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Do I need buildings insurance?
It's not a legal requirement, but in some instances you may be required to have buildings insurance in place. Regardless of your situation, it's worth considering both buildings and contents insurance. Without buildings insurance, any damage to your home could cost you thousands.
You have a mortgage
Mortgage lenders may expect you to have this insurance before you exchange in order to protect against the cost of potential damage to your home. If you own a flat, having buildings insurance may not be necessary.
You own your home outright
You may not have a mortgage lender requiring you to have buildings insurance anymore, but it's still really worth considering. Look at it like protecting your investment, you could risk spending thousands by not having a policy in place if something happens to your home.
You're a landlord
As a landlord, it's worth considering specialist buildings insurance. A standard policy could be invalidated if something happens to your property while you're renting it to a tenant and you need to make a claim.
You're the executor of a will
This is someone who is named in a will as legally responsible for handling the estate of a person who has died. This process is known as probate and the property may be left unoccupied. There is a specialist home insurance policy to cover a property in this type of situation.
You rent
If you're renting a property, your landlord should have buildings insurance in place as it is their responsibility. Instead, a contents insurance policy is worth considering as it covers the cost of replacing your belongings if they’re stolen or damaged.
If you own a leasehold flat
Typically a freeholder or a management company can arrange buildings insurance and charge you service fee. This isn't always the case, so you must check your agreement. If you're responsible for finding cover, there are specialist policies available to you.
What does buildings insurance cover?
Buildings insurance generally covers structural parts of your home such as the roof, walls and floors. This also extends to permanent fixtures such as fitted kitchens, bathrooms and built in wardrobes.
Most policies vary based on the insurer, so you should always check you're happy with your level of cover. If not, you can look at optional extras you may require.
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Natural disaster
Bad weather that causes damage to your property can be covered by buildings insurance. This can include storm damage or if there is flooding. -
Water damage
An example of this would be a burst pipe or a heating system causing a leak. The cost of removing and replacing part of the property to find and repair these issues is covered. -
Subsidence
Subsidence could cause your house to sink resulting in large cracks and damage to the building. You can get cover for subsidence, but you would need to state if your property has suffered this issue before, and when it happened.
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Fallen trees
If a falling tree or branch causes damage to your property or crashes through the roof or wall, you'll be covered. Usually, the only exception is if you've undertaken maintenance that has led to trees or branches falling. -
Vehicle collisions, break-ins, and vandalism
Circumstances such as a vehicle colliding into your property, theft, attempted theft and vandalism can all cause damage to your home. If any of these occur, you'll be able to claim.
There is no set list of issues you can claim for on your buildings insurance policy. You'll need to check with your insurer what is covered, some policies may offer protection for other structures such as driveways and garages.
If you're extending the property, you may also want to consider cover for the extension work. But you'll need to make your insurer aware of this before you buy.
Accidental damage is unlikely to be covered, it's usually available as an optional benefit for an extra cost.
What doesn't buildings insurance cover?
Otherwise known as policy exclusions, each buildings insurance policy has its own list of what you won't be able to claim for. Generally, most insurers won't include cover for:
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Wear and tear
This happens over time and is unrelated to sudden intentional or accidental damage. A gradual damage claim is likely to be rejected by an insurer. -
Poor maintenance
There's almost always a job to do around the house, neglecting the smaller jobs can turn into bigger issues over time. Keeping everything around the house in check can help prevent more costlier repairs that are unlikely to be covered. -
Poor workmanship or negligence
It's likely to depend on what the issue is and when the work was done, but faulty workmanship is unlikely to be covered. If a builder has breached any terms, you could be entitled to have repairs or replacements completed free of charge but you will need to speak with the builder.
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Renovations
If you're completing renovation work at your property, a standard buildings insurance policy might not cover you if anything happens. You should check your policy first, but you may need to get a specialist policy for renovation work. -
Frost to external pipes and brickwork
Frost occurs when cold weather rolls around, this is a typical exclusion as it's not sudden or unexpected. -
Rising damp
Rising damp is seen by insurers as a sign of gradual decline in the condition of the property. This is why it isn't generally covered in buildings insurance.
Personal belongings aren't covered by buildings insurance and a separate policy could be required unless you get a policy that combines both.
What our home insurance expert says:
How do I get cheaper buildings insurance?
