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Home insurance

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T&Cs apply. Must be a like-for-like policy. Find out more.

*Based on online independent research by Consumer Intelligence (August 19). 51% of home insurance customers could save £88.82 on a combined policy.

Just three of the great reasons to use Confused.com

"Very easy to use, just enter your details and select which insurance suits your needs. I saved over £180."
Mavis – Confused.com customer 5 gold stars
95
%
of customers would recommend Confused.com after buying home insurance

We compare 76 providers to save you money.

What does home insurance cover?

There are two main features that fall under the general home insurance heading: buildings and contents insurance. These can either be bought separately or combined into one policy.

Buildings

buildings insurance icon

Buildings insurance offers protection for the permanent fixtures in your home such as the roof, walls, floors, bathroom fittings and ceilings. Garages, sheds and fences also tend to be covered. Buildings insurance is not a legal requirement but most mortgage lenders will insist the cover is in place to protect the property.

Contents

Blue sofa icon with pound sign

Meanwhile, contents insurance is designed to protect your belongings. As a general rule, your contents are the things that could be taken with you if you moved house. Typically this includes things such as your furniture, your TV and other home gadgets, any electrical items, your kitchenware, clothes and jewellery, and any soft furnishings such as curtains and cushions.

What type of policy is right for me? 

There’s no real one-size-fits-all and the type of cover you’ll need will depend on your own living situation. 

If you own your home and have a mortgage, buildings insurance is usually compulsory as your lender will typically insist that you’re covered to protect its investment. A good buildings policy should cover the full repair and/or rebuild of your home should the worst happen.

If you’re a homeowner you may also wish to get contents cover to protect your belongings, meaning a combined buildings and contents policy could be right for you.

Meanwhile, if you rent your home you’ll likely only need contents cover as your landlord should have protection in place for any damage to the building itself. 

You can compare all policy types via Confused.com.

 

 

home insurance contents

What do I need to get a quote?

Getting a home insurance quote is quick and easy, but having the following at hand could help speed things up.

Details about your home

Blue house icon with calendar

You’ll need to provide the build date of your home, along with the date you moved in or bought the property.

Lock types and alarms

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Most insurers need to know the type of locks you have on your external facing doors. If you’re unsure, we provide pictures to help you find which locks you have fitted.

Details of any previous claims

Blue document icon with pound sign

This will be stated in your renewal documents. If you don't have these to hand, you can contact your previous insurance provider.

The rebuild cost of your property

Blue pound symbol with circular arrows

We’ll automatically estimate the value of your home, or alternatively you can use our rebuild cost calculator to enter your own cost. Another option is to hire a chartered surveyor to carry out an assessment.

The value of your personal belongings

Blue sofa icon with pound sign

Use our contents calculator to estimate the value of your personal belongings.

Details of your roof type

Blue icon of a house roof

Which materials are used on your roof, such as asphalt, tile, slate or thatched.

Ultimately it's your decision on whether you need any of these extras.

You may find some insurance providers offer these add-ons as standard, so it's worth checking the small print of any home insurance policy to see exactly what's covered.

How to reduce the cost of your home insurance

The average cost of a combined buildings and contents insurance policy (excluding quotes for accidental damage and quotes with previous claims) is £154**. That’s according to Confused.com data from October 2019.

The cost of insurance is rising, which is why it’s more important than ever to shop around and compare prices.

With this in mind, here are a few tips that could help you save some money on your policy:

Compare quotes Icon of a house and calculator

Shopping around is the easiest way to save money. 51% of home insurance customers could save up to £88* on a combined buildings and contents policy.

Increase your excess voluntary excess pound

Opting to pay a higher voluntary excess – this is the contribution that you’re required to pay towards any claim you make - can help reduce the overall cost of your insurance premium.

Build your no-claims bonus no claims bonus paper

Most insurers offer a discount on your insurance if you’ve been claim free for the previous year. Typically the more years you go without claiming, the bigger the discount.

Add a burglar alarm to your home contents insurance icon

Adding extra security to your home can reduce the price of your insurance. For example, minimising the risk of break-ins by installing a burglar alarm can help.

Pay for your insurance annually previous claims paper

Most insurers will charge interest or an admin fee if you opt to pay monthly. Choosing to pay annually instead will help you keep costs down.

Install locks with a high degree of security Blue padlock icon

When you apply for home insurance, insurers need to know what locks you have on any outside doors. If your property has a higher degree of security and/or your locks conform to the required British Standards, you may get a discount.

Buy a combined policy income protection arrow

Purchasing buildings and contents insurance from the same provider will often save you money over buying each feature separately.

*Based on online independent research by Consumer Intelligence (August 19). 51% of home insurance customers could save £88.82 on a combined policy.

Take a look at our FAQs for more information.

What are home insurance 'add-ons' and do I need them?

When buying a home insurance policy you may be offered a number of additional extras, which are often known as add-ons. Some of the more common add-ons include:

A house on a sunny day
Accidental damage Accidental damage icon

This is one of the most popular and, as the term suggests, covers any damage to your property and its belongings as the result of a sudden, unexpected and non-deliberate action. Spilling red wine on your brand new carpet could be one such example.

Alternative accommodation Alternative accommodation icon

This comes into play if your property suddenly becomes uninhabitable as the result of an issue such as flooding, fire, subsidence or damage caused by a storm. It means that your insurance provider will help you find alternative accommodation and cover the costs, meaning you're not left homeless and out of pocket while the problem is sorted out.

