What is non-standard home insurance?
Non-standard home insurance, sometimes referred to as specialist home insurance, covers homes that aren’t eligible for standard home insurance.
This is usually because unusual or old-fashioned construction methods have been used. Any home that isn’t built from brick or stone with a slate or tile roof will likely fall into the non-standard category and require non-standard construction home insurance.
Examples of non-standard properties include:
- Thatched roof homes
- Homes made of wattle and daub
- Timber framed homes
- Steel framed homes
- Concrete homes
- Flat roof homes
- Listed buildings
- Prefabricated homes
Another reason why non-standard home insurance might be needed is if your house is in an area at high risk of flooding.
Personal circumstances such as bankruptcy or long absences from the property can also mean non-standard home insurance is required.
What does non-standard insurance cover?
As with standard home insurance there are 2 types of non-standard home insurance; buildings insurance and contents insurance.
Buildings insurance protects the actual structure of your home, as well as any fixtures.
Contents insurance covers all of your personal possessions inside the house.
You can also choose a combined policy to cover both buildings and contents insurance.
As non-standard home insurance is designed for the increased risk attached to your particular property type, your policy is also likely to cover:
- Fire
- Flood and storm damage
- Theft
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What our home insurance expert says
Non-standard homes can be more complicated to insure because they use different materials and construction to standard builds. And if they’re damaged, they can be more costly to repair. It's not just your home’s construction that counts as non-standard. You might need a non-standard policy if you've been declared bankrupt, or have a criminal conviction.
Jessica Willock
Home insurance product manager
Types of home insurance
Home insurance
protects your home and its contents from those unexpected accidents.
Contents insurance
protects your household belongings against theft, loss and damage.
Timber framed home insurance
Find cover for old listed buildings and new builds alike.
Non standard insurance
get cover for your non-standard home. Protect your belongings against theft, loss and damage.
Flat roof insurance
find home insurance for your flat or partially flat roofed property.
Landlord insurance
can protect you and your rental property against unexpected costs, like building or content damage, as well as any disputes.
Flat insurance
can be tailored to cover the building, content or both depending on whether you own or rent your flat.
Listed building insurance
protects properties that are of national historical significance.
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