Home insurance

The cheapest house insurance for you will depend on your circumstances. A policy might be cheap because it doesn’t offer as much cover as other policies.

When comparing quotes, make sure you’re covered for how you use your home. For example, do you work from home regularly or have lodgers?

It's also important that you don’t underestimate the value of your buildings or contents to save money. This could lead to you being underinsured.

This might get you cheap house insurance, but it also means the pay-out you receive might not be enough to replace all your possessions or rebuild your property. Always make sure you’re covered for full rebuild and replacement costs.

When comparing policies, check our key features score, Trustpilot reviews, and the policy wording. 

If you pay your home insurance monthly and can’t afford the payments, talk to your insurance provider.

If you don’t ask for help and miss payments, your policy will most likely be cancelled. This will leave your home and possessions unprotected.

A missed payment could also lower your credit score, and it may be harder to find affordable insurance in future.

Farmhouses are unlikely to be covered under a standard policy, even if a farmhouse is on a farm that’s no longer in operation.

Compare the Market doesn’t offer a comparison for farmhouse insurance. But there are many reputable specialist providers to choose from.

If your farmhouse is part of your business, you’ll need specialist farm insurance, often packaged with business insurance.

Most buildings insurance policies cover you for burst pipes and water leaks as standard. This is usually classed as an ‘escape of water’, whether it’s caused by burst pipes, blocked drains or a leaky washing machine. 

But you might not be covered for a slow leak that you knew about but failed to repair.

You should let your insurance provider know if you work from home. A standard policy might not cover items used for ‘business or professional use’.

If you have clients visiting, or you have stock at home, you’ll most likely need separate business insurance.

Yes, you can get home insurance during building works. But you’ll need to let your home insurance provider know about them.

It’s likely you’ll have to pay more during the work. Your provider may also place restrictions on your cover.

If you’re carrying out large-scale renovations, you might need specialist insurance during the work.

It can be more difficult to get home insurance if you live in a flood-risk area, and flooding exclusions may apply.

The government’s Flood Re scheme may be able to help.

It was set up to ensure people in high flood-risk areas can still get cover for their homes at affordable prices. And you could still get a quote with us if you live in a flood-risk area.

It typically costs up to £441 for combined contents and buildings insurance if your house is in an area that has a history of flooding⁴.

It can be more difficult and expensive to get home insurance if your home has a history of subsidence. You could pay around £372 for combined buildings and contents insurance⁴.

If you make a claim for subsidence, it’s likely you’ll have to pay a higher compulsory excess in future.

Yes, by increasing the voluntary excess, your premiums are likely to be cheaper. If you’re looking for cheap house insurance, it’s worth playing around with this amount.

Choose the excess carefully and don’t set your voluntary excess too high. You’ll need to pay it alongside the compulsory excess if you make a claim.

Your insurance provider sets the compulsory excess and you can’t change it.

To make a claim on your home insurance policy:

1. If a crime has been committed, contact the police. You’ll need a crime report number for your claim.

2. Contact your insurance provider as soon as possible, with details of what happened and any damage. Most have a 24/7 helpline. They’ll take you through the claim process and let you know what evidence and documents you need.

Before taking out a policy, familiarise yourself with the insurer’s claim process and check reviews from existing customers who’ve made a claim. 

You might be able to transfer your policy to a new property. But you’ll need to check with your provider first and you might be charged for amending it.

It’s likely your premium will change. Your provider will work out what you need to pay based on:

• Your new address

• The property type

• The rebuild cost of your new property

• The value of your contents.

Moving home might be a good opportunity to see if you can find cheaper cover with a different provider.

We have a calculator to help you estimate the rebuild cost. Your home insurance needs to cover the cost of rebuilding your home, not its market value.

You can also find the rebuild cost of your property in your home survey. Or you can use the rebuild calculator on the Building Cost Information Service website.