Compare Home Insurance Quotes from up to 50 UK Providers

Why compare home insurance quotes before you renew?

Your renewal price is only one insurer’s view of your home at one point in time. It may still be fair. It may also have moved because of claims, rebuild costs, local risk, contents value, optional extras or changes to the insurer’s own pricing.

That is why comparing home insurance quotes before renewal is useful. You are not just checking whether another provider is cheaper. You are checking whether the cover still fits the home you actually live in: the fitted kitchen, the bikes in the garage, the work laptop, the jewellery, the shed, the extension, the flat roof, the alarm, the lock type, the contents you have accumulated without really noticing.

Home insurance is not one single thing. The Association of British Insurers explains that buildings insurance covers the structure of the home and permanent fixtures, while contents insurance covers possessions if they are damaged, destroyed or stolen. That difference matters when you compare, because a lower price with the wrong cover can be a poor saving.

Quick home insurance quote checklist

It helps to have the basics ready before you start the Quotezone journey. You do not need a folder full of paperwork, but rough guesses can lead to poor comparisons.

• Your property type, such as detached, semi-detached, terraced, flat or bungalow.
• The year your home was built, if you know it.
• The number of bedrooms and whether the property has been extended.
• Your estimated rebuild cost, which is not the same as the market value.
• The estimated replacement value of your contents.
• Details of locks, alarms and other security features.
• Any previous claims, flood history or subsidence history.
• Whether the home is your main residence, rented out, empty for long periods or used as a second home.
• Any optional extras you want to compare, such as accidental damage, home emergency or personal possessions cover.
• Your current renewal price, so you can compare the new quotes properly.

MoneyHelper says contents insurance quotes usually ask how much it would cost to replace the entire contents of your home. That is easy to underestimate. A sofa, phone, laptop, TV, clothes, kitchenware, bike, jewellery and small appliances soon add up. Read MoneyHelper’s contents insurance guidance.

What affects the price of home insurance?

Home insurance providers look at a mix of property, location and household details. Your postcode, flood risk, crime risk, property age, construction type, roof type, claims history, rebuild value, contents value, security, excess and optional extras can all influence the price you are shown.

Some things are fixed. A listed cottage, a leasehold flat, a new-build townhouse and a three-bedroom semi with a garage will not be treated in exactly the same way. Other details are more flexible. Your voluntary excess, optional extras and payment method can change the final price, although those choices should still be realistic.

Be careful with values. If your contents figure is too high, you may pay for cover you do not need. If it is too low, you may find the policy does not stretch far enough after a claim. Buildings cover has the same problem. Rebuild cost is about putting the property back, not what someone might pay for it on the open market.

What type of home insurance should you compare?

Buildings insurance

Buildings insurance generally covers the structure of your home and permanent fixtures such as fitted kitchens and bathrooms. Citizens Advice explains that buildings insurance covers the cost of rebuilding your home if it is damaged or destroyed, and that it is usually compulsory if you are planning to buy with a mortgage. See the Citizens Advice buildings insurance guide.

When comparing buildings insurance, check more than the headline premium. Look at rebuild value, excess, escape of water, storm wording, subsidence conditions and whether garages, sheds, boundary walls, gates or underground pipes are treated separately.

Contents insurance

Contents insurance is for the belongings inside your home. That can include furniture, clothing, appliances, electricals, jewellery, watches, bikes and other possessions. The ABI says contents insurance covers the cost of replacing or repairing possessions if they are damaged, destroyed or stolen. See the ABI contents insurance explanation.

High-value items need attention. If a watch, ring, laptop, instrument or bike is worth more than the single-item limit, it may need to be named separately. That is not a small detail if it is the item you would be most upset to lose.

Combined buildings and contents insurance

Combined buildings and contents insurance puts both types of cover under one policy. It can be simpler because there is one renewal date and one insurer to deal with. It is not guaranteed to be cheaper, so compare the total price and the detail of the cover rather than assuming the bundle is automatically better.

Which home insurance policy fits your situation?

