Protection for your home and everything in it.
If you have a mortgage, buildings insurance will normally be a condition of the loan. But good cover should do more than keep the lender happy. We help protect the building, your belongings and you against the unexpected costs of running a home.
- Cover tailored to your property and belongings
- Only 5-star Defaqto policies recommended
- Home emergency cover included as standard
Buildings and contents: two different jobs.
Buildings insurance covers the structure of your home and its permanent fixtures, including the roof, walls, floors, fitted kitchen and bathroom.
Contents insurance protects the things you own, such as your furniture, appliances, clothes and personal belongings.
You can arrange them separately or combine them in one home insurance policy. If your home or belongings are damaged by an insured event, the policy can help meet the cost of repairing, rebuilding or replacing them, subject to its limits, exclusions and excesses.
When do you need buildings insurance?
Buildings insurance is not a legal requirement, but if you have a mortgage, your lender will normally make adequate cover a condition of the loan.
If you are buying a property and will be responsible for insuring the building, ask your conveyancer when the cover must begin. In England and Wales, this is usually from exchange of contracts, when you become legally committed to the purchase. The process differs elsewhere in the UK, so follow your conveyancer’s advice.
With a leasehold property, the freeholder or managing agent will often insure the building, with your share paid through the service charge. Check the lease and speak to your conveyancer before arranging separate buildings cover. You will normally still need your own contents insurance.
The quality of the cover matters.
Your home is probably the most valuable thing you will ever own. But it is more than an asset: it is where your family lives and where nearly everything you own is kept.
The cheapest policy is not necessarily the best. Cover limits, excesses and exclusions vary considerably, and the difference often becomes clear only when you need to claim.
Buildings insurance should be based on the cost of rebuilding your home, not its market value. Contents cover should also reflect what it would genuinely cost to replace everything you own, with valuable items listed separately where required.
Our team will explain the options and help you arrange cover that properly reflects your home, belongings and circumstances.
What makes us different.
- Specialist advice rather than a price comparison table
- Defaqto 5 Star-rated policies as standard
- Cover from a panel of established providers
- We collect the information and handle the administration
- Options for homeowners, landlords and non-standard properties
- Additional cover available for home emergencies, accidental damage, valuable items and belongings away from home
Listed building or non-standard construction?
Bath has rather a lot of both. Listed buildings, thatched properties, timber frames and other unusual construction methods can fall outside standard underwriting criteria.
Some mainstream insurers will decline them, restrict the cover or charge considerably more. We understand the specialist market and can find a policy designed for the property rather than trying to force it into a standard box.
Everyone’s needs are different. Talk to our protection team and we will help you find the right level of cover.
Protect your home and what’s inside
We’ll help you understand your buildings and contents options, what’s included and the level of cover that may suit your property and belongings. Your first conversation is free, with no pressure to proceed.
Call 01225 258900Questions
Your home insurance questions, answered.
Is buildings insurance a legal requirement?
It is a condition of virtually every mortgage offer, regardless of lender. If you are buying a freehold property you will generally need it in place before exchange of contracts, because you become liable for the property the moment contracts are exchanged.
Do I need buildings insurance on a leasehold flat?
Often not. It is frequently covered by your maintenance charge and the terms of your lease. Check before you buy a policy, you may be paying twice.
What is a Defaqto 5-star rating?
An independent assessment of a policy's quality and comprehensiveness, not its price. We only recommend 5-star rated policies, because a cheap policy that does not pay out is not a saving.
Can you insure a listed building?
Yes. Listed buildings, thatch and non-standard construction are a specialist market, many mainstream insurers decline them or price them very high. Given where we are based, we deal with it constantly.
Ready when you are.
Whether you’re arranging a mortgage or protecting what matters, tell us what you need and we’ll explain your options clearly. Your first conversation is free and there’s no obligation.
