Is my home insured?

Is my home insured?

You might not know who’s responsible for your home insurance. Or you may have forgotten whether you’ve renewed it, or if it’s still in date – so it’s useful to know how to find out if you’ve got cover.

How to check whether your home is already insured

It can be hard to know where to start, but while there’s no central database to check, there are a few ways to find out if your home’s insured:

1. Check your bank account or credit card statements – look for any evidence of payments you’ve made to an insurer
2. Speak to your financial advisor or broker – if you used one when you took out the policy, they may be able to help you trace your policy
3. Check your emails – you may find previous messages from your insurance provider with policy details or renewal reminders
4. Contact your mortgage lender – they’ll have a record of the insurer details you provided when you took out the loan

I live in a leasehold property, do I have home insurance?

For buildings insurance, you need to check your lease or ask whoever manages the building.

It’s usually the freeholder who’s responsible for arranging cover, and a cost for this will be included in your service charge.

Sometimes the lease requires the tenant to take out buildings cover. If this is the case, you can follow the steps above to check you’re insured.

Contents insurance for your belongings inside the home is your responsibility and you’ll need to decide how much cover you buy.

I rent my property, do I need home insurance?

As a tenant, the building insurance is your landlord’s responsibility. But it’s not a legal requirement, so it’s a good idea to check if cover’s in place.

Sometimes landlords have contents insurance if the property’s furnished (and to cover any appliances they provide) so make sure you know who’s accountable if damage happens.

But you’ll still need to insure your own possessions if you want to have financial protection for any that get lost, damaged or stolen.

What happens if my home is uninsured?

If your home’s not insured and something happens to your property or your belongings – for example, if there was a fire, flood, or burglary – you’ll have to cover the cost of any repairs or replacements.

So it’s important to find out if you’ve got cover, to make sure you're protected financially if something unexpected were to happen to your home.

How can I get home insurance?

Whether you’re looking for building or contents insurance, or a combined policy, by entering a few simple details we’ll help you quickly compare quotes from a range of providers.

If you’ve already got home insurance and your policy’s up for renewal, it’s a great time to shop around to see if you can find a cheaper deal elsewhere.

But be aware that switching home insurance providers before your policy has ended might mean you have to pay an administration fee.