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How to insure a listed building
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A listed building is a structure that the government believes is of special architectural or historical importance. In practice, this means that the owners may need to seek permission and use specialist materials or craftsmen to make changes to a listed property. At higher listing grades, owners may not be allowed to make changes at all.
There are three listing grades:
Grade I: Buildings of exceptional special interest
Grade II*: Particularly important buildings of more than special interest
Grade II: Buildings of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them
Because listed buildings are usually made of rarer materials and cost more to repair, they usually require specialist insurance policies to make sure they’re protected. These policies tend to be more expensive than insurance for ordinary homes as claims tend to cost more as a result. If you own a listed building you may even be legally required to repair any damage done to the property.
Listed building insurance works like regular home insurance: in exchange for a monthly premium, your property is protected in the event that it’s damaged or destroyed by fire, flooding and theft. There are two types of home insurance cover: buildings insurance and contents insurance. You can take each out separately or get both from the same company in a combined home insurance policy.
Buildings insurance covers the physical structure of your home – the bricks and mortar – and any permanent fittings or fixtures (from your doors to your kitchen sink).
Contents insurance protects the possessions in your home against damage or theft – some policies cover your stuff while you’re out and about too.
You can take out your buildings and contents insurance with the same insurer to reduce the hassle, but you should always compare quotes to ensure you’re getting the best deal.
When you take out a home insurance policy for your listed building, you’ll be able to add the following extras if they aren’t included as standard:
This covers unintentional damage you or your guests cause, such as spilled wine on a carpet or a broken window
This covers you for the cost of calling out emergency assistance for a burst pipe or an electrical fault
This extends your contents insurance so your belongings are also insured when you take them outside your home
This type of policy is a flexible option that can pay for all sorts of legal costs and disputes relating to property ownership
This will protect your listed property if it is left empty for longer than a certain period – usually 31 days
Useful if your home is at risk of heave or subsidence, which are not generally included in standard home insurance
There are different rules for listed buildings depending on where you are in the UK:
If your building is listed, you need permission from your local council to make any changes – for example, adding an extension. You will have to bear the extra costs if your property is made of rare materials or requires specialist tradespeople to maintain it.
Your local planning authority is the first port of call for making changes to listed buildings. Guidelines are set by Historic Environment Scotland, but there are certain changes you can make which do not require consent. Applying for consent is free, and works like planning permission
As with Scotland, you must get consent from your local authority, which get this from the planning division of the Welsh government’s historic environment service. However some grade II listed buildings can be changed after just consulting the local authority
Listed buildings in Northern Ireland are listed differently, and grades range from B2, B1 and B+, and A. You must ask your local authority for consent, and they’ll consult the Historic Environment Division in the Department for Communities
Listed buildings may cost a little more on average to insure, but that doesn’t mean it’s hard to find an insurer who can help out. Here’s how to compare listed buildings insurance with MoneySuperMarket:
Pop in some details about your home andyour belongings, and compare quotes injust a few minutes
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"Listed buildings do undeniably cost more on average to insure than most other properties – but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find insurance for your architecturally significant home.We work with a number of specialist providers who will do what they can to suit your needs, and the needs of your property.
"
- Michelle Jones, Head of Home Insurance
Finding out if your property is listed is easy: the National Heritage List for England (NHLE) contains details of every listed building in England.
There are two ways that buildings can become listed. They can be nominated to Historic England, the organisation in charge of England’s listed buildings, or Historic England can designate the building itself, based on its own research.
You can make certain alterations to a listed building, but the higher the grade the less you can do.
Historic England’s website states that ‘listed buildings are to be enjoyed and used, like any other building. Listed buildings can be altered, extended and sometimes even demolished within government planning guidance’.
But before you make any changes, you must apply to your local authority for consent – making changes without permission is against the law.
Listed buildings do tend to be more expensive to insure on average, but as with every insurance policy, the exact cost of any policy depends on the value of the property being insured. But because listed buildings tend to be harder to repair, requiring rarer materials and amore expertise, premiums are normally higher to reflect this.
Almost certainly: most ordinary home insurance policies aren’t designed to cover the specific needs of a listed property. Specialist insurance should always be your first port of call.
You may well find that your home does need a specialist insurance policy if it’s in a conservation area. Local authorities which govern such areas do have the power to make sure your building is preserved.
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