Is my home insured?

Key takeaways

• You can easily check to see whether your home is insured by checking bank statements, asking your insurance or mortgage provider and looking for any related emails

• Buildings insurance protects the structure of your home from damage or destruction whereas contents insurance covers personal belongings against damage or theft

• If you are looking for a more comprehensive cover there are optional extras that you can add to your policy
  

How can I check if my home is already insured?

It’s easy to find out whether or not your car is insured; all you have to do is check the free Motor Insurance Database (MID), which holds information on every vehicle on the road. There’s no such database for home insurance, though. So, to find out whether your property is insured – and by which company – you’ll have to do a bit of digging.

If you are pretty sure you have a policy, but you can’t remember who your home insurance is with, steps you can take to find out include:

• Checking your bank and/or credit card statements for evidence of any payments.

• Calling your insurance broker or financial adviser (if you have one).

• Asking your mortgage provider for details of the buildings insurance information you gave them when you took out your mortgage.

• Checking your email account for any insurance-related messages.

• If you know the name of your insurance provider but can’t find your policy documents, you can just contact the company. It should be able to find the details using your name and postcode.

Is my home insured?

When you buy a home, you will usually have to take out buildings insurance cover to get a mortgage. So, if you have a mortgage, you almost certainly bought buildings insurance at the same time. 

Sometimes you are required to buy insurance from your mortgage lender. But this isn’t always the case and you are often free to shop around.

The exception to this rule is leasehold properties. If you are a leaseholder then you are not always required to have buildings insurance. Buildings insurance for blocks of flats is usually arranged by the freeholder or their managing agent and paid for via service charges.

If you own your home outright, buildings insurance is not a requirement. However, it’s usually worth buying this insurance in order to be protected in the event of a disaster that damages or destroys your home or possessions.

What if I live in a rented property?

If you live in a rented property, it’s your landlord’s responsibility to have buildings insurance in place. However, there’s no legal requirement for landlords to do this, so it’s worth checking if you are unsure.

Landlords may also take out home contents insurance to cover the cost of replacing any furniture or appliances they provide – although again you should check this to ensure you’re not accountable. Whatever your situation – homeowner, mortgage borrower, renter – it’s your responsibility to take out contents insurance to protect your belongings.

What are the main types of home insurance?

There are two main types of home insurance:

• buildings insurance

• contents insurance

Buildings insurance covers the structure of your home, and permanent fixtures and fittings (such as fitted bathrooms and kitchens).

Contents insurance covers your possessions and belongings, such as clothes, furniture, electrical items and sports equipment – basically everything you would take with you if you moved house.

Why do I need home insurance?

Buildings insurance offers financial protection if the structure of your home is damaged or destroyed.

If you don’t have buildings insurance, you’ll have to shoulder the full cost of any repairs or rebuilding costs should your home be damaged – for example by flooding or a fire. Unless you can afford to cover the cost of this work, you could end up losing your home altogether.

If you don’t have contents insurance, you’ll also have to pay to replace or repair any belongings damaged in an accident or stolen from your home. That’s why many people choose to take out combined home insurance policies that include both buildings insurance and contents cover. 

What optional extras can I get with home insurance?

When you buy home insurance you can also add optional extras to your policy, only paying for the cover you need.

• Alternative accommodation. Some home insurance policies include cover for alternative accommodation if your home is uninhabitable after an insured event such as a fire or flood, or if permanent fixtures such as kitchen or bathroom are temporarily unusable. If this cover is not included, you can often add it on for an extra fee. The cover pays for accommodation for you and your family in a rented property, hotel or B&B while your home is being repaired.

• Garages. The structure of your garage will normally be covered by your buildings insurance and your possessions by contents insurance. However, there will normally be a limit for your possessions kept in a garage. You may be able to pay an extra premium to increase your cover and ensure certain items are covered.

• Gadgets. Laptops, tablets and PCs will normally be covered by contents insurance – but there may be a single-item limit. You might need to buy extra cover if your laptop is worth more than this limit, or if you also want to insure downloaded material and documents. You might also need to pay an extra premium to cover your laptop against accidental damage or for it to be covered outside of the home.

• Home emergency cover. You can usually buy home emergency cover alongside home insurance. Home emergency cover is for call-out fees and other costs for issues like burst pipes, electrical issues and problems with your heating. If you have this cover, your insurer will usually offer a 24-hour helpline where you can report issues.

• Accidental damage. This add-on will cover you for a raft of mishaps that can happen in your home and damage your possessions. For example, you might spill wine on the sofa, or drop and break your laptop.

