What does home insurance actually cover?

Buildings cover

Buildings cover pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home after an insured event: fire, storm, flood, escape of water from a burst pipe, subsidence, impact, theft or attempted theft, and vandalism.

It normally includes permanent fixtures — fitted kitchens, bathroom suites, built-in wardrobes — plus garages, drives, fences, gates and walls, though outside items are often paid at a reduced amount or excluded for storm damage.

Contents cover

Contents covers furniture, appliances, clothes, electronics and valuables against the same list of events, plus theft. Two numbers matter more than the headline sum insured: the single-item limit (often £1,000–£2,000, so an engagement ring or laptop may need naming) and the valuables total.

Accidental damage — you put your foot through the ceiling, spill wine on the carpet — is usually an optional add-on, sometimes separately for buildings and contents.

What is usually excluded

Wear and tear, gradual deterioration, damp and condensation, poor workmanship, faulty design, damage caused by pets, and anything that happened before the policy started.

Boiler breakdown, blocked drains and electrical faults are handled by home emergency cover, not standard home insurance. Items away from home need personal possessions cover.

Homes left empty for more than 30 or 60 days usually drop to a much narrower level of cover — check the unoccupancy clause before a long trip.

Check these on your own policy

• Buildings sum insured is the rebuild cost, not the market value
• Single-item limit is high enough for your most valuable thing
• Accidental damage is added if you have young children or hard floors
• Personal possessions cover is on if you want phones and jewellery covered outside the house
• The excess — including any separate, higher subsidence excess

Common follow-up questions