Taking steps to protecting your home

Buying or researching home insurance products can be quite daunting. There is all sorts of supposed help and information out there, but to the inexperienced, it can be hard to separate the sales patter from the sound advice.

Hopefully this household insurance guide should give you all the information you need to make an educated, informed purchase decision.

Around a quarter of UK households are not protected by any form of household insurance. That is despite the fact that over 1 in 3 of us will get burgled at some point in our lives. Not to mention the damage that fire, storms, flooding and other catastrophes can cause.

Types of Home Insurance

Around six million households are throwing themselves open to severe financial loss in the event of burglary or some other nasty occurrence. Home insurance provides varying levels of cover against such unhappy events. Below is a list of the most common types of Home Insurance available to you, there are more specialized policies, inquire with your financial advisor to determine if they are right for you.

For homeowners

Homeowners should have cover for both their building and the contents, though leaseholders in a block of flats often have a shared buildings insurance policy which is normally sufficient.

For tenants

Normally, the insuring the structure of the building is not the tenant’s responsibility, so a contents—only policy will usually suffice.

For landlords

Landlords need to have buildings insurance and contents cover, though the contents element may be limited if the property is let unfurnished or part furnished. Specialist landlord policies can also offer cover for legal expenses, rent guarantee and emergency assistance.

For Holiday Homes

Intended for families or individuals with properties outside the United Kingdom. Most policies cover land and houses in the European Union.