A mortgaged semi, a rented flat and a thatched cottage should not be treated as the same quote exercise. The cover you compare depends on the property, who owns it, who lives there and what you need protected.

How to get cheaper home insurance quotes without cutting useful cover

Start before renewal. A few days gives you more room to compare properly than a last-minute panic. Then look at the whole quote, not just the price in bold.

• Compare buildings and contents together, then separately if the quote journey allows it.
• Choose an excess you could actually afford if you needed to claim.
• Check whether annual payment reduces the total cost compared with monthly payments.
• Update your contents value so it reflects your home now, not years ago.
• Only add extras you genuinely want, such as home emergency, legal expenses or personal possessions away from home.
• Check whether you already have similar protection through another policy, product or packaged bank account.
• Give accurate details about locks, alarms, claims and occupancy.
• Check whether new purchases, renovations or an extension have changed your cover needs.

A cheaper quote is only useful if it still covers what you expect it to cover. Reducing the premium by removing the very thing you would rely on after a claim is not really a saving.

What does home insurance usually cover?

Cover varies by insurer and policy, so always read the wording before buying. Broadly, home insurance may include protection for events such as fire, storm damage, flood damage, theft, malicious damage, escape of water, subsidence, falling trees and impact damage. Quotezone gives a similar overview of common covered events on its home insurance page. See Quotezone’s home insurance information.

What might not be covered by home insurance?

Most home insurance policies have exclusions. Wear and tear, gradual damage, poor maintenance, pest damage, deliberate damage and some empty-property situations may not be covered. Accidental damage is another one to check carefully, because it is often an optional extra rather than standard cover. MoneyHelper explains that accidental damage is usually limited unless it is added to the policy. Read MoneyHelper’s accidental damage guidance.

Also check limits for high-value items. A policy may cover contents generally but still limit how much it will pay for one item unless that item is named. Bikes, jewellery, watches, musical instruments and laptops are worth checking carefully.

Home insurance add-ons to check before choosing a quote

Add-ons are not there to be accepted automatically. Some are genuinely useful. Others may duplicate cover you already have elsewhere.

• Accidental damage cover: useful for sudden mishaps, but check what is included.
• Home emergency cover: may help with urgent problems such as heating, plumbing or electrical issues.
• Personal possessions away from home: worth checking if you regularly carry laptops, jewellery, bikes or gadgets outside.
• Legal expenses: may help with certain property-related disputes.
• Alternative accommodation: important if your home becomes uninhabitable after an insured event.
• Bicycle cover: check storage rules, lock requirements and away-from-home limits.
• High-value item cover: may be needed for jewellery, watches, musical instruments or specialist equipment.
• Outbuildings cover: useful if you keep tools, bikes, garden equipment or stored items away from the main house.

Common home insurance mistakes to avoid

The mistakes that cause problems are rarely dramatic. They are usually small assumptions that sit unnoticed until someone needs to claim.

• Confusing market value with rebuild cost.
• Underestimating the cost of replacing all contents.
• Assuming accidental damage is included automatically.
• Forgetting high-value item limits.
• Not declaring previous claims, subsidence or flood history accurately.
• Leaving the property empty for longer than the policy allows.
• Choosing only by price without checking excess and exclusions.
• Not updating cover after renovations, extensions or major purchases.
• Assuming a shed, garage, garden room or separate outbuilding is covered in the same way as the main home.

If you have fitted a new kitchen, added a loft conversion, bought an expensive bike or started keeping work equipment at home, your old policy details may no longer reflect the way you actually live.

Compare home insurance through Quotezone

My Favourite Voucher Codes introduces you to Quotezone for the home insurance quote journey. Quotezone.co.uk is a trading style of Seopa Ltd, and Seopa Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FRN 313860. You can verify Seopa Ltd on the FCA Financial Services Register.

The insurance quote system is independently owned and operated by Seopa Ltd. My Favourite Voucher Codes does not provide financial advice, does not arrange policies and does not manage insurance. Your quotes will depend on the details you enter, the providers available at the time and the policy options shown during the Quotezone journey.