Home Insurance
Home insurance, also known as house insurance, provides cover for damage to your property (buildings insurance) and your belongings (contents insurance). Your home insurance policy will protect your family against major and minor events, from floods or fires to accidental damage or theft.
Recently, home insurance premiums have rocketed, and costs are up by an average of 41.6%, according to Consumer Intelligence. Saving money on your home insurance has never been more important without sacrificing quality of cover if you need to make a claim.
The Association of British Insurers found that the average cost of home insurance in the UK was around £341 in 2025, which works out to only £28.41 per month. There are lots of ways to save money on your home insurance and to still get good quality cover from some of the top home insurance brands, such as Admiral, Aviva, LV=, and RSA.
Top benefits of home insurance:
- Extra financial support if your home is damaged due to fires, floods, storms, and much more.
- Helps with the cost of repairs or replacing items if your home is the target of theft or vandalism.
- Wide range of insurance policies and providers to choose from, so you can choose the one that best suits your budget and the level of cover needed.
- Option to cover either the building only, the contents of your home, or both (home and contents insurance).
Our home insurance experts will explain everything that you need to know about home insurance and help you to save money. Our home insurance comparison tool lets you quickly compare the UK’s top brands and gives you access to discounted premiums to save you money every month.
60 Second Summary – Home Insurance Guide 2026
There’s loads to think about when looking for a new home insurance policy and plenty of options for you to choose from. Ultimately, you want to get the very best cover for your home and make sure that you don’t pay more than you need to each month.
There are 3 main types of home insurance to choose from which are buildings insurance, contents insurance, or buildings and contents insurance.
- According to data from Finder, home insurance companies paid out around £8.6million per day in 2025 to support families and individuals across the UK.
- The latest figures suggest that around 7 million homeowners in the UK don’t currently have insurance in place to protect them against damage to their home or their belongings.
- The price of your home insurance policy will be based on factors like how old your house is, where you live, and how secure your home is.
- The insurer is likely to ask questions about the types of locks on your doors and what alarms you have (both fire alarms and smoke alarms).
- It’s best to compare multiple home insurance quotes to ensure that you get the best value for money and a suitable policy for the level of cover that you need.
What is home insurance?
Home insurance has been designed to protect your house and the items inside against loss or damage caused by serious events such as a fire or theft. You can buy a home insurance policy from most of the UK’s biggest general insurance companies, as well as specialist insurers for non-standard homes.
There are two main elements to a home insurance policy, which are building cover to protect your property and contents insurance to protect your belongings.
When you apply for a home insurance policy, you will need to think about:
- How much cover do you need (£s)?
- How much can you afford to spend each month?
- Do you need cover for the building only?
- Do you need cover for the contents of your home?
- Do you want separate policies for building and contents or a combined policy? (combined cover is usually cheaper)
- Do you need any additional benefits? (e.g. cover for the cost of alternative accommodation while your home is being repaired or rebuilt)
What does home insurance cover?
All All home insurance policies vary slightly, but there are common factors that will be covered by most insurance companies. What is covered under your policy will depend on whether you have buildings insurance, contents insurance, or combined policy.
Buildings insurance covers damage to the structure of your home caused by events like:
- Fires
- Severe bad weather (e.g. storms or flooding)
- Subsidence
- A burst pipe or pipes
- Collisions (e.g. a car crashes into your home)
- Fallen trees
Contents insurance covers the contents of your home, and you can claim for the cost of replacing damaged or stolen items. Common reasons to claim include:
- Damaged home appliances (e.g. washing machine, oven etc.)
- Damaged carpets
- Personal items (e.g. jewellery, mobile phone) have been damaged or stolen
You can often add optional extras to your policy as well, such as home emergency cover or accidental damage cover for a higher level of protection.
You may even be able to claim for things like the cost of a hotel while your home is being repaired, but this will depend on the insurer and the policy that you have chosen.
What doesn’t home insurance cover?
It’s important to be aware that your home insurance won’t cover every situation, and there are certain things that most insurers won’t pay out for including:
- Damage caused by normal ‘wear and tear’.
- Damage that happens if your home has been unoccupied for over 30 days (e.g. if you are travelling abroad).
- Replacing high-value items that you haven’t told your insurer about.
- Accidental damage or intentional damage to your property (caused by either you or any guests in your home).
Can you get a mortgage without home insurance?
Mortgage lenders will always require ‘buildings insurance’ for you to get your mortgage so that the structural part of your property is insured. A mortgage lender is lending money against the building (e.g. bricks and mortar), which means that they would need to make sure that this is insured against structural damage.
There is no legal requirement to have contents insurance for a mortgage. This is optional and it is entirely up to you whether you want this cover or not. It is generally advisable to have buildings and contents insurance to completely protect your home and your belongings.
Top Insurance Experts
Compare cheap life insurance from only 20p a day with iam|INSURED†
Protect you and your family for less
We're rated 'EXCELLENT'
on
*Over 1,100 independent customer reviews
Fast | Friendly | Free
Who can buy home insurance?
Most people in the UK will be able to buy home insurance to protect themselves and their families against financial hardship caused by damage to their home. There are a range of policies available for both homeowners and landlords, which can provide comprehensive cover if your property is seriously damaged.
You don’t necessarily need to be a homeowner to buy home insurance, and certain policies are available for renters as well. You can buy contents insurance to protect your belongings and shouldn’t need to insure the building, as that is the landlord’s responsibility.
Why do I need home insurance?
Not everyone will choose to buy home insurance, but these policies can be extremely useful if anything happens to your home. It can cost £1000’s to repair issues such as a damaged roof, ruined carpets, or subsidence.
If you don’t have home insurance, you would need to find a way to cover these costs yourself, which can often be very expensive.
How does home insurance work?
