By Emily Rivers
Last updated 21st February 2024

What is home insurance?

Depending on your policy, home insurance can cover the cost of repairing your home or replacing your belongings if they’re damaged or stolen. But how much home insurance do you really need and is it something you need by law? Here, we go through what to consider so you can decide what’s right for you.

What does home insurance cover?

Home insurance typically includes two types of insurance product:

  • Buildings insurance – policies can help pay to repair or rebuild your home if it’s damaged structurally; for instance, if you need to carry out repairs after a fire or storm damage. 
  • Contents insurance – this can help cover the cost of repairing or replacing furniture and belongings if they’re stolen or damaged. 

The specific events you’re covered for will vary depending on the insurer but on the whole, you can expect a buildings and contents insurance to cover loss or damage caused by:

  • Fire
  • Flood and storm damage
  • Subsidence
  • Vandalism and theft (or attempted theft)

You can buy buildings and contents insurance as a combined home insurance policy, or you can buy them separately (either from the same or different insurers). Broadly speaking, you’ll usually get a better deal if you buy a combined policy from one insurer but it’s worth comparing what’s on offer before making a decision.  

Does home insurance come with any added extras?

Most insurers will give you the choice of adding extra features onto your policy for a small cost. It’s entirely up to you whether or not to add them but some features can be handy, for example:

  • Home emergency cover – provides help if a pipe bursts or your boiler suddenly stops working. Insurers will usually have a list of approved tradespeople so if you choose this option and have an emergency, it’s best to contact your insurer first rather than hire your own pro. 
  • Accidental damage cover – pays to repair or replace items that have been unintentionally damaged or destroyed, for example, if you tripped and knocked over the TV. 
  • Personal belongings cover – this covers items you might carry around with you including your laptop, jewellery, mobile phone or even your sunglasses. 
  • Bicycle cover – contents insurance will cover the cost of a replacement if your bike is stolen from your home, but it usually won’t cover you if it’s stolen while you’re out and about – but bicycle insurance will. 
  • Legal services cover – this can pay for professional advice and court proceedings if you find yourself in a legal dispute. Some insurers also include a 24-hour legal advice helpline. 

How much building insurance do I need?

For buildings insurance, the amount of cover you need (the ‘sum insured’) needs to be enough to cover the cost of rebuilding your home if it were completely destroyed. Crucially, the cost to rebuild isn’t the same as the market value of your home.

If you had a survey done on your home when you bought it, the report should give you its rebuild cost. If not, you can use the free buildings cost calculator from the Building Cost Information Service and the Association of British Insurers (ABI). 

Another way to work out rebuilding costs is to simply speak to your insurer, who will use what’s called the ‘bedroom-rated’ method. Insurers will use their own formula to calculate how much you might need based on the number of bedrooms in your home. This method will usually provide more than enough cover to rebuild your home, but the downside is that it can mean you’re over insured and could end up paying more than you need. 

How much contents insurance do I need?

Just like buildings insurance, your contents policy should cover the cost of replacing all your belongings. Some websites offer contents calculators based on averages, but this might not capture everything you have, or it might be more than the value of your possessions (in which case, you’ll end up over insured). 

To get an accurate figure, you should think about going from room to room, noting down all your furniture, and working out how much it would cost to buy each item again. 

You should bear in mind something called the single item limit (or single article limit). This is a cap on the amount you can claim for any one item. The limit varies by insurer but is usually around the £1,500 mark. If you have any expensive items or antiques, check their value, as you may need separate insurance for those pieces. 

How much does home insurance cost?

Cost will depend on the policy you choose, the value of the cover you need and whether or not you add on any extras. Insurers will also consider where you live. So, if you live somewhere with a higher-than-average crime rate, you can expect to pay a little more compared to someone who doesn’t. 

Insurers will also take into account whether you’ve made any recent claims (usually within the last five years). If you have, then this can also increase what you end up paying. 

