Insurance
The right cover, ready when you need it.
A mortgage helps you buy or refinance the property. The right insurance helps protect it. Whether you are purchasing a home, remortgaging, renovating or reviewing a property portfolio, we can arrange cover around the property, its contents and the way it is used.
We can provide a quote early in the process, so you understand what to budget for and can have suitable cover ready for exchange, completion or renewal.
More than a box to tick
Home insurance is not a legal requirement, but suitable buildings insurance is normally a condition of a mortgage. Contents insurance is usually optional, although the cost of replacing everything in a home can be far greater than expected.
The right arrangement depends on more than the postcode. We will consider whether the property is freehold or leasehold, how it is built, who occupies it, whether works are planned, the correct rebuilding cost and whether any valuable items need to be specified separately.
For a leasehold flat, the building is usually insured under a block policy arranged by the freeholder or managing agent. That does not necessarily protect your belongings or every internal fixture. We can help establish what is already covered and what still needs to be arranged.
Cover for the property and the people using it
Buildings Insurance
Cover for the structure of the property and its permanent fixtures and fittings. Depending on the policy, this can include the walls, roof, floors, fitted kitchen, bathroom, garages and outbuildings, together with risks such as fire, flood, storm, escape of water and subsidence.
We can also explore cover for listed buildings, non-standard construction, previous flooding or subsidence and properties with a higher rebuilding cost.
Contents & Valuables Insurance
Cover for the belongings you would take with you if you moved, including furniture, clothing, electrical equipment and personal possessions. Optional cover may also be available for accidental damage and for belongings taken away from the home.
Watches, jewellery, art, bicycles, camera equipment and other high-value possessions may need to be named individually, particularly where their value exceeds a policy's single-item limit.
Landlord Insurance
A standard home policy is not designed for a property occupied by tenants. Landlord insurance can protect the building, landlord-owned contents and the financial risks that come with letting a property.
We can explