Listed buildings insurance

A listed building has special architectural features and/or is of historical importance. It will be listed on a national register, which gives it certain legal protections.

There are around 370,000 listed buildings in England. Generally, the older the building, the more likely it is to be listed. Properties under 30 years old aren’t usually considered for listing.

How are listed buildings graded?

In England and Wales, listed buildings fall into one of three categories:

• Grade I buildings are of exceptional interest. It’s a pretty exclusive group, with only around 2.5% of listed buildings classified as Grade I.

• Grade II* buildings are particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Only 6% of all listed buildings in England and 7% in Wales fall into this category.

• Grade II buildings are of special interest. If your home is a listed building, it will probably be a Grade II. Around 92% of all listed buildings fall into this class.

While buildings insurance isn’t a legal requirement, repairing a listed building using original materials and methods is.

You’ll also usually need to get planning permission to make any changes that could significantly alter the building’s character.

So if a fire were to damage your home, for example, the rebuild would need to stay as true to the original as possible, regardless of cost.

This makes it all the more important to have listed building home insurance tailored to the needs of your property.

It’s not as straightforward as standard buildings insurance because the risks are considered greater due to the age and construction of listed homes.

Some standard providers insure listed buildings or offer their own listed building insurance. But you might need a specialist listed building insurance provider to give you adequate cover.

Insuring a listed building can be expensive, but here’s how you can help keep the cost down:

Pay annually

You'll often be charged interest on monthly premiums. Paying in one lump sum for a buildings and contents policy could save you £8 or more over the course of the year⁴.

Boost security

Simple safety measures, such as fitting locks on your windows, could reduce your premium by around £14⁵.

Upgrading the lock on your front door and installing an approved burglar alarm and smoke detectors could give also you a discount, but check with your provider first.

Build up a no-claims discount

The more years you go without making a claim, the bigger no-claims discount you could be rewarded with.

This is where you could find some of the biggest savings. In fact, our data shows that combined policies are roughly £107 cheaper if you haven't claimed in the past five years⁶.

Don’t over-insure

Try to be as accurate as possible when work out your rebuild and contents replacement costs. This can help make sure you don't end up overpaying for your home insurance.

For example, combined cover for a home with a rebuild cost between £800,000 and £1m typically costs £445. But it costs around £364 with rebuild value of £600,000-£800,000, suggesting you could pay significantly more than you need to if you overestimate³.

Compare quotes

Don’t just accept the renewal price quoted by your existing home insurance provider. You could save £210 by shopping around with us⁷.

You’ll need some basic information to hand, including:

• Your current home insurance policy documents

• The rebuild value of your listed home.

We’ll ask details about:

• Your property

• Yourself, your employment and your claims history.

You can then choose the level of listed buildings cover you need and any extras you’d like to add.

Regular maintenance not only preserves the original beauty of your listed home, it could also reduce the risk of having to make an insurance claim.

Small problems can quickly turn into expensive repairs, so it’s important to keep on top of issues. For example:

• Use a maintenance checklist to carry out routine inspections throughout the year and after bad weather.

• Secure your home against damp. Regularly check the roof, guttering and drains for leaks and blockages.

• Check for any signs of water penetration and damage, such as rotting timber, flaking plaster and crumbling brickwork.