Buildings insurance isn't a legal requirement like car insurance, but it can still be a good idea to have it in place if:
Most lenders will ask you to have buildings insurance in place as one of the conditions of the mortgage. This also applies if you own a freehold flat, or if you share the freehold with other flat owners in your block.
Whether you buy buildings insurance is entirely up to you, but it can help make expensive essential repairs more affordable.
Since it's your responsibility to pay for repairs to your property, buildings insurance is a good idea. Specific landlords insurance might be an even better fit, as it can help cover some of the other costs landlords face.
If you’re dealing with a deceased person’s estate, you need to make sure any property is insured. If the property is empty you need unoccupied home insurance.
You probably don't need buildings insurance if:
Maintenance and repairs are your landlord's responsibility. That said, it's worth considering tenants insurance to protect your home's contents.
The building should be covered by the freeholder. Cover is usually arranged for the building as a whole, not just your flat.
Your buildings insurance should cover you from disasters such as storms, flooding, fire.
Damage from burst pipes or leaks should be covered by your policy
Damage caused by your home sinking into the ground should be covered
If your home is damaged by a falling tree, building insurance can help cover the cost
Damage caused by vehicles, burglary and vandalism should be covered by your insurer
Garages, sheds and fences are usually covered too, though this can differ between policies depending on your garage. If it’s a separate building on your property, it counts as an outbuilding, but if it’s attached to the house it can vary between providers. If the garage is converted into another room of the house, it’s covered like any other room in the house.
As buildings insurance covers the whole property, it should also cover any renovations and extensions. But it’s important to tell your insurer if you’re making major changes to your property, to make sure you have the cover you need.
General wear and tear to your property is unlikely to be covered by your insurer
Poor maintenance can affect future claims. For example, you wouldn't be able to claim if your roof developed a leak because it wasn’t maintained properly
While these aren't covered, you should be protected by your builder's liability insurance if they produce bad work
If you didn't tell your insurer about work before you started, you're unlikely to be covered if something goes wrong
Infestations from things like birds or insects that cause damage are unlikely to be covered
This is unlikely to be covered by your insurer
Your property won't be covered if you didn't tell your insurer it is unoccupied
Your furniture, belongings, floor coverings and gadgets aren't covered by building insurance. You’ll need contents insurance for that.
Some providers exclude storm damage to sheds, greenhouse, fences and gates, so check the details of your policy before buying.
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You can keep the cost of your home insurance down by:
Only pay for the cover you need, over-insuring means you're paying over the odds for something you won't need
Something like combined contents and buildings insurance is a good place to start. This is often cheaper than buying 2 separate policies
If you can afford it, pay annually. Insurers charge interest for paying monthly so you'll end up paying more if you spread the cost over the year
Switching may be cheaper than renewing your current policy so make sure to compare as many quotes as possible
Smoke alarms, a burglar alarm, and other security measures can lower your risk, make your home safer and lower premium costs
The longer you go without claiming and build up your NCB, the more of a no claims discount you usually get
To compare quotes, we'll need some details from you, including:
How many bedrooms and other rooms your home has
If any part of the roof is flat, and if so, what percentage
If the building is classed as being of special national, historical or cultural importance
How far the property is from water and if there's been any history of flooding
If your home has a history of subsidence or tree damage
What type of locks the external doors have
If you have a burglar alarm and what type
If the property will be unoccupied for 30 days or more, your insurer will need to know
The date you bought the property
How many years of no-claims bonus you have for buildings insurance
Details of any previous insurance claims you've made
If you're not sure how much this is, our rebuild guide could help
The year your home was constructed should be available on your title deeds
We'll use your details to compare buildings insurance policies from the 76 insurers we work with, and find a policy and price that suit your needs.
Most insurers offer optional extras that you can add onto your policy to tailor it to your needs. These include:
This covers damage caused by accident like mistakenly drilling into a water pipe or putting your foot through the ceiling
Covers your legal costs if you have to go to court, for example because of a boundary dispute
Helps cover emergency repairs to your plumbing, gas, and electrics
Boiler breakdown helps cover the cost of callouts, labour, repairs and even replacement if your boiler breaks
This covers the cost of living somewhere else while you rebuild or repair your home
Some providers may include some or all of these as standard, so check your policy for the details of your cover
We're not owned by an insurance company so we'll always show you our best prices that are available at the time. No matter who they’re from.
We don't offer freebies or gimmicks you’ll never use, instead Confused.com Rewards lets you choose one of four rewards each time you buy a home insurance policy. The choice really is yours.
We're FCA regulated, just like the 76 home insurance companies we work with. This means that we have to follow strict guidelines in order to operate. So when you use our site, you know you’re in safe hands.
Our experts and consumer champions are dedicated to helping our customers find the best deal for their needs and budget.
There are several factors that influence your home’s rebuild value, including:
It can be more expensive to source materials that fit the style of an older home
Homes made of non-standard materials – something besides brick or stone – can cost more to rebuild
This may affect the cost of labour, or even how expensive it is to source and deliver the building materials needed
Risk of either means a much higher rebuild cost
This usually makes the cost of rebuilding it much more expensive
The bigger your home, the more it costs to rebuild
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Our collection of UK home insurance statistics for 2023, such as average UK home insurance costs, UK home insurance market share and property insurance claim statistics.
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Page last reviewed: 08 May 2024
Reviewed by: Matthew Harwood
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