Do I need home insurance by law?

If you have a mortgage, your lender could insist that you have buildings insurance to protect the property. Some lenders might even make it a condition of the mortgage. If you own your home outright, you don’t need buildings insurance.

However, whether or not you have a mortgage, if you don’t have either buildings or contents cover, it’s up to you to cover all costs if your home and belongings are damaged or destroyed. 

Do I need home insurance if I rent?

If you rent your home, your landlord is generally responsible for buildings insurance but it’s worth checking this in your tenancy agreement – just in case. If your landlord provides any items of furniture or electricals, then these should also be covered in your landlord’s own contents policy. 

As a tenant, you should only have to insure your own belongings with your own contents insurance policy (if you want). This includes furniture and possessions you bring with you to the property. If something were to happen and your belongings were damaged, you would not be able to make a claim using your landlords insurance. 

How do I make a home insurance claim?

In most cases, insurers will have a clear claims process and there will often be a claims helpline that you can call. This information should be in your policy agreement so it’s worth checking and keeping any phone numbers somewhere handy. 

If your home’s been burgled, you’ll usually need a crime reference number from the police. 

Compare home insurance for peace of mind

Comparing quotes is one of the quickest and easiest ways to find great value home insurance. But don’t forget to check any terms and conditions before you sign on the dotted line. 

Cheaper policies might look like a bargain, but they might not give you a level of cover you’re happy with and adding on extras will only increase the price. In contrast, pricier policies may already include a range of features, offering better value in the long run. 

 


Estimates for common insurance broker jobs;

