Home Insurance Cover
Wide Insurance Panel With 80+ Providers
Cover Options Designed Around Your Business
Excellent Customer Reviews
Home Insurance Cover
At 1st Choice Insurance, we can help you arrange home insurance designed around your property, belongings and individual circumstances. Whether you own a standard house, flat, bungalow, holiday home or a more unusual property, our team can discuss your requirements and help you explore suitable insurance options.
Home insurance can provide cover for your buildings, contents and personal possessions against a range of insured events, depending on the policy you choose. We work with a wide panel of insurance providers, allowing us to explore different cover options based on your circumstances and the type of property you need to insure.
Every home is different, so the right level and type of cover will depend on factors such as your property, its construction, how it is occupied and the items you need to insure.
Get a Home Insurance Cover Quote
Looking for home insurance cover for your property?
Our team can discuss your requirements and help you understand the available options for buildings insurance, contents insurance or a combined policy.
Call 03301 081615 or complete our quote form below.
What Is Home Insurance?
Home insurance is designed to provide financial protection for your home and/or belongings against specified insured events. Depending on the policy selected, this can include risks such as fire, theft, storm damage, flooding, escape of water and accidental damage.
Home insurance is generally available as:
Buildings Insurance
Buildings insurance covers the permanent structure of your property. Depending on the policy, this can include areas such as:
- Walls and roof
- Floors and ceilings
- Fitted kitchens and bathrooms
- Garages and other outbuildings
- Paths, driveways and patios
- Permanent fixtures and fittings
If you have a mortgage, your lender will usually require you to have suitable buildings insurance in place.
Contents Insurance
Contents insurance is designed to cover your personal belongings within your home against insured events. Depending on your policy, this may include:
- Furniture
- Electrical devices
- Household appliances
- Jewellery and watches
- Personal possessions
The exact items covered and the circumstances in which they are insured will depend on your policy terms, conditions, exclusions and applicable limits.
Combined Buildings and Contents Insurance
A combined home insurance policy can provide cover for both the structure of your property and the contents within it.
This can be a suitable option for homeowners who want to arrange their buildings and contents insurance under one policy. Alternatively, buildings and contents cover can sometimes be arranged separately, depending on your circumstances.
What Can Home Insurance Cover?
The cover available will vary between insurance providers and policies. Depending on your requirements, options may include:
- Buildings insurance
- Contents insurance
- Accidental damage cover
- Personal possessions cover away from the home
- Home emergency cover
- Legal expenses or legal protection
- Alternative accommodation following an insured event
- Cover for high-value possessions
- Garden and outbuilding cover
- Trace and access cover
Not every option will be available or appropriate for every property. We can explain the available choices and help you understand what is included within the policy you are considering.
Why Is Home Insurance Important?
Your home and belongings can represent a significant financial investment. An unexpected event such as a fire, flood, storm or burglary can result in substantial repair or replacement costs.
Depending on the cover selected, home insurance may help with costs such as:
- Repairing or rebuilding an insured property following damage
- Replacing or repairing contents following an insured event
- Providing alternative accommodation where included and applicable
- Dealing with certain home emergencies where cover has been selected
- Replacing specified personal possessions following theft or damage
- Providing legal expenses cover where included within the policy
The level of cover available depends on the policy selected and the individual circumstances of your property and household.
It is important to review your home insurance regularly, particularly if you have carried out improvements, purchased new possessions or your circumstances have changed.
Types of Home Insurance We Can Help Arrange
Different properties and circumstances can require different types of insurance. At 1st Choice Insurance, we can discuss a range of home insurance requirements, including:
Standard Home Insurance
For houses, flats and other conventional residential properties, we can explore buildings and contents insurance options based on your circumstances.
Buildings Insurance
If you only require cover for the structure of your property, standalone buildings insurance may be available.
Contents Insurance
Contents-only insurance can provide cover for your belongings and may be particularly relevant to tenants who are responsible for insuring their own possessions.
High-Value Home Insurance
Properties with higher-value buildings, contents or individual possessions may require a different approach to standard home insurance.
Depending on the circumstances, cover may be available for items such as:
- Jewellery and watches
- Antiques
- Artwork
- Collectables
- High-value electronics
- Other valuable personal possessions
Individual items may be subject to policy limits, valuations or security requirements, so it is important to provide accurate information when arranging cover.
Listed Building Insurance
Listed properties can have particular insurance requirements due to their age, construction, architectural features or requirements around repairs and restoration.
We can discuss your property and explore appropriate insurance options for listed buildings.
Non-Standard Home Insurance
Some properties do not fit the criteria used for standard home insurance. This can include homes with unusual construction, materials or features.
Examples can include:
- Thatched roofs
- Flat roofs
- Timber-framed properties
- Non-standard construction
- Properties with unusual building materials
- Homes with previous subsidence
- Underpinned properties
- Properties undergoing renovation
If your property has unusual features, it is important to provide accurate information so that the appropriate insurance options can be considered.
