Frequently Asked Questions about Home Insurance

These are the answers that you provide to the insurer's questions and are what the insurer would regard as likely to influence the acceptance and assessment of this application. If you are in any doubt about whether facts are to be considered material, you should disclose them. We can give you further advice on 0800 377 7293 if you require it.

We can offer buildings, contents, personal possessions and household legal protection for our home insurance policies. Also there is the option to include extended accidental damage cover to buildings and the contents section.

Buildings insurance covers the fabric of your home, its domestic outbuildings and other things that are fitted to the structure, such as fitted kitchens, the bathroom suite and fitted wardrobes. Contents insurance covers your possessions such as furniture, furnishings and personal belongings whilst inside your home. Generally speaking, these are items that you would normally take with you if you moved home.

Our standard policies will cover you for fire, smoke, explosion, lightning, earthquake, storm, flood, theft or attempted theft, escape of water, malicious persons or vandals and subsidence. The policies we recommend will include much more than stated above, but this gives you a good indication of the areas that may be of most concern. Please feel free to contact our home advisers if you wish to enquire about other areas of cover.

Automatically included free of charge is accidental damage to audio, visual equipment, computers, mirrors and fixed glass in furniture. You can include the full accidental damage cover to all other contents subject to an additional premium.

Automatically included free of charge is accidental damage to fixed glass in windows and sanitary ware. You can include the full accidental damage to all other parts of the buildings subject to an additional premium.

Your buildings sum insured should represent the cost of rebuilding your home and any outbuildings. The rebuilding cost needs to take in to account todays prices of building materials, surveyors and solicitors fees. Please note the market value of your home is not a suitable guide, if in any doubt refer to your surveyor. Your contents sum insured should be enough to replace, as new, all contents (household goods, personal effects, valuables and money) if they were totally destroyed.

Loss of or damage to food contained in the cold chamber of any refrigerator or deep freeze cabinet will be covered if made unfit for human consumption by a change in the temperature or contamination by refrigerant or refrigerant fumes. Policy limits/restrictions vary depending on the individual insurance company.

Yes. Cover and cost can vary, depending on the individual insurance company, and we would request you ask our home advisors for premium details, cover, terms and conditions.

Yes. We do have insurance companies who will offer this cover at an additional cost. We would request you ask our home advisers for premium details, cover, terms and conditions.

Yes. Your personal contents that are kept within secured domestic outbuildings will be covered, subject to limits, depending on the individual insurance company. Please ask our home advisers for cover, terms and conditions.

Yes. All domestic garages, outbuildings, sheds, extensions fall under the definition of buildings and are covered under that section. You must ensure the total sum insured for the rebuilding costs of your property includes all domestic outbuildings.

Yes. Pedal cycles are covered if stolen from your home (including domestic outbuildings) under the standard contents cover. If you would like to cover your pedal cycle away from the home, you can extend the level of cover that you have subject to an additional premium. Just ask our home advisers for further details.

Laptops used for personal use will be covered within the home under the standard contents cover. If your laptop is used for business use we have insurance companies who will extend the cover within the home. You may also extend cover away from the home under the personal possessions section. We would request you ask our home advisers for cover, terms and conditions.

Most insurance companies we recommend will cover home office equipment (limits apply) provided your home is used for clerical work only. However, if you work from home on a permanent basis and receive visits from clients we do have specialist insurance companies who will cater for this also – Please call us to discuss your requirements.

If you need to make a claim please refer to your policy booklet for the insurance company direct claims telephone number. This is the quickest way to proceed, alternatively you may contact 0800 377 7293.

Yes, although there is usually a deduction for wear and tear for clothing, linen, pedal cycles, audio and visual equipment over a certain age. Your policy booklet will confirm any restrictions or please feel free to ask our home advisors for full details of any restrictions.

Yes, up to 30%. We want to reward you for being claim free, we can give you up to 30% no claim discount depending on the number of years you have been claim free.

Discounts are available for certain types of locks and burglar alarm systems that you have fitted to your property. A discount is available if you have 5 lever mortice deadlocks (British standard 3621) fitted to all external doors and key operated locks fitted to all accessible windows. A discount is available if your burglar alarm is fitted, and annually maintained, by an approved NACOSS (National Advisory Council of Security Systems) installer.

Yes, discounts are available if you are an active member of a police approved neighbourhood watch scheme.

This is the first part of each and every claim which you (not your insurer) must pay. There are two types of excess:

Compulsory excess – This is an excess that has been applied as a requirement by your insurer and will vary according to your personal circumstances and the terms of cover provided. A compulsory excess may be required if you drive a particular vehicle or you have inexperienced drivers on your policy. There is also a compulsory excess for fire, theft or windscreen claims.

Voluntary excess – This will apply where you agree with your insurer to pay a greater part of each claim, in addition to your compulsory excess. A voluntary excess can be increased or decreased at your request during your on-line quotation and it may affect your premium.

Yes. We have specialist insurance companies designed for properties that are let to tenants. Not all of the leading insurance providers will offer this cover.

No. You only need to specify items that are defined as 'Valuables'. These can include jewellery, furs, watches, articles of gold, silver or other precious metals, works of art, paintings, camera's (which includes video and camcorders), binoculars and collections of stamps, coins or medals which belong to you or any member of your family. Limits apply depending on the individual insurance companies, but normally you do not need to specify any single item unless valued over £1,000. Limits apply for the total valuables and we would request you ask our home advisers for full cover, terms and conditions.