Home insurance works similarly to many other types of insurance policies (e.g., car insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, etc.). Most home insurance policies are ‘annually renewable’, which means that you have them for 12 months and you would review your cover every year.
Some insurers will auto-renew your cover unless you contact them to cancel. It’s worth reviewing your policy each year to make sure that it is still the best and cheapest option for the level of cover that you need.
You can buy a home insurance policy online, over the phone, or through a price comparison website. You will be asked for personal details, including your age, name, and address, before being asked further questions such as:
- What type of property do you live in? (detached, semi-detached, terraced, flat, etc.)
- What year was your home built in? (if known)
- How many bedrooms does your home have?
- Has your property been flooded in the last 25 years?
- Is your property used for business purposes?
- Is your property currently undergoing building work?
- Have you made a previous home insurance claim within the last 5 years?
- Do you need single or joint cover? (e.g. you and your spouse or partner)
Before applying, it’s a good idea to know what type of home insurance policy you need as there are 3 types to choose from:
Buildings Insurance
This would only pay out for damage to the building itself, and you wouldn’t be able to claim for damaged appliances or personal items. These policies are usually for ‘freehold’ properties only, so you should check if this applies to you.
Contents Insurance
This would pay out for damaged or stolen items, including personal items, furniture, and appliances. You wouldn’t be able to claim for home repairs (e.g. repairing your roof, walls, floors, burst pipes etc.).
Buildings and Contents Insurance
This is a combined policy which allows you to claim for both damage to your home and the items inside. You could opt to have separate policies for buildings and contents, but a combined policy will usually cost less.
Rated "Excellent" 5 out of 5
"This company went above & beyond to get me cover even though I have MS, I am very happy I managed to get cover, Amazing staff, Dean went above & beyond, I highly rate this company."
by Elizabeth Turner-Long - 9th August 2023
How much cover do I need to protect my home?
One of the main questions that our insurance experts are asked is ‘How much home insurance do I need?’. There isn’t one right answer to this question, as it depends on your home, your financial situation, and the level of cover that feels right for you.
It’s best to consider how much it might cost to repair or even rebuild your home if a fire or flood causes major structural issues. It’s not always easy to work this out yourself, but you should think about things like the cost of labour and building materials.
You should try to avoid over- or under-insuring your home if you can, and some websites have calculators which can help you to work out the appropriate level of cover.
How do I choose a home insurance policy? Step-by-step guide
If you’re not sure where to start when looking for a new home insurance policy, our insurance experts have put together this simple step-by-step guide to help.
Step 1. Choose the type of cover that you need
Decide whether you need buildings insurance, contents insurance, or a combined policy. Each policy covers different scenarios and the pricing will be different too, so it’s important to choose the right type of cover.
Step 2. Look at all your options and compare multiple quotes
There are lots of options for home insurance companies, and it’s best to shop around to see which insurers can provide the level of cover that you need for the cheapest price. You can request individual quotes or use a price comparison tool to compare multiple quotes at the same time.
Step 3. Speak to your existing insurer
If you already have cover and have found a better price, your current insurer might be willing to offer you a discount rather than losing you as a customer. You would need to contact your insurer anyway to cancel your existing policy, as many policies are ‘annually renewable’ and will renew automatically.
Step 4. Decide if you are paying monthly or annually
A lot of insurers will offer a slight discount to customers who pay annually rather than monthly. If you can afford to pay upfront for your policy, this can be worth considering to lower the cost of your cover.
Step 5. Check online reviews and ratings
It can be helpful to check what other customers think before buying a new home insurance policy. Most insurance companies will collect their reviews on websites like Trustpilot, so you can check there to see if there are any common issues that you should be aware of.
Step 6. Check your policy documents
It’s sensible to carefully read the terms and conditions of any insurance policy, to help you understand exactly what you can and can’t claim for. It’s better to realise that the policy isn’t suitable before buying it, so you can choose a different policy instead.
Step 7. Buy your home insurance policy
Once you have found an insurer and policy that you are happy with, you can buy your policy and your cover will be in place for at least 12 months. You can repeat these steps again each year to make sure that your current insurance company is still the best option for you.
How much does home insurance cost?
According to the latest data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the average cost of home insurance in 2023 was around £341 per year (or £28.41 per month).
There are several factors that will affect how much your home insurance policy will cost. Not everyone will pay the same price, as insurers will look at things like:
- The year that your house was built and the area that you live in.
- Do you have a working burglar alarm?
- Does your house have working fire alarms?
- What type of locks are used on your external doors?
- Do all accessible windows have key locks on them?
- Is someone always in your house during the day or at night?
- How much cover (£) do you need?
- What is the value of the contents of your home?
How do I find cheap home insurance?
Below are our Top 3 tips to help you to find the best and cheapest home insurance quotes:
Don’t buy more cover than you need
You might not need both buildings and contents insurance, so consider if you realistically need cover for both. If you are renting for example, your property should be covered under your landlord’s insurance policy.
Choose a higher amount of excess
Most insurance policies are cheaper if you choose to pay a higher amount of excess if you need to claim. You should make sure that the amount that you pick is still affordable, or it might be a lot more expensive when you need to claim.
Shop around for quotes
This is the simplest way to cut the cost of most types of insurance policy. Comparing quotes from several insurers should help you to spot if there is one in particular that is much cheaper than the others.
How do I compare home insurance quotes?
Our mission is to help you to find the perfect home insurance policy to protect your home and family at a price that suits your budget. Ultimately, no one wants to pay more than they should for their home insurance policy, and a specialist price comparison tool can quickly reveal your best and cheapest options for cover.
Compare Our Best Home Insurance Quotes
Get our best cover to protect your home and contents. Compare quotes from the UK’s leading Home Insurance brands.
