Home Insurance

Buildings Insurance

This covers the physical structure of your home, including permanent fixtures and fittings. If you own your home, this type of insurance is crucial. It protects against risks like fire, storm damage, and subsidence.

Coverage

Buildings insurance protects against damage to the building itself, including walls, roof, floors, windows, doors, and permanent fixtures (like built-in kitchens or bathrooms). It also covers external structures like garages, sheds, and fences.

Perils Covered

• Fire and Smoke: If your home is damaged due to fire or smoke.
• Storms and Floods: Protection against storm damage, including wind, hail, and flooding.
• Subsidence: Covers damage caused by ground movement.
• Burst Pipes and Water Leaks: Repairs due to water damage.
• Vandalism and Malicious Damage: If someone intentionally damages your property.
• Impact: Covers damage from vehicles or falling trees.
• Theft and Burglary: Replacing stolen items and repairing damage caused by break-ins.
• Rebuild Cost: The sum insured should reflect the rebuild cost, not the market value. This cost includes labour, materials, and professional fees to rebuild your home from scratch.

Mortgage Requirement

If you have a mortgage, your lender will likely require buildings insurance as a condition.

Optional Extras

• Legal Expenses Cover: Helps with legal costs related to property disputes.
• Accidental Damage Cover: For unintentional damage (e.g., drilling through a pipe).
• Home Emergency Cover: Assistance for urgent repairs (e.g., boiler breakdown).

Contents Insurance

This covers your personal belongings within the home. Imagine turning your home upside down—everything that falls out would typically be covered. Whether you own or rent, considering contents insurance is wise to protect against loss or damage to your possessions.

Coverage

• Loss, Damage, or Theft: Contents insurance protects your belongings in case they are lost, damaged, or stolen. This includes items like furniture, electronics, clothing, jewelry, and appliances.
• Events Outside Your Control: It covers your possessions against events such as fire, storms, floods, subsidence (ground movement below your property), and water leaks.

Types of Contents Insurance

• New for Old (As New): This policy pays out the full cost of repair for damaged items or the equivalent cost of a new item. It’s more expensive but ensures you get the full value of your claimed items.
• Indemnity Policy: With this type, you receive the current value of the item, considering depreciation or wear and tear. It’s usually cheaper but may not cover the full replacement cost.

Calculating Your Needs

• Consider how much it would cost to replace all the contents you want to insure.
• Include items you’d take with you if you moved.
• Check if combined policies offer the right balance of buildings and contents cover.

Remember, finding the right contents insurance ensures your cherished possessions are protected. This is what we are here for!

Combined Buildings and Contents Insurance

If you own your home’s freehold, this option combines both buildings and contents coverage. It’s usually more cost-effective.

Combined buildings and contents insurance is a comprehensive policy that protects both your home and your belongings. Let’s break it down:

Buildings Insurance

Coverage: This part of the policy protects the structure of your home. It covers damage caused by events like fire, storm, flood, or vandalism. Specifically, it includes repairs or replacement for your roof, walls, windows, doors, and fitted bathrooms or kitchens.

Contents Insurance

Coverage: Contents insurance safeguards your belongings within your home. It covers items like furniture, clothing, jewelry, electronics, curtains, and even carpets. If they are damaged due to events like fire, flood, or theft, this insurance helps repair or replace them.