We’re partnered with Quotezone.co.uk. As an Introducer Appointed Representative of Seopa Ltd, trading as Quotezone.co.uk (FCA FRN: 313860), we receive a commission if you purchase insurance products through the link above/below. We do not provide advice or make recommendations. Your choice of provider is entirely your own.
The cost of your home insurance is based on a range of factors that help insurers assess risk. While some details, such as your property type or location, can’t be changed, there are still several ways you may be able to reduce the cost of your premium.
Choose an annual policy and pay in one lump sum to avoid interest charges that are often added to monthly instalments.
Provide accurate information about your home and contents. Making sure details such as rebuild value and contents cover are correct helps ensure you’re not paying for more cover than you need.
Review your policy carefully and only select add-ons that are relevant to you. Extras like accidental damage cover or home emergency cover can be useful, but in some cases it may be cheaper to arrange certain cover separately or as a combined policy depending on your circumstance.
Improve your home’s security. Installing approved locks, burglar alarms, or other security measures can help reduce the risk to insurers and may lower your premium.
Tailored for you
We want to help everyone find their perfect home insurance policy. That’s why we only partner with firms who can provide quotes are as individual as you are.
What is Home Insurance?
Home insurance covers the cost of damage done to your home or belongings. When you buy a policy, you’ll need to decide if you need Buildings cover, Contents cover or both, and the amount of cover you want (the ‘sum insured’) which is the maximum your insurer will pay out if you make a claim.
Buildings Insurance
Covers the cost of damage done to the structure of your home, as well as any permanent fixtures and fittings like bathroom suites and kitchen cupboards.
Contents Insurance
Covers the cost of repairing or replacing your belongings, such as furniture, personal possessions, appliances like washing machines and dishwashers, and things like pictures, curtains and rugs.
Combined insurance
Brings buildings and contents cover together in one policy, protecting both the structure of your home and your belongings. It covers damage to the building itself, permanent fixtures and fittings, as well as your personal possessions, furniture, and household items, giving you comprehensive protection in a single, convenient policy.
Home Insurance FAQs
What does home insurance cover?
Buildings and contents insurance will usually cover your home and belongings for loss or damage caused by:
- Fire
- Flood
- Burst Pipes
- Subsidence
- Storm or weather damage
- Theft (or attempted theft) and vandalism
You can also choose to add on extras to protect yourself against other risks. It may be worth considering:
Personal possessions (outside the home)
You can choose to protect personal items such as your mobile phone, jewelry and keys when they’re outside the home and not covered by your standard home insurance policy.
Alternative accommodation
This helps pay for somewhere else to live if your home becomes temporarily uninhabitable because of something you’re insured for (like fire, flood, storm or subsidence).
Accidental damage insurance
Covers the cost of unintentional incidents, things like spilling red wine over a cream carpet, dropping your laptop or accidently knocking water over it. Policies will differ by insurer so double check what you are and aren’t covered for. One thing many policies do have in common, is that they won’t cover you for damage done by pets, for instance, scratching or clawing.
Home emergency
Some issues within the home need fixing straight away, such as a burst pipe or broken window. Home emergency cover is designed specifically for such incidents but cover will vary from insurer to insurer, so make sure you check the terms carefully before purchasing.
Do I need home insurance by law?
Home insurance isn’t a legal requirement but if you don’t have it, you’ll need to cover the cost of repairing any damage to your home or possessions yourself.
If you’ve got a mortgage, your lender is likely to insist you have buildings insurance. You don’t usually need to buy it from them, and shopping around may help you find a policy that better suits your needs.
It’s up to you whether you choose to buy buildings and contents cover separately or from the same provider but a combined policy does have the benefit of reducing your admin as you only have one insurer to deal with.
On top of this, many insurers will discount a premium when you take out both buildings and contents cover. Having the same insurer cover you for both could also mean there is less hassle when making a claim that might go across both cover types.
How much is home insurance?
The cost of home insurance depends on the amount of cover you choose and whether or not you’ve added on any extras (like Personal Possessions or Home Emergency).
For buildings insurance, the cover you have needs to be enough to rebuild your home if it was completely destroyed (it’s not the market price of your home). You can find out the rebuild cost by either:
- Using a chartered surveyor who will assess the size of your home to work out the rebuild cost, but this can be expensive.
- Using a rebuild calculator like the one offered by the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS).
For contents insurance, the sum insured needs to cover the cost of replacing all your belongings. This includes clothes and personal possessions, as well as furniture such as your kitchen appliances, beds and sofas. Don’t forget things like curtains, rugs, cushions and pictures, all the things that make a house your home.
When it comes to valuing contents, it’s all too easy to over-estimate how much things are worth but this can lead to over-insuring which could increase your premium.
On the flip side, it’s also easy to under insure your belongings, in which case your cover won’t be enough to meet the cost of replacing your things.
The best course of action is to try and be as accurate as possible and go through your home room by room, noting down all your furniture and possessions and totting up the value.
You should bear in mind that most policies will come with a cap on how much you can claim for one item, known as the ‘single article limit’.
If you have any particularly pricey items, like an engagement ring, antiques or expensive TV, then you should let your insurer know as they will need to factor this in when it comes to working out the cost of your premium. In some cases, very expensive items may need to be specified on your policy.
Which insurance is right for me?
The right policy for you will be the one that meets your needs and while cost will also be an important factor to consider, it shouldn’t be the only one.
Before you rule out policies that look expensive – check to see what they include. You might be surprised to find some cheaper quotes actually work out more expensive by the time you’ve added on extra features that other policies include as standard.
How can I get cheap home insurance?
You could save money when you compare home insurance quotes across the market. Mustard.co.uk are proud to partner with Quotezone, who search quotes from leading UK insurers and brokers, helping you find the right buildings and contents cover at a price to suit your budget.
See our top tips for saving money on your home insurance below, or take a look at our online guide for more information on how to find the best deal for you.
- Compare quotes from multiple insurers
- Choose the right level of cover (avoid over-insuring)
- Increase your voluntary excess
- Improve your home security (locks, alarms, security lighting)
- Bundle buildings and contents insurance together
- Pay annually instead of monthly
- Keep your claims history low where possible
- Review your policy each year before it renews
- Check for discounts (such as no-claims or loyalty discounts)
If you live in a low-risk area, own your home, or have good security measures in place, you may be able to reduce your home insurance premium even further.
Who provides the Home insurance quotes?
Home Insurance quotes are provided by Quotezone.co.uk, which is a trading name of Seopa Ltd, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Mustard.co.uk acts as an Introducer Appointed Representative (IAR) of Seopa Ltd. Mustard.co.uk’s role is limited to introducing customers to the comparison service and it does not provide insurance advice or arrange policies.
Seopa Ltd is only responsible for the insurance comparison service accessed via Quotezone. Seopa is not involved in car or van insurance quotation or distribution activity on this website.
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