If your home is damaged or burgled, a home insurance policy could cover the cost and save you an expensive bill.
It is important you get the right policy, or it may not pay out when you need it to.
The cover you need depends on the property you live in, the value of your contents and whether you own your home or rent.
What cover do you need?
Home insurance can be split into two separate policies:
You can buy each separately, or get them together as a combined policy.
You may not need buildings insurance if you rent your home or you live in a block of flats.
This is because it will be the responsibility of your landlord or management company to arrange it. You still need a contents insurance policy to protect your belongings.
Choose the right policy
To find the best cover for your property, think about:
What sort of property you live in: How your home is built, its age and its value can all influence what cover you need. If you live in a non standard home you may need specialist protection to cover it, like a thatched property or a listed building.
How much cover you need: Make sure the policy you choose can cover the rebuild cost of your home, and the total value of all your contents. This comparison shows the maximum cover each insurance company offers.
Adding extras: Most policies offer extras you can add to your cover, like home emergency cover or legal expenses protection. These come at an extra cost so make sure you need them before you add any to your policy.
Cover for your valuables: You can protect valuable items like jewellery or art works under your contents insurance, but they may have separate cover limits. Use our table to see what cover each insurer offers for valuables.
Once you know what cover you need to protect your home, use our comparison to compare quotes, and find the right policy at the cheapest price.
Home insurance FAQs
Do I need to have a home insurance policy?
It is not a legal requirement, but if you have a mortgage your lender will insist you have buildings cover to protect their investment.
Can I take out a joint home insurance policy?
Yes, if you live with another person you can take out a policy together. This means you can both claim and it can sometimes get you a cheaper premium.
Do I need home insurance if I rent?
You will only need to insure your contents, because it will the responsibility of your landlord to protect the buildings.
Can I insure my second home?
Yes, but you may need a specialist second home insurance policy. Here is how to find cover for your second home.
How can I cut the cost of my home insurance?
Use this comparison to shop around to find the best deal, or read these eight tips to cheaper home insurance.
About our home insurance comparison
Who do we include in this comparison?
We include every insurer that offers home insurance policies in the UK. They are all regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Here is more information about how our website works.
How do we make money from our comparison?
We have commercial agreements with some of the companies in this comparison and get paid commission if we help you take out one of their products or services. Find out more here.
You do not pay any extra and the deal you get is not affected.