It takes just 8 minutes to get a home insurance quote. And if you’ve used us before, it’s even quicker. All you need to do is log-in and check that the details we have about you and your home are up-to-date. To get a new quote, follow these steps:
Tell us about yourself, your home, the type of cover you want (buildings, contents or combined) and any add-ons you need
We'll show you offers from up to 66 trusted insurance companies1
Compare policies to find the one you want, then go ahead and buy
Home insurance isn’t a legal requirement but it can help protect your home and belongings against fire, flooding, theft or accidental damage.
There are around 35 million home insurance policies in the UK but home insurance statistics estimate that around a quarter of UK homes (7 million) are currently uninsured.
If you’re a homeowner with a mortgage, your lender might ask you to buy buildings insurance for the duration of the mortgage. This doesn’t have to be taken out with your mortgage lender, you’re free to buy a policy from whoever you like.
If you’re a renter or tenant (including students), a contents insurance policy protects your belongings against theft or damage and helps replace them if you need to make a claim.
If you’re a landlord, you need landlord insurance to cover the property your tenants live in.
Whatever your circumstances, there’s a wide selection of home insurance companies to compare. If you’re looking for a policy from a household name, the largest home insurance companies in the UK are Aviva, LV=, Direct Line, Admiral and AXA2.
2Based on Consumer Intelligence data
There are 3 choices when it comes to home insurance:
Buildings insurance: Protect the structure
Contents insurance: Protect your belongings
Combined policy: Buildings and contents in one
“Even if you’ve not made a claim in the last year, you might find your renewal price has gone up. External factors like the cost of materials and labour mean that insurers are having to pass on the cost of covering claims to their customers
This is why it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re getting a good deal. Rather than settling for your renewal offer, take the time to shop around and compare policies. You might find a better deal and save yourself some money in minutes.”
Exactly what is and isn't covered varies between policies, but as a general rule:
Each insurer offers different levels of cover, so make sure you read the policy details before you decide which one to buy. For example, you’ll want to be covered for things like escape of water - it’s the most common type of claim on a home insurance policy, and can cost up to £9,991+ in damages.
+Based on Confused.com data Jan 2023 - June 2023
The price you pay for insurance is decided by insurers who use ‘rating factors’ to decide the level of risk and how likely you are to make a claim. Depending on the type of home insurance, this includes:
Buildings insurance factors
Contents insurance factors
Other factors
3Based on Confused.com home insurance statistics report.
Including add-ons to your policy can boost your level of cover, but it also increases your costs. Before adding them, think carefully about which ones you need:
Legal protection helps cover the cost of any legal proceedings to do with your home. This includes legal disputes with neighbours or after poor work by tradespeople carried out on your property.
High-value items cover protects individual belongings worth over £1,000 such as jewellery, electronics or bicycles. Adding them to your home insurance policy protects them if they get lost, damaged or stolen. You also have the option to protect them away from home.
Home emergency cover is there to help if you need urgent assistance. What’s covered varies between providers but includes things like burst pipes, a faulty electric supply or a broken front door that puts the security of your home at risk.
Accidental damage protects your home and belongings against accidents. This could cover spilling a drink on your carpet, putting your foot through the attic floor, a broken laptop screen or something else unexpected.
Personal possessions cover protects individual belongings worth less than £1,000 away from your home. This covers items like phones, laptops or jewellery if they get lost, stolen or damaged when you’re out of the house.
Alternative accommodation helps cover the costs of temporary accommodation if your property is left uninhabitable following a flood, fire, subsidence or storm damage. Your insurer should help you find alternative accommodation and cover the costs while the problem is sorted.
Depending on the policy you choose, you might find that some of these extras are included as standard.
If your home is non-standard or your circumstances are a little different, we've got you covered:
**Single annual policy. Shell Go+ account required. Only one £10 fuel reward can be used per transaction and each can only be used on fuel purchases of £10 or over. HelloFresh 18+ subscription service. Geographical exclusions apply. T&Cs apply
Yes, unless you add personal possessions cover as an extra. This helps protect possessions such as your:
Some insurers include this as standard, but you can add it to your contents policy.
This covers items worth less than £1,000 each away from home. You can add cover for high value items worth more than £1,000 or laptops and bikes in your quote.
Yes. There are 2 kinds of excess - voluntary and compulsory.
As the name suggests, you can’t change your compulsory excess - that’s set by your insurance company. But you can increase or decrease your voluntary excess. In fact, increasing your voluntary excess is one way you could lower your home insurance costs. This does mean you have to pay more if you make a claim.
If you’re worried about how much excess to pay, it’s important to think about what works best with your circumstances. If you can afford to pay a higher excess in the event of a claim it could lower the cost of your insurance policy, saving you money.
Yes, flood insurance is usually covered in most home insurance policies but it’s worth checking the finer details with your provider.
The ABI (Association of British Insurers) launched the Flood Re. scheme in 2016, to help those living in flood risk areas find affordable home insurance. The scheme estimates that hundreds of thousands of UK homes could be harder to insure due to being at high risk from flooding. All home insurance providers in the UK pay into the scheme, with the money raised used to cover homes at risk of flooding.
Your credit score shouldn't impact the price you pay for your home insurance. Insurers look at your credit score to:
Equally, getting a home insurance quote shouldn’t impact your credit score. You might see ‘soft searches’ on your credit report but these are nothing to worry about. They’re only visible to you and don’t affect your credit rating.
The only time you’ll see a ‘hard’ search is if you choose to pay for your home insurance monthly. This is because the insurer needs to check you can cover the payments of the contract, usually over 12 months.
Home insurance covers roof leaks if you have home emergency cover. Cover for roof damage can be included as standard with some insurers but always check your policy details to be sure.
If finding the source of a leak proves to be more difficult than first thought, trace and access cover could help. This means finding out where a potential leak is coming from. It’s included in most home insurance policies.
The amount of cover you need to be fully protected largely depends on two factors:
Your home’s rebuild cost is different to its current market value. A house that’s worth £200,000 might only cost £150,000 to rebuild, for example. Overestimating this amount could increase your home insurance costs. We'll estimate this cost for you when you get a quote.
When working out the value of your contents, think of everything you’d have to replace if the entire house was gone. This includes:
You'll need to know the age of your house to get a home insurance quote. So what do you do if you don't? We walk you through the quickest ways to find out your home's age.
Can't tell a deadlock from a deadlatch? We can help. If you’re looking to save money on your home insurance, it's important to get the right locks fitted.
Shoring up your security with a burglar alarm is a quick way to deter thieves. But which ones give you the best bang for your buck? We take a look.
Having a claim rejected could leave you out of pocket when you need your insurance the most. We take a look at common pitfalls to avoid.
It's always a good idea to invest in more security for your home, not only to protect your valuable items but it also helps reduce your insurance premiums, so if you are confused by home security, here's what you need to know.
Page last reviewed: 28 July 2023
Reviewed by: Matthew Harwood
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