60-second summary
Want an at-a-glance understanding of specialist home insurance? Here are the main points:
Specialist home insurance covers non-standard homes and situations.
Homes built from anything other than bricks and tiles could be considered non-standard.
Expensive homes and high-value contents may need specialist cover.
Listed buildings will likely require specialist home insurance.
A standard policy might not cover homes in flood-risk areas
Circumstances including bankruptcy, adverse claims history or criminal convictions may require specialist home insurance.
You might pay higher premiums for specialist cover.
Comparing quotes could be one of the easiest ways to find specialist home insurance cover that meets your needs.
What is specialist home insurance?
Specialist home insurance is cover for people whose property or personal situation isn’t entirely conventional.
There are a host of reasons why you might need specialist cover, from how your home is constructed to where it’s located or even how you use it.
For example, you might have a thatched roof or particularly valuable possessions. Or you may live in flood-risk area or run a business from your home.
In these instances, a standard insurance policy might not cover you. And, chances are, you’ll only find out when you come to arrange your mortgage, have a valuation or get an insurance quote.
What types of property need specialist home insurance?
Properties that might need specialist home cover include:
Homes of non-standard construction – this typically describes properties that don’t have brick or stone walls, or a slate or tile roof. Though this may differ between insurance providers.
Thatched properties – thatched roofs are deemed a fire hazard and a higher risk to insure. Thatching is also a highly specialist trade, which means expensive repairs.
High net-worth homes – if your house or belongings are worth a lot of money, you may need ‘high net-worth’ home insurance. Cover can be arranged for individual items or collections that are worth more than the limits on standard home insurance policies.
Listed buildings – if you live in a building of ‘special historic interest’, you’ll need permission to carry out repairs or alterations and will likely need specialist insurance. Most listed buildings require specialist tradespeople and traditional materials to repair them. This makes them much more expensive to maintain than other homes.
Why else might I need specialist home insurance?
Aside from having a non-standard property, you may need specialist home insurance for things like:
Properties unoccupied for more than 30 days
How the property is used may also impact your insurance. For example, you may need specialist home insurance if:
You work or run a business from your home (apart from clerical work)
You run a bed and breakfast or guest house
You’re a landlord and let your property to paying tenants.
And your personal circumstances might also affect your eligibility for standard home insurance, including:
Having adverse claims experience
A previous insurance provider declining, voiding or cancelling your policy
Bespoke requirements
A high-risk job – if you’re a professional sportsman or sportswoman, for example
Bankruptcy
Is specialist home insurance more expensive than standard home insurance?
It may be, yes. Anything that’s considered a higher financial risk to an insurance provider could bump up your premiums.
High-value collections, non-standard building materials and niche tradespeople are likely to mean a bigger claim payout for insurance providers. This risk may then be reflected in your policy price.
Even though specialist home insurance might cost you more, honesty is always the best policy. If you haven't disclosed any special circumstances, your insurance claim may be rejected.
Comparing quotes could be one of the easiest ways to find specialist home insurance cover that meets your needs.
How do I know I need specialist home insurance?
Often, you’ll find out you need specialist cover when you get a quote for home insurance apply for a mortgage or have a home valuation.
Insurance applications are designed to assess how risky you are to insure, and you’re quoted on that basis.
At Compare the Market, comparing both standard and specialist home insurance quotes is simple. Once you’ve entered your details and answered a few questions, we’ll show you quotes from all insurance providers that can offer you cover for your home.
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Helen’s our resident home insurance expert, as the former Head of Home Insurance at Compare the Market. She's also experienced with car insurance and pet insurance from her previous roles across commercial, partnerships and as a freelance consultant, working with more than 100 insurers across a variety of insurance products.
Stephen Maunder is an experienced personal finance editor, having spent more than a decade working for consumer print and online titles. He won several industry awards for his personal finance features at Which?, before becoming Deputy Editor at Compare the Market.
Rachel’s a self-confessed money nerd who’s been writing about personal finance for more than 20 years. She spent 17 years writing for Moneywise, including a few years as Editor, and likes making complicated subjects like insurance, pensions, investing and tax, easy for people to understand.
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