Do I need legal cover as part of my home insurance?

What’s not included in home insurance legal cover?

It’s important to read your policy in full, so you know exactly what the limits and exclusions are. Legal expenses cover will vary among insurance providers, but the following situations are typically excluded:

• compensation payments
• ongoing issues and disputes that began before you started your policy
• legal claims that have less than 51% chance of success
• motoring claims - check whether your car insurance includes motor legal protection
• matrimonial disputes and divorce proceedings
• libel cases
• disputes that can be covered by Legal Aid, such as a criminal trial.

Is it worth taking out home insurance legal expenses cover?

This is really down to you. But, if you consider that solicitors’ fees can start at around £100 per hour, access to a dedicated legal helpline alone could make it worthwhile.

Also, cuts in Legal Aid funding now mean that around one million fewer legal aid claims are accepted and processed each year. This could leave many people with crippling legal fees, or no access to legal representation at all.

Before you decide to buy legal expense cover as an add-on to your home insurance, check whether it’s already included. When getting a quote through Compare the Market, we’ll show you on the results page the policies that include Legal Expenses and those that don’t, as well as the cost to add the cover should you want it.

It’s also worth checking whether you have any legal cover included as part of a bank account or another service, so you don’t double up on cover.

Some buildings insurance and home contents policies include family legal protection, as standard.