Holiday Home Insurance
If you own a holiday home or second property, standard home insurance may not always meet your requirements, particularly where the property is left unoccupied for periods of time or is occasionally let to guests.
Holiday home insurance can be arranged around factors such as how the property is used and how often it is occupied.
Unoccupied Home Insurance
Properties left empty for extended periods can present different insurance considerations.
Whether you have inherited a property, are carrying out renovations or have another reason for leaving your home unoccupied, we can discuss the circumstances and explore available insurance options.
Landlord Insurance
If you rent out a residential property to tenants, dedicated landlord insurance may be more appropriate than standard home insurance.
Depending on the policy, landlord insurance can include buildings cover and may also provide options such as landlords’ contents, property owners’ liability and loss of rent cover.
Who Needs Home Insurance?
Home insurance can be relevant to a wide range of property owners and occupants, including:
- Homeowners
- First-time buyers
- Tenants requiring contents insurance
- Owners of holiday homes
- Owners of second homes
- Landlords
- Owners of unoccupied properties
- Owners of listed buildings
- Owners of non-standard properties
- Homeowners with high-value contents or possessions
The type of insurance required will depend on your circumstances, how the property is used and what you need to protect.
Benefits of Arranging Suitable Home Insurance
Having appropriate insurance in place can help provide financial protection against a range of unexpected events.
Protection for Your Buildings
Buildings insurance can help cover the cost of repairing or rebuilding your property following damage caused by an insured event, subject to the terms and conditions of the policy.
Cover for Your Contents
Contents insurance can provide cover for household belongings following specified insured events, helping with repair or replacement costs where a valid claim is accepted.
Options for Valuable Possessions
If you own valuable jewellery, watches, antiques, artwork or other possessions, additional or tailored cover may be available depending on the insurer and policy.
Cover Away From the Home
Personal possessions cover can extend insurance to certain items when they are taken outside the home, subject to the policy terms and any applicable limits.
Alternative Accommodation
Some home insurance policies include alternative accommodation where an insured event makes your home uninhabitable. The circumstances and limits will depend on the policy.
Additional Protection Options
Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to add options such as accidental damage, home emergency or legal expenses cover.
Home Insurance for Non-Standard Properties
Finding suitable cover can be more complicated when a property has unusual construction, previous claims or other features that fall outside standard underwriting criteria.
We can discuss insurance requirements for properties including:
- Thatched homes
- Flat-roofed properties
- Timber-framed homes
- Listed buildings
- Properties with previous subsidence
- Underpinned properties
- Unusual or non-standard construction
- Properties undergoing renovation
- High-value homes
- Holiday homes
- Unoccupied properties
The availability of cover will depend on the individual circumstances and the criteria of the insurance provider.
If you are unsure whether your property requires non-standard home insurance, speak to our team about your circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions about Home Insurance Cover
Is home insurance a legal requirement?
Home insurance is not generally a legal requirement in the UK. However, if you have a mortgage, your lender will usually require suitable buildings insurance to be maintained as part of the mortgage agreement.
Do I need contents insurance if I rent?
Tenants are generally responsible for arranging insurance for their own belongings. Contents insurance can provide cover for your possessions against specified insured events.
Your landlord is normally responsible for insuring the building itself.
Does home insurance cover wear and tear?
Normal wear and tear is generally not covered by home insurance. Insurance is designed to cover specified insured events rather than gradual deterioration or maintenance issues.
Always check your policy wording for the exact exclusions that apply.
Can I insure my belongings outside the home?
Some policies offer personal possessions cover that can extend to belongings taken outside the home.
This may include items such as jewellery, mobile phones, laptops and other personal possessions, subject to the policy terms, limits and exclusions.
What is classed as a high-value item?
The definition of a high-value item varies between insurance providers and policies. Jewellery, watches, artwork, antiques and collectables may require individual consideration or additional cover.
It is important to provide accurate details of valuable possessions when arranging insurance.
Can I insure a holiday home?
Yes. Holiday home insurance can be arranged for properties that are used as second homes or holiday accommodation, subject to the insurer’s criteria.
The type of use, occupancy arrangements and whether the property is let to guests can affect the cover available.
What is non-standard home insurance?
Non-standard home insurance is designed for properties that may not meet the criteria of standard home insurance providers.
This can include properties with thatched or flat roofs, timber frames, listed status, unusual construction or a history of subsidence.
Can I insure a listed building?
Yes, insurance can be available for listed buildings. However, their age, construction, architectural features and repair requirements can mean that different insurance considerations apply.
We can discuss your property and explore the available options.
Can I insure an unoccupied property?
Insurance may be available for unoccupied properties, although insurers can apply specific conditions relating to inspections, security, heating, utilities and the length of time the property is empty.
If your property is going to be unoccupied, tell us when obtaining your quote so that the appropriate options can be considered.
Request a quote - it’s simple
We’re here to help Monday-Friday, 9am-5pmÂ