Rates for other trades

Home insurance estimated cost per month
Home insurance approximate cost in the UK per month
Location in UKHome insurance cost
Home insurance near Aberdeenshire£16.93
Home insurance near Adur£23.27
Home insurance near Allerdale£16.31
Home insurance near Amber Valley£18.11
Home insurance near Angus£15.86
Home insurance near Antrim and Newtownabbey£16.19
Home insurance near Ards and North Down£16.94
Home insurance near Argyll and Bute£16.48
Home insurance near Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon£15.39
Home insurance near Arun£22.79
Home insurance near Ashfield£16.61
Home insurance near Ashford£23.01
Home insurance near Babergh£22.19
Home insurance near Barking and Dagenham£22.20
Home insurance near Barnet£30.51
Home insurance near Barnsley£15.76
Home insurance near Barrow-in-Furness£15.00
Home insurance near Basildon£23.43
Home insurance near Basingstoke & Deane£22.80
Home insurance near Bassetlaw£16.83
Home insurance near Bath & North East Somerset£25.36
Home insurance near Bedford£22.12
Home insurance near Belfast£15.55
Home insurance near Bexley£23.86
Home insurance near Birmingham£18.27
Home insurance near Blaby£20.37
Home insurance near Blackburn with Darwen£15.08
Home insurance near Blackpool£14.69
Home insurance near Blaenau Gwent£14.72
Home insurance near Bolsover£16.08
Home insurance near Bolton£16.56
Home insurance near Boston£16.90
Home insurance near Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole£22.14
Home insurance near Bracknell Forest£23.91
Home insurance near Bradford£16.06
Home insurance near Braintree£22.22
Home insurance near Breckland£20.42
Home insurance near Brent£29.26
Home insurance near Brentwood£26.62
Home insurance near Bridgend£17.01
Home insurance near Brighton and Hove£25.66
Home insurance near Broadland£22.00
Home insurance near Bromley£27.92
Home insurance near Bromsgrove£22.67
Home insurance near Broxbourne£24.03
Home insurance near Broxtowe£18.87
Home insurance near Buckinghamshire£26.71
Home insurance near Burnley£14.05
Home insurance near Bury£18.24
Home insurance near Caerphilly£16.55
Home insurance near Calderdale£16.39
Home insurance near Cambridge£28.23
Home insurance near Cambridgeshire£22.52
Home insurance near Camden£38.99
Home insurance near Cannock Chase£18.09
Home insurance near Canterbury£23.00
Home insurance near Cardiff£19.33
Home insurance near Carlisle£15.80
Home insurance near Carmarthenshire£17.51
Home insurance near Castle Point£23.41
Home insurance near Causeway Coast and Glens£16.72
Home insurance near Central Bedfordshire£23.27
Home insurance near Ceredigion£19.07
Home insurance near Charnwood£20.20
Home insurance near Chelmsford£23.43
Home insurance near Cheltenham£21.81
Home insurance near Cherwell£22.97
Home insurance near Cheshire East£20.37
Home insurance near Cheshire West and Chester£19.36
Home insurance near Chesterfield£17.02
Home insurance near Chichester£26.31
Home insurance near Chorley£18.11
Home insurance near City of Aberdeen£14.72
Home insurance near City of Bristol£22.43
Home insurance near City of Derby£17.20
Home insurance near City of Dundee£14.89
Home insurance near City of Edinburgh£21.12
Home insurance near City of Glasgow£15.95
Home insurance near City of Kingston upon Hull£14.78
Home insurance near City of London£40.55
Home insurance near City of Nottingham£16.70
Home insurance near City of Peterborough£18.66
Home insurance near City of Plymouth£17.79
Home insurance near City of Westminster£41.24
Home insurance near Clackmannanshire£15.92
Home insurance near Colchester£21.31
Home insurance near Conwy£17.58
Home insurance near Copeland£15.37
Home insurance near Cornwall£21.02
Home insurance near Cotswold£27.48
Home insurance near County Durham£14.60
Home insurance near Coventry£18.11
Home insurance near Craven£19.71
Home insurance near Crawley£21.50
Home insurance near Croydon£24.99
Home insurance near Cumbria£16.72
Home insurance near Dacorum£26.73
Home insurance near Darlington£15.57
Home insurance near Dartford£22.42
Home insurance near Denbighshire£17.12
Home insurance near Derbyshire£18.25
