1. Home
  2. Home insurance
  3. Buildings insurance

Buildings insurance

Compare buildings insurance quotes

Retrieve a quote

Buy home insurance and get year round hot drinks plus your choice of reward**

  • Get a quote in less than 8 minutes

  • Compare quotes from up to 77 home insurance companies1

  • 96% of our home insurance customers would recommend us on reviews.io

**Single annual policy. New and former Paramount+ subscribers only who sign up at ParamountPlus.com. Subscription required. Auto-renews unless cancelled. 18+. Just Eat website account required, geographical exclusions apply. The year-round reward is provided by Greggs, and consists of one regular hot drink per month for a year, only available via the Confused.com app. T&Cs apply.

1Correct as of July 2024

We compare up to 77 trusted insurance companies1 to get you our cheapest deal in minutes

Admiral car insurance logo
Churchill car insurance logo
Post Office car insurance logo

What is buildings insurance?

Buildings insurance can cover you if your home is damaged by a storm, fire, flood, and more depending on your policy.

If something happens, you're typically covered for costs involving the replacement, rebuild, or repair of the roof, walls and floors. It'll also protect permanent fixtures such as fitted kitchens, bathrooms and built in wardrobes.

Contents insurance is different from buildings insurance as it protects household belongings, not the home structure. Both can be bought as a combined policy as home insurance.

To get a buildings insurance quote, we'll typically ask you the rebuild cost of your home. We can estimate this for you based on a number of factors, but you can change this figure if you have a more accurate cost.

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.

  • 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.
  • 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:

  • 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.
  • 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.

How much does buildings insurance cost?

The average price of buildings insurance is:

£207* 

 


The cost of your buildings insurance can vary depending on a number of factors such as:

  • The age of the property
  • The size of the property
  • The location of the property
  • The condition of the property

Properties at risk of flood damage are more likely to be expensive to insure. Providers take this risk into account when it comes to your quote which is why houses in areas prone to flooding usually pay more for their buildings insurance.

*Based on Confused.com data, July - September 2024

What our home insurance expert says:

"If you’re buying a house, your mortgage lender will often make buildings insurance a condition of the mortgage, as they want to protect the asset they’re lending against. But don’t assume you have to go with your mortgage lender's recommended insurer – you can often find the cover you need for less by comparing quotes."
Matthew Harwood, Home & lifestyle insurance expert at Confused.com
Home & lifestyle insurance expert Confused.com logo

Choose a reward & enjoy year-round hot drinks every time you buy car, home or van insurance**

How to claim

Rewards from Sainsburys, Paramount+, Just Eat, Halfords and Greggs when you get a quote and buy through Confused.com

**Single annual policy. New and former Paramount+ subscribers only who sign up at ParamountPlus.com. Subscription required. Auto-renews unless cancelled. 18+. Just Eat website account required, geographical exclusions apply. The year-round reward is provided by Greggs, and consists of one regular hot drink per month for a year, only available via the Confused.com app. T&Cs apply.

How do I get cheaper buildings insurance?

There are a number of ways you can reduce the cost of your buildings insurance policy:

  • 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.
  • 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.

Compare buildings insurance quotes

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.

How much should I insure my house for?

When it comes to insuring your property, you should estimate the amount it would cost for a complete rebuild.

It's important to know that 'rebuild cost' is not the same as 'market value'. The biggest difference between two is that rebuild cost is not influenced by location or others factors such as market fluctuation.

You should bear this in mind when it comes to stating the rebuild value of your property. An inaccurate rebuild cost estimate can impact what you pay for buildings insurance.

Why use Confused.com?

We're 100% independent

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.

Rewards

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.

FCA regulated

We're FCA regulated, just like the 77 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 best deals

Our experts and consumer champions are dedicated to helping our customers find the best deal for their needs and budget.

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.

How do I make a claim?

If you need to make a claim, the first step is to contact your insurer. The sooner you do this the better, you'll typically have a window of around 180 days to make a claim.

Your insurer is likely to ask you what happened, when it happened and what exactly you're claiming for. You should have your policy number at hand along with any other documents relating to your insurance. During this process you'll likely have to provide some, if not all of the following:

  • Detail a list of what has been damaged (you may need to preserve anything that has been damaged)
  • Take pictures of what has been damaged as evidence
  • Give an account of what happened leading to the damage
  • Where possible, provide receipts for what has been damaged

It's important to avoid organising any repairs until you have contacted your insurer. There could be exclusions or specific terms set out in your policy, so it's always best to reach out to your insurer before taking action. If your claim is accepted, the insurer will pay out for costs relating to repair, replacement and rebuilding.

Types of home insurance

Our customers say:

Reviews.io 4.5 stars

Confused.com home insurance scores a 4.6 out of 5 rating
based on 50204 reviews as of 07/10/2024

Home insurance guides

Page last reviewed: 04 October 2024

Reviewed by: Matthew Harwood