ll cost more to insure than a standard home.
That’s because these types of buildings are seen as riskier to insure. Not only are they more vulnerable to damage from things like fire and damp because of their age and the materials they’re constructed from, but they also usually require costly building materials and specialist tradespeople for renovations or repairs.
Not all standard insurers will offer you cover for a listed building and you may need to look for a specialist insurer.
What else do I need to consider?
Remember that a standard home insurance policy won’t cover any farm outbuildings if they’re used in whole or part for farming operations. You’ll need specialist farm insurance for these.
Find the right home insurance cover and protect your farmhouse for less
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