What other types of home insurance can I get?

Alongside builds and contents cover, there are also other types of home insurance than apply to specific situations:

• Landlord insurance. This protects landlords from risks associated with owning a rental property. It usually includes buildings insurance and any of the landlord’s possessions in the rental property (i.e. furniture). Some policies also include cover if a tenant makes a claim against the landlord, while some will cover missed rent payments for an extra fee.

• Home emergency cover. You can buy home emergency cover as an add-on to your home insurance, or as a separate standalone policy. This type of insurance covers the costs of labour, parts and repairs if you have heating, plumbing or drainage issues. Alternatively you can buy boiler insurance to just cover your boiler.

• Tenants’ insurance. Renters or tenants insurance is designed for people who rent, rather than own their homes. A type of contents insurance, tenants insurance covers you if your possessions are destroyed or damaged by an insured event, or stolen.

• Students’ insurance. This type of insurance covers the possessions you keep in your room in private student accommodation or university halls of residence.

Does my home insurance have any exclusions?

Exclusions are certain types of damage to your home or belongings, or events, that your home insurance won't cover. All home insurance policies will have some exclusions so it's important to understand what they are.

This information can be found in your policy documents. Many insurers will also provide your policy details through your personal account on a website or app. If that isn't the case and you have lost your documents, you should contact your insurer.

Exclusions might include things like negligence or theft committed by someone you invited into your home.

Can I insure my house if it has subsidence?

Buildings insurance should cover you for damage caused by subsidence. There may be a high excess to pay when you claim on your insurance for subsidence – usually around £1,000 – and once your home has shown signs of subsidence your home insurance premiums will increase. Similarly, if you don't have home insurance yet and your home shows signs of subsidence, your home insurance will be more expensive than usual.

What happens if my home is uninsured?

If your home is uninsured, you’ll be out of pocket if your home or possessions are damaged, destroyed or stolen. If you are not insured, you’ll need to cover the whole cost of any losses incurred due to accidents, weather-related disasters, break-ins or burglaries.

To ensure your home is properly covered, choose a buildings insurance policy that:

• Covers you for damage from fire, wind, hail, explosion, and smoke, as well as criminal activity such as vandalism.

• Includes the floors, painted walls, fixtures, and fittings.

When it comes to choosing contents insurance, you can also look for a level of cover that:

• Covers all the items in your home, including electrical items, gadgets, furniture, and valuables such as jewellery or art.

• Offers accidental damage insurance, as well as cover for losses caused by fires, floods, and thefts.

• Pays out the full amount required to replace your belongings (rather than the market value).

How can I find cheaper home insurance?

Ways to cut the cost of home insurance include:

• Shopping around: Even if you are taking out a mortgage with a bank that offers buildings insurance, you are not obliged to buy its cover. By searching for a policy that offers better value for money, you could save money.

• Taking out a combined buildings and contents insurance policy: Combined home insurance that offers cover for both buildings and contents can often be cheaper than taking out two separate policies.

• Building up a no-claims bonus: Avoiding making a claim for a few years will often earn you a discount on your home insurance.

• Increasing the excess: Agreeing to pay a higher excess towards any claim can cut the cost of your home insurance premiums (just make sure you can afford to pay the excess if necessary).

• Improving your home security: Many insurers will reward you with lower premiums if you fit a burglar alarm or install smoke detectors, for example.

Compare home insurance

When buying home insurance, it’s important to only buy the home insurance cover you need.

In general, if you own a house, it’s advisable to buy both buildings and contents insurance. You can buy these separately or as a joint policy.

If you rent a house or flat, it’s your landlord’s responsibility to buy buildings insurance but you’ll need contents insurance for your possessions. The same applies if you are a student in private rented accommodation or student halls.

Whatever type of house insurance you need to buy, you can normally add on extras such as cover for emergency call-outs and legal protection.

If you've bought a new home and want to learn the basics of insuring it, you should check out our guide to insurance for a new home. But if you have already moved into your home and want to know if you have insurance that you aren't aware of, we'll tell you how to find out what insurance you have.

It’s easy to save money by shopping around and comparing home insurance policies on MoneySuperMarket. Whether you’re looking for buildings insurance, contents cover, a combined policy, or add-ons, just pop in a few details about yourself and your home and we’ll search deals from a range of insurance providers to help you find the right home insurance for your needs. You can compare home insurance quotes and find the right home insurance provider for your needs.