Home Insurance Guide
Find the right buildings and contents cover at the best price. Compare quotes from leading UK home insurers — free and no obligation.
Your home is likely the most valuable thing you own, yet many homeowners let their insurance auto-renew year after year without checking whether they could get better cover for less. Premiums vary significantly between insurers for identical properties, so comparing quotes is one of the simplest ways to save. Whether you need buildings cover, contents cover or both, SaveCompare lets you see what's available from top UK providers.
Buildings Insurance
Protect the physical structure of your home — walls, roof, floors, fitted kitchens and permanent fixtures — against fire, storms, floods and subsidence.
Compare buildings insurance →Contents Insurance
Cover your personal belongings — furniture, electronics, jewellery and valuables — against theft, fire, water damage and accidental loss.
Compare contents insurance →Home insurance explained: what you need to know
Home insurance comes in two main parts. Buildings insurance covers the permanent structure of your property — the walls, roof, floors, windows, doors, fitted kitchen and bathroom. It protects against damage caused by events like fire, storms, flooding, subsidence and escape of water. If you have a mortgage, your lender will almost certainly require you to have buildings insurance as a condition of the loan.
Contents insurance covers everything inside your home that you would take with you if you moved — furniture, electronics, clothing, jewellery, artwork and other personal possessions. It protects against theft, fire, water damage and, if you add it, accidental damage. Contents cover is optional but strongly recommended. Replacing the contents of an average UK home would cost over £35,000.
Most insurers offer combined buildings and contents policies, which are usually cheaper than buying the two separately. When comparing, pay attention to the sum insured (rebuild cost for buildings, total value for contents), the excess amount, and any exclusions. Check whether accidental damage is included or an optional extra.
Your premium is influenced by factors including your postcode, property type, rebuild cost, claims history, security features and the level of cover you choose. Properties in flood-risk areas or with a history of subsidence will pay more. Installing approved locks, alarms and CCTV can reduce your premium.
The FCA's loyalty pricing ban, introduced in 2022, means insurers can no longer charge existing customers more than new customers for equivalent cover. However, prices still vary enormously between providers, making comparison essential. Many homeowners save £100 or more simply by getting quotes from multiple insurers before their renewal date.
If you rent your home, your landlord is responsible for buildings insurance. But their policy won't cover your belongings — you'll need your own contents insurance for that. Tenants' contents insurance is typically cheaper than homeowner policies and well worth having.
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Aviva Direct Line Admiral LV= More Than ChurchillThree steps to better home insurance
Why comparing matters
Average annual premium
The average combined buildings and contents insurance policy costs around £310 per year in the UK. Prices vary widely by location and property type.
Auto-renew without comparing
Over half of UK homeowners auto-renew their home insurance without checking what else is available, potentially missing out on significant savings.
Typical saving by switching
Homeowners who compare and switch save an average of £130 per year on their home insurance premium.
Average contents value
The average UK household has over £35,000 worth of contents. Without insurance, replacing everything after a fire or burglary would be devastating.
Rebuild Cost Estimator
For buildings insurance, you need to insure for the rebuild cost — what it would cost to completely reconstruct your home from scratch. This is not the same as its market value (which includes the land). Insuring for market value means over-insuring and paying higher premiums than necessary. Use this estimator to get a starting figure based on RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) rebuild cost data.
Estimates based on RICS Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) average rebuild costs for 2025/26. For a precise figure, consider a professional RICS rebuild cost assessment (£300–£500) or use the free calculator at calculator.abi.org.uk.
Contents Value Estimator
Most people significantly underestimate the value of their home contents. Research by the ABI suggests the average household undervalues their belongings by 30–50%, which can lead to underinsurance and reduced claim payouts. Use this room-by-room checklist to build a realistic picture of what you own. Think about the cost to replace everything brand new — not what you paid or what it is worth second-hand.
Default values are based on UK averages. Adjust each room to match your actual belongings. Remember to include high-value items like jewellery, watches, laptops and tablets. The replacement cost is what matters — not the second-hand value.
Watch out for these home insurance pitfalls
Home insurance is one of the most important policies you will buy, but there are several common mistakes and hidden catches that can leave you out of pocket when you need cover most. Here are the key issues to check before you commit.
If you insure your contents for £30,000 but they are actually worth £60,000, the insurer can invoke the average clause and pay only 50% of any claim — even for a small one. If you claimed for a £2,000 stolen laptop, you might receive just £1,000. Accurate valuation is essential. Use our contents calculator above to avoid this common and costly trap.