Home insurance near Derbyshire Dales£22.49
Home insurance near Derry City and Strabane£15.29
Home insurance near Devon£21.90
Home insurance near Doncaster£15.79
Home insurance near Dorset£22.65
Home insurance near Dover£21.14
Home insurance near Dudley£18.19
Home insurance near Dumfries & Galloway£15.70
Home insurance near Ealing£28.85
Home insurance near East Ayrshire£14.30
Home insurance near East Cambridgeshire£21.83
Home insurance near East Devon£22.91
Home insurance near East Dunbartonshire£19.00
Home insurance near East Hampshire£26.22
Home insurance near East Hertfordshire£25.78
Home insurance near East Lindsey£18.43
Home insurance near East Lothian£20.79
Home insurance near East Midlands£18.67
Home insurance near East of England£22.36
Home insurance near East Renfrewshire£19.84
Home insurance near East Riding of Yorkshire£17.94
Home insurance near East Staffordshire£18.09
Home insurance near East Suffolk£21.11
Home insurance near East Sussex£22.61
Home insurance near Eastbourne£20.66
Home insurance near Eastleigh£22.23
Home insurance near Eden£19.22
Home insurance near Elmbridge£34.75
Home insurance near Enfield£26.01
Home insurance near England£20.70
Home insurance near England and Wales£20.53
Home insurance near Epping Forest£29.01
Home insurance near Epsom and Ewell£28.71
Home insurance near Erewash£17.45
Home insurance near Essex£23.33
Home insurance near Exeter£21.60
Home insurance near Falkirk£15.65
Home insurance near Fareham£22.75
Home insurance near Fenland£18.49
Home insurance near Fermanagh and Omagh£15.60
Home insurance near Fife£15.86
Home insurance near Flintshire£17.42
Home insurance near Folkestone and Hythe£21.55
Home insurance near Forest of Dean£21.16
Home insurance near Fylde£18.36
Home insurance near Gateshead£15.35
Home insurance near Gedling£18.68
Home insurance near Gloucester£18.71
Home insurance near Gloucestershire£21.77
Home insurance near Gosport£19.29
Home insurance near Gravesham£21.76
Home insurance near Great Britain£20.11
Home insurance near Great Yarmouth£17.91
Home insurance near Greater Manchester£18.12
Home insurance near Greenwich£25.36
Home insurance near Guildford£28.12
Home insurance near Gwynedd£17.29
Home insurance near Hackney£31.94
Home insurance near Halton£16.72
Home insurance near Hambleton£20.64
Home insurance near Hammersmith and Fulham£35.86
Home insurance near Hampshire£23.47
Home insurance near Harborough£23.16
Home insurance near Haringey£31.17
Home insurance near Harlow£21.48
Home insurance near Harrogate£21.56
Home insurance near Harrow£28.23
Home insurance near Hart£27.24
Home insurance near Hartlepool£14.89
Home insurance near Hastings£20.33
Home insurance near Havant£21.75
Home insurance near Havering£24.99
Home insurance near Herefordshire£20.69
Home insurance near Hertfordshire£26.04
Home insurance near Hertsmere£28.30
Home insurance near High Peak£19.03
Home insurance near Highland£17.21
Home insurance near Hillingdon£26.13
Home insurance near Hinckley and Bosworth£20.04
Home insurance near Horsham£25.86
Home insurance near Hounslow£26.22
Home insurance near Huntingdonshire£21.13
Home insurance near Hyndburn£14.43
Home insurance near Inner London£31.37
Home insurance near Inverclyde£14.27
Home insurance near Ipswich£18.33
Home insurance near Isle of Anglesey£18.67
Home insurance near Isle of Wight£20.14
Home insurance near Islington£33.15
Home insurance near Kensington and Chelsea£44.50
Home insurance near Kent£22.83
Home insurance near Kings Lynn & West Norfolk£19.88
Home insurance near Kingston upon Thames£29.69
Home insurance near Kirklees£16.73
Home insurance near Knowsley£16.38
Home insurance near Lambeth£29.13
Home insurance near Lancashire£16.60
Home insurance near Lancaster£17.08
Home insurance near Leeds£18.29
Home insurance near Leicester£18.14
Home insurance near Leicestershire£20.55
Home insurance near Lewes£24.09
Home insurance near Lewisham£25.95
Home insurance near Lichfield£21.26
Home insurance near Lincoln£16.34
Home insurance near Lincolnshire£18.31
Home insurance near Lisburn£17.19
Home insurance near Liverpool£16.30