Bicycle cover Bike cover icon

Many households own a bike or two, and chances are they're worth a fair bit of money. Bicycle insurance covers the loss, theft or damage to you or your family's bikes. Some insurers only cover bikes if they're stolen from your home or a locked garage as standard. This means you'll need to specify whether you want to include cover away from home to insure your bike is covered when you're out and about.

Home emergency cover Home emergency cover icon

This covers you for situations in which you need the quick assistance of a tradesperson, such as a burst pipe or your boiler breaks down. As well as a 24-hour emergency helpline, home emergency protection tends to cover the cost of the call-out, labour and any materials used by that tradesperson for repairs.

Legal protection Legal protection icon

Legal expenses cover, also known as family legal protection, protects you against the cost of being sued in an event such as someone getting injured on your property. It may also cover you in other situations where a solicitor’s help is needed. For example, disputes involving noisy neighbours, boundary disagreements, or damage to the property where no-one has admitted liability.

Protected no-claims bonus Protected no claims bonus icon

This additional cover will safeguard your no-claims bonus. By paying a bit extra, in the event that you have to make a claim your no-claims bonus won’t be lost.

Personal possessions cover Personal possessions cover icon

If you take certain valuable items outside of your home, which aren't covered by your home contents policy, then personal possessions cover can be quite handy. It will insure your personal belongings against loss, accidental damage or theft when you step out the front door. Common items to insure include jewellery, mobile phones, wallets/purses, laptops and tablets.

Ultimately it’s your decision on whether you need any of these extras. You may find some insurance providers offer these add-ons as standard, so it’s worth checking the small print of any home insurance policy to see exactly what’s covered.

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woman holding a bucket for leak

Why should I get home insurance? 

Home insurance can offer you the peace of mind that your home and belongings are protected should the worst happen.

Over a fifth of households in the UK – equivalent to five million homes – have no insurance protections in place, according to charity Shelter.

And, although it’s not a legal requirement to have home insurance, most mortgage lenders will insist you have buildings cover in place if you’re a homeowner.

What’s more, should the worst happen and damage does occur either to your home or your possessions, then the £154** to insure your home for a year can pale in comparison to the hundreds, potentially thousands, of pounds that not having cover could cost you.

**(The average premium is based on a combined buildings and contents policy excluding quotes for accidental damage and claims.)

What types of home insurance are available?

Landlord insurance

landlord insurance icon

Also known as buy-to-let insurance, landlord insurance usually covers the most common risks associated with renting out a property. You may also want to look at popular landlord insurance add-ons too, such as loss of rent cover, compensation claims cover and accidental damage cover.

Find out more

Listed buildings insurance

Blue icon of a house roof

The rebuild cost of some 'non-standard' homes, such as listed buildings, can be considerably higher than it is for other properties. Specialist listed building insurance can ensure you have the right cover in place.

Find out more

Student insurance

Student home insurance icon

Student contents insurance offers protection for items like books, clothes, and jewellery against loss, damage or theft. High-risk items like laptops and bikes can be covered as extra add-ons too.

Find out more

Over 50s insurance

Over 50s icon

If you're 50 or over then you can benefit from getting a quote with a specialist provider. We compare quotes from a wide range of companies including Rias and Saga who both specialise in home insurance for people of this age group.

Find out more

Guest house insurance

Guest house insurance icon

Guest house insurance typically offers protection for both buildings and contents. It also offers the option to protect against legal claims, income loss and any accidents.

Find out more

Flood insurance

Flood insurance icon

There are about two million properties in the UK that are at risk of flooding. If you live in a flood zone then thanks to the government’s Flood Re scheme, getting insurance is now easier than it has been before. Flood insurance can cover the cost of drying out your home, removing debris and repairing your property.

Find out more

Why compare quotes with Confused.com?

Confused.com was the first price comparison website in the UK, and we have over a decade of experience in the industry.

Here are three great reasons to get a home insurance quote through us:

It only takes 8 minutes to get a quote.
All you have to do is fill in one easy form and within a few seconds we’ll show you a list of great prices.
Your quotes are guaranteed to be the same price
as going direct to the insurance providers.
We give you a clear, side-by-side comparison of cover.
You can easily change things such as the amount of excess you choose to pay, meaning you’ll get a quote that’s right for you.

What do our customers have to say?

"Easy to use, clear results, differences explained. Will use again."
Graham, October 2019
5 yellow stars
"All in the one place at your fingertips. Easy to find, read, understand and choose."
Kevin, October 2019
5 yellow stars
"Great opportunity to shop around and get the quotes suited to your needs."
Olajumoke, October 2019
5 yellow stars
95
%
of customers would recommend Confused.com after buying home insurance

Need more help? Take a look at our expert guides

Calculate your house rebuild cost

How much it would cost to rebuild your home?

Lock types explained

Choosing the right locks can help you save money.

Calculate your home contents

Value your home contents and personal belongings.

No-claims discount explained

How to build a no-claims bonus.

Cutting the cost of your home insurance

Tips to save money on your policy.

Home insurance excess explained

Compulsory and voluntary excess explained.

Check out more of our expert insurance guides

Get a home quote
Takes about 8 mins

Or retrieve your previous quotes

After buying home insurance, 94% of Confused.com customers would recommend us (based on 5053 Reviews.co.uk respondents - as of 21/10/19). Read our reviews