What insurance do I need when moving home?
Key takeaways
When moving home, you typically need buildings insurance, contents insurance, and sometimes additional cover like removals or goods-in-transit insurance to protect your property and belongings throughout the move.
You should check existing policies, as some contents insurance may already cover belongings in transit or temporary removal, but storage and specialist risks often require extra cover.
Insurance responsibilities and timing matter: buyers usually insure from exchange of contracts, not completion.
What insurance do I need when moving home?
When moving home, you typically need buildings insurance (from exchange of contracts if you’re buying), contents insurance to protect your belongings during and after the move, and sometimes removals insurance or goods in transit insurance to cover the actual move.
Contents insurance
If you’re moving to a new home, you will want to make sure your belongings are covered should any of them be lost, stolen or damaged during the move.
Your current contents insurance may already protect you. Check if you have a policy that allows for your belongings to be ‘temporarily removed from the home'.
Removals insurance
If you’re using a removals company to help you move home, check if they provide insurance as standard or as a paid extra. If it’s not included then it’s worth looking around and comparing quotes.
Goods in transit insurance
Goods in transit insurance may be included as part of your home insurance, but if not you can add it as an extra.
It will insure your belongings while they’re being moved - but check your policy wording as some insurers will only provide cover if belongings are being moved by a professional company.
Storage insurance
You might need to keep your belongings in storage between moves, and it’s unlikely your standard contents insurance will cover this. Some policies may offer it as an extra, or you can also take out separate cover, or your storage company may offer their own insurance.
Can I transfer my home insurance policy to my new house?
Yes, you can transfer your home insurance policy to your new home. Inform your insurer before the move date (if renting) or exchange date (if buying) to ensure you’ll be covered in time.
Remember your premiums are likely to change based on the new property and its location. Any expensive purchases you make for your new home should also be reported as they could affect your contents cover.
When moving house, when should I cancel my old home insurance policy?
If you are a homeowner, you should cancel your old home insurance policy only once the sale completes.
Although most standard contracts require the buyer to take responsibility for insuring the property from exchange, you remain legally responsible for the building until completion. Keeping your policy active until then avoids gaps in cover if the transaction is delayed or something goes wrong.
If you are a renter, you can cancel your contents insurance once all your belongings have been removed from the property.
You do not need to cancel your old policy before taking out cover for your new home. If you’re moving over several days or waiting for a purchase to complete, it can be sensible to have two home insurance policies running at the same time so all your belongings are protected.
Do I need to insure my home while it’s unoccupied?
Standard home insurance policies won’t cover homes unoccupied for longer than 30 days. If you know either your new or old home will be empty for longer than this, you should take out separate unoccupied home insurance cover to protect against things like theft or burglary, or damage caused by things like burst pipes.
What other insurance do I need for my new home?
Life changes like moving home are a good time to review all your insurance needs and see if you're properly protected for your current stage of life.
For example, you may want to upgrade your home insurance policy to include optional extras for additional peace of mind, such as accidental damage cover, legal protection cover, and home emergency cover.
If you have purchased a new house, you might want to take out extra protection products to cover your new financial commitments. For example, income protection insurance can help cover mortgage repayments if you're unable to work due to injury or illness, while mortgage life insurance could give your family the financial means to stay in the home if you unexpectedly passed away or developed a critical illness.
What is the best value home insurance?
Finding affordable home insurance is easier when you compare quotes with MoneySuperMarket. Just tell us about yourself, your buildings, contents and valuables, and the type of cover you want to take out, and we’ll show you a list of deals from providers across the market.
You’ll be able to compare deals by the overall cost, the excess you’ll pay and the cover you’ll get, and once you’ve decided, just click through to finalise your purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Who is responsible for insuring the new property between exchange and completion?
In England and Wales, the buyer is usually responsible for insuring the property from the point of exchange of contracts until completion, as they become legally committed to the purchase at exchange.
Normally, the seller is not obliged to insure the property after exchange. They can cancel their policy at that point (though many don’t).
Exceptions where the seller must keep insurance:
The contract has been amended so the seller retains responsibility for insuring.
The property is leasehold, and the freeholder/landlord/managing agent is responsible for the building insurance.
In these cases, the buyer’s insurance may start at completion instead — but this must be explicitly written into the contract.
Can I get temporary home insurance while I move in?
Yes — you can get temporary home insurance while you move in, but what you need depends on why you want it and what stage of the move you’re in.
If you’ve exchanged, you normally must insure the new property from that date. Most insurers will simply start a normal annual buildings policy on the exchange day — even if you don’t move in for weeks.
If you’re not moving in immediately, you may need:
Unoccupied property insurance (if empty for 30+ days)
A standard home policy with an unoccupied extension (some insurers allow this)
For standard home insurance cover, the minimum length of a policy is 12 months.
Can I transfer an existing home insurance policy to a new home?
Yes – you can usually transfer an existing home insurance policy to a new home, but you’ll need to inform your insurer so they can update the details, reassess the risk, and adjust your premium or terms accordingly.
So, before you commit to transferring your old policy, it may be worthwhile to check the market and see if you can get a better deal for a new home insurance policy elsewhere.
Can I keep insuring my old property if I'm renting it out?
If you are moving out of a property with the intention of renting it to someone else, you will need to take out a new insurance policy. Standard home insurance won't cover you in situations like this. Instead, what you will need is landlord insurance. Landlord insurance will still insure the building and contents that belong to you. Available add-ons include lost rent, liability claims, and emergency call-outs.
Author
Emma Lunn
Personal finance expert
Emma has written about personal finance for almost 20 years, with a career spanning several recessions and their inevitable consequences. Emma’s main focus is helping people learn to manage their...