Home insurance near London£28.42
Home insurance near Luton£19.95
Home insurance near Maidstone£22.42
Home insurance near Maldon£24.85
Home insurance near Malvern Hills£22.18
Home insurance near Manchester£18.16
Home insurance near Mansfield£16.26
Home insurance near Medway£20.66
Home insurance near Melton£20.78
Home insurance near Mendip£22.03
Home insurance near Merseyside£16.76
Home insurance near Merthyr Tydfil£15.40
Home insurance near Merton£29.80
Home insurance near Mid and East Antrim£15.54
Home insurance near Mid Devon£20.98
Home insurance near Mid Suffolk£21.73
Home insurance near Mid Sussex£26.55
Home insurance near Mid Ulster£15.82
Home insurance near Middlesbrough£14.95
Home insurance near Midlothian£18.08
Home insurance near Milton Keynes£21.04
Home insurance near Mole Valley£30.33
Home insurance near Monmouthshire£22.48
Home insurance near Moray£16.52
Home insurance near Na h-Eileanan Siar£15.14
Home insurance near Neath Port Talbot£15.81
Home insurance near New Forest£24.55
Home insurance near Newark and Sherwood£18.39
Home insurance near Newcastle-under-Lyme£16.88
Home insurance near Newcastle-upon-Tyne£16.73
Home insurance near Newham£24.91
Home insurance near Newport£18.39
Home insurance near Newry Mourne and Down£16.42
Home insurance near Norfolk£20.34
Home insurance near North Ayrshire£14.45
Home insurance near North Devon£21.24
Home insurance near North East£15.64
Home insurance near North East Derbyshire£18.93
Home insurance near North East Lincolnshire£15.32
Home insurance near North Hertfordshire£23.34
Home insurance near North Kesteven£19.54
Home insurance near North Lanarkshire£14.76
Home insurance near North Lincolnshire£16.55
Home insurance near North Norfolk£21.59
Home insurance near North Northamptonshire£19.58
Home insurance near North Somerset£21.79
Home insurance near North Tyneside£17.16
Home insurance near North Warwickshire£19.36
Home insurance near North West£17.40
Home insurance near North West Leicestershire£19.81
Home insurance near North Yorkshire£19.74
Home insurance near Northern Ireland£16.05
Home insurance near Northumberland£16.82
Home insurance near Norwich£18.74
Home insurance near Nottinghamshire£18.14
Home insurance near Nuneaton & Bedworth£18.27
Home insurance near Oadby and Wigston£20.02
Home insurance near Oldham£16.63
Home insurance near Orkney Islands£17.69
Home insurance near Outer London£27.11
Home insurance near Oxford£26.32
Home insurance near Oxfordshire£25.23
Home insurance near Pembrokeshire£18.38
Home insurance near Pendle£14.97
Home insurance near Perth & Kinross£18.33
Home insurance near Portsmouth£18.93
Home insurance near Powys£18.63
Home insurance near Preston£15.51
Home insurance near Reading£21.55
Home insurance near Redbridge£26.85
Home insurance near Redcar & Cleveland£15.51
Home insurance near Redditch£19.01
Home insurance near Reigate & Banstead£26.96
Home insurance near Renfrewshire£15.12
Home insurance near Rhondda Cynon Taf£15.67
Home insurance near Ribble Valley£19.85
Home insurance near Richmond upon Thames£36.10
Home insurance near Richmondshire£19.05
Home insurance near Rochdale£16.75
Home insurance near Rochford£25.42
Home insurance near Rossendale£16.90
Home insurance near Rother£23.21
Home insurance near Rotherham£16.38
Home insurance near Rugby£20.70
Home insurance near Runnymede£27.23
Home insurance near Rushcliffe£22.33
Home insurance near Rushmoor£21.60
Home insurance near Rutland£23.77
Home insurance near Ryedale£20.55
Home insurance near Salford£17.54
Home insurance near Sandwell£17.03
Home insurance near Scarborough£17.52
Home insurance near Scotland£16.38
Home insurance near Scottish Borders£16.78
Home insurance near Sedgemoor£20.41
Home insurance near Sefton£17.31
Home insurance near Selby£19.26
Home insurance near Sevenoaks£28.41
Home insurance near Sheffield£17.69
Home insurance near Shetland Islands£17.44
Home insurance near Shropshire£20.04
Home insurance near Slough£21.45
Home insurance near Solihull£21.63
Home insurance near Somerset£20.64
Home insurance near Somerset West and Taunton£20.46
Home insurance near South Ayrshire£15.79