There are a number of ways you can reduce the cost of your buildings insurance policy:
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Not over-insuring
Before you compare quotes, we'll ask you about the total rebuild cost of the property and how much it would cost to replace your home contents. You can use a calculator to accurately estimate a rebuild cost, overestimating tends to lead to more expensive insurance costs. -
Exploring policy options
There a range of additional benefits you can choose from, limiting these to what you need can help bring costs down. Consider every question carefully - features offer you more cover, but they're likely to come at an extra cost. -
Paying annually
As convenient as it is to pay for your home insurance in monthly instalments, it's almost always more expensive. Insurers charge interest and an admin fee on top of your base insurance costs simply for paying in instalments. If you can afford to do so, paying in one lump can help save money.
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Comparing quotes
It's always worth comparing quotes from a list of providers, this way you can save money and contrast policy features. Consider not auto renewing your policy, shopping around is likely to help you find a better deal than your renewal quote. -
Making your home safer
Owning security features reduces the risk of your property from being burgled. This can help lower your buildings insurance costs while offering you extra peace of mind. -
Building your no-claims bonus (NCB)
By avoiding making a claim on your insurance for a year, you normally get a discount on the price you pay at renewal. You can continue earning a bigger discount for every year you don't claim for up to five years. Generally your NCB still applies even if you switch insurers.
What optional extras can I add to buildings insurance?
In most cases you'll have a range of optional benefits you can include in your policy, but these likely come at an extra cost. Exactly what is included as standard can vary between insurers, so it's worth checking your policy before you buy.
Optional benefits include:
Accidental damage cover
Usually a buildings insurance policy covers you for sudden damage by weather, fire or crime. It wouldn't cover accidental damage such as stepping through the ceiling while working in the attic, for example. Adding this to your policy can help cover unintentional incidents.
Legal expenses cover
Taking a case to court can be expensive, the legal expenses benefit is there to help cover the costs. There are a number of ways it can help, but most importantly for buildings insurance it covers disagreements about property.
Home emergency cover
There for emergency issues or urgent repairs, it covers the cost of needing to call out a tradesperson to fix the issue.
Boiler breakdown cover
Boiler breakdown cover helps protect you from repair costs when your boiler breaks down. It can cover urgent repairs, callout charges, labour and spare parts. It's worth considering especially for boilers not covered by warranties.
Alternative accommodation cover
You may find yourself in a situation where your home has suffered damages from a storm or flood. If your property is unsafe to live in, you may need alternative accommodation until the damage is fixed. This is exactly what this type of cover provides.
What do I need to get a buildings insurance quote?
There are a number of factors that can determine what you pay for buildings insurance. Before you begin, it's important to have documents at hand and information on the following:
Number of rooms
The size of the property and number of rooms are taken into account. Generally, the larger the house, the higher the rebuild cost.
Roof type
Insurers will ask if your home or any outbuildings have a flat or partly flat roof. This is because of the risk they pose in the event of a storm or heavy rainfall.
Listed building
Listed buildings are tricky as heritage support officers are required to approve any works. Any construction may also need specific materials, so this is taken into account.
Flooding
If your property is located in an area prone to flooding, buildings insurance could be costlier due to the risk.
Door locks
Better security measures in place can help bring costs down. Robust door locks could make your home less likely to be burgled, quite often you'll be asked what locks are installed on your doors.
Home security
It's common to be asked if you have any home security in operation. Some systems are installed and maintained by regulatory bodies, it's important you mention this when getting a quote.
No-claims bonus
Just as you build NCB with motor insurance, the same applies to buildings insurance. Where you can, state any NCB you have as you may receive discount.
Previous claims
On the flip side, you'll typically have to declare any claims you've made in the last 5 years. Not stating this could invalidate your policy.
Rebuild cost
Finding out the rebuild cost of your property can seem challenging, but there are ways you can work it out. We can usually give you an estimate based on the information you submit.
When your house was built
The age of your property is likely to affect your buildings insurance. You can usually find this out by checking the title deeds or using Land Registry.
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What affects my home’s rebuild value?
The rebuild cost of your property is typically estimated with a number of factors in mind, including:
The age of your property
An older property or a listed building could increase the rebuild cost. Specialist materials may be needed to carry out building work and planning approval could be necessary for properties of significant architectural or historic interest.
The building materials used
Most properties are built from brick or stone with a slate or tile roof. Using other materials could be more expensive due to their availability and specialist nature.
Type of property and the number of doors, windows and rooms
All of these factors can relate to the size of the property. There are several types of houses in the UK such as terraced, semi-detached and detached. The number of doors, windows and rooms are considered as the more there are, the more it could cost to replace them.
Other features
There are other parts of a property that could affect the rebuild value such as a conservatory, porch, solar panels and garage, for example. The more features you have, the greater the rebuild value could be.
Types of home insurance
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Home insurance guides
Page last reviewed: 04 October 2024
Reviewed by: Matthew Harwood