Is my home insured?

Key takeaways

• To find out if your home is insured, search in your emails for home insurance, check bank or credit card statements or ask your mortgage provider or insurance broker, if you have one

• Don’t automatically assume your home insurance is set to auto-renew. If it isn’t and your policy expires without you taking out a new one, your home will be uninsured

• If you become a member of the MoneySuperMarket SuperSaveClub and buy home insurance through us, you’ll be able to log in and check your home insurance details

How can I check if my home is already insured?

If you are pretty sure you have a home insurance policy, but you can’t remember who it’s with or find any policy documents, you could try:

• Checking your bank and/or credit card statements for monthly payments or a one-off payment to an insurance company

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

• Speaking to your mortgage provider to see if you gave them buildings insurance details 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. 

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?

You’re not required to have buildings insurance; that’s your landlord’s responsibility, although there’s no legal requirement for a landlord to take out cover.

If you rent a furnished property, your landlord may take out home contents insurance to cover the cost of replacing any furniture or appliances they provide. However, you should check this to ensure you’re not accountable.

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: Covers the structure of your home, and permanent fixtures and fittings (such as fitted bathrooms and kitchens)

• Contents insurance: Covers your personal 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

• Mortgage lenders often require borrowers to have buildings insurance in place so you may need to get cover in order to take out a mortgage

• If you don’t have contents insurance, you’ll have to pay to replace or repair any personal belongings damaged in an accident or stolen from your home

That’s why many homeowners choose to take out combined home insurance policies that include both buildings insurance and contents cover. 

📣 Did you know? The average cost to rebuild a three-bedroom house in the UK is about £270,000, according to Checkatrade

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 or as a standalone policy. 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. Alternatively, you can buy boiler insurance to just cover your boiler.

• 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 buildings and contents cover, there are other types of home insurance that apply to specific situations:

• Landlord insurance: 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 include cover if a tenant makes a claim against the landlord, while some will cover missed rent payments for an extra fee

• Tenants’ insurance: 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.

Common exclusions are:

• Negligence or theft committed by someone you invited into your home

• Wear and tear

• Poor maintenance

• Damage that happens gradually over time

• Acts of God - extreme, unforeseen acts of nature which are unavoidable and are out of human control

You can find a list of exclusions in your home insurance 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.

Can I insure my house if it has subsidence?

Yes, buildings insurance generally covers you for damage caused by subsidence.

• Insurers may impose a higher excess (your contribution towards the home insurance claim amount) for subsidence work

• 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.

Comparing home insurance quotes from multiple providers is the best way to find a good insurance deal if your home has a history of subsidence.

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

• Switching providers: Rather than auto-renewing with your current provider, you might find a better deal by switching - but make sure you can transfer any no-claims discount, if you have one

How can I find a good deal on my home insurance?

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.