Standard home insurance covers named perils like fire, theft and storm damage. But accidental damage — spilling paint on a carpet, a child putting a toy through a TV, drilling into a pipe — is usually an optional extra. Without it, many everyday incidents are not covered. Adding accidental damage typically costs £20–£40 per year and is well worth considering, especially if you have young children.
Properties in high-risk flood areas may face exclusions, high excesses or unaffordable premiums. The government-backed Flood Re scheme helps by capping the flood element of premiums for eligible homes (built before 2009). However, Flood Re does not cover commercial properties, buy-to-let or homes built after 2009 in known flood zones. Check your flood risk at gov.uk/check-flood-risk before purchasing.
Since the shift to hybrid working, millions of people have expensive employer-owned or personal equipment at home — laptops, monitors, ergonomic chairs and office furniture. Standard contents policies may not cover business equipment, or may have sub-limits that fall well short of the replacement cost. If you regularly work from home, check your policy wording and consider a home-working add-on or a separate business equipment policy.
Many home insurance policies impose surprisingly low limits on garden contents and outbuildings. Typically, cover for items in sheds and garages is capped at £500–£1,000, and outbuildings themselves are often limited to £5,000–£10,000. If you have an expensive lawnmower, power tools, bicycles or a home gym in an outbuilding, check whether your policy limits are adequate and increase them if not.
Home insurance FAQs
Buildings insurance covers the physical structure of your home — walls, roof, floors, fitted kitchens, bathrooms and permanent fixtures. It protects against damage from fire, storms, floods and subsidence. Contents insurance covers your personal belongings inside the home — furniture, electronics, clothing, jewellery and valuables. Most homeowners need both, and buying them as a combined policy is usually cheaper.
If you rent, your landlord is responsible for buildings insurance. However, their policy won't cover your personal belongings. Contents insurance is strongly recommended for renters to protect your furniture, electronics, clothing and valuables against theft, fire or water damage. Tenants' contents insurance is typically cheaper than homeowner policies.
The average combined buildings and contents insurance policy costs around £310 per year in the UK, but prices vary significantly depending on your location, property type, rebuild cost, level of cover and claims history. Comparing quotes can save you £130 or more — especially if you've been auto-renewing with the same insurer.
Not automatically. Accidental damage cover is an optional extra on most home insurance policies. Without it, you're only covered for specific named perils like fire, theft and storm damage. Adding accidental damage cover protects you against everyday mishaps like spilling wine on a carpet, drilling through a pipe, or a child breaking a window. It typically adds £20–40 per year to your premium.
The rebuild cost is what it would cost to completely reconstruct your home from the ground up, including demolition, materials, labour and professional fees. It is almost always lower than market value, which includes the land your property sits on. For buildings insurance, you need the rebuild cost — not the market value. Insuring for market value means over-insuring and paying unnecessarily high premiums.
The average clause means that if you underinsure your property or contents, the insurer can reduce any claim payout proportionally. For example, if your contents are worth £60,000 but you only insure for £30,000, the insurer may pay only 50% of any claim. This applies even to small claims. Accurate valuation is essential to avoid this penalty — use our contents calculator above to check your figures.
Most standard policies include flood cover, but properties in high-risk flood areas may face exclusions or very high premiums. The government-backed Flood Re scheme helps homeowners in flood-prone areas access affordable cover by capping the flood element of premiums. However, it only applies to homes built before 2009. Check your property's flood risk using the Environment Agency's online tool before purchasing a policy.
Standard contents insurance may not cover business equipment such as work laptops, monitors and office furniture. Some policies exclude business items entirely, while others impose sub-limits. If you work from home regularly, check your policy wording and consider adding a home-working extension. If clients visit your home, you may also need public liability cover, which is not included in standard home insurance.
Most policies include some cover, but limits are often surprisingly low. Garden contents (tools, furniture, plants) are typically capped at £500–£1,000, and outbuildings like sheds and summerhouses at £5,000–£10,000. Items left in unlocked outbuildings may not be covered against theft at all. If you store valuable equipment outside, check your limits and increase them if necessary.
Several practical steps can lower your premium: increase your voluntary excess, install approved security features (BS3621 locks, a burglar alarm), pay annually instead of monthly, build up a no-claims discount, combine buildings and contents with one insurer, and avoid over-insuring above the correct rebuild or contents value. The single most effective step is comparing quotes from multiple insurers at each renewal.