Home insurance near South Cambridgeshire£25.85
Home insurance near South Derbyshire£18.91
Home insurance near South East£23.75
Home insurance near South Gloucestershire£22.55
Home insurance near South Hams£23.58
Home insurance near South Holland£18.43
Home insurance near South Kesteven£19.56
Home insurance near South Lakeland£19.97
Home insurance near South Lanarkshire£15.63
Home insurance near South Norfolk£22.02
Home insurance near South Oxfordshire£28.08
Home insurance near South Ribble£17.41
Home insurance near South Somerset£20.14
Home insurance near South Staffordshire£20.32
Home insurance near South Tyneside£15.58
Home insurance near South West£21.38
Home insurance near South Yorkshire£16.61
Home insurance near Southampton£18.78
Home insurance near Southend-on-Sea£22.07
Home insurance near Southwark£29.27
Home insurance near Spelthorne£25.08
Home insurance near St Albans£30.97
Home insurance near St Helens£16.22
Home insurance near Stafford£19.07
Home insurance near Staffordshire£18.63
Home insurance near Staffordshire Moorlands£18.05
Home insurance near Stevenage£22.09
Home insurance near Stirling£18.49
Home insurance near Stockport£20.56
Home insurance near Stockton-on-Tees£15.82
Home insurance near Stoke-on-Trent£14.97
Home insurance near Stratford-on-Avon£23.50
Home insurance near Stroud£21.98
Home insurance near Suffolk£20.73
Home insurance near Sunderland£15.00
Home insurance near Surrey£28.43
Home insurance near Surrey Heath£26.40
Home insurance near Sutton£25.36
Home insurance near Swale£21.02
Home insurance near Swansea£16.73
Home insurance near Swindon£19.33
Home insurance near Tameside£17.38
Home insurance near Tamworth£18.26
Home insurance near Tandridge£28.17
Home insurance near Teignbridge£21.66
Home insurance near Telford and Wrekin£17.85
Home insurance near Tendring£20.02
Home insurance near Test Valley£24.09
Home insurance near Tewkesbury£22.49
Home insurance near Thanet£21.01
Home insurance near Three Rivers£30.24
Home insurance near Thurrock£21.71
Home insurance near Tonbridge and Malling£25.98
Home insurance near Torbay£19.25
Home insurance near Torfaen£16.89
Home insurance near Torridge£21.46
Home insurance near Tower Hamlets£26.87
Home insurance near Trafford£22.95
Home insurance near Tunbridge Wells£26.24
Home insurance near Tyne and Wear£16.00
Home insurance near United Kingdom£20.00
Home insurance near Uttlesford£26.26
Home insurance near Vale of Glamorgan£20.60
Home insurance near Vale of White Horse£24.94
Home insurance near Wakefield£16.91
Home insurance near Wales£17.48
Home insurance near Walsall£17.47
Home insurance near Waltham Forest£27.68
Home insurance near Wandsworth£32.14
Home insurance near Warrington£19.04
Home insurance near Warwick£23.03
Home insurance near Warwickshire£21.15
Home insurance near Watford£24.11
Home insurance near Waverley£29.71
Home insurance near Wealden£24.92
Home insurance near Welwyn Hatfield£25.07
Home insurance near West Berkshire£24.36
Home insurance near West Devon£21.12
Home insurance near West Dunbartonshire£14.79
Home insurance near West Lancashire£18.05
Home insurance near West Lindsey£17.70
Home insurance near West Lothian£17.30
Home insurance near West Midlands£18.22
Home insurance near West Midlands Region£18.86
Home insurance near West Northamptonshire£20.39
Home insurance near West Oxfordshire£24.20
Home insurance near West Suffolk£21.03
Home insurance near West Sussex£24.03
Home insurance near West Yorkshire£17.10
Home insurance near Wigan£16.58
Home insurance near Wiltshire£21.99
Home insurance near Winchester£27.49
Home insurance near Windsor & Maidenhead£29.37
Home insurance near Wirral£17.29
Home insurance near Woking£27.20
Home insurance near Wokingham£28.15
Home insurance near Wolverhampton£17.17
Home insurance near Worcester£19.07
Home insurance near Worcestershire£20.57
Home insurance near Worthing£22.16
Home insurance near Wrexham£17.05
Home insurance near Wychavon£22.21
Home insurance near Wyre£16.89
Home insurance near Wyre Forest£18.71
Home insurance near York£21.24
Home insurance near Yorkshire and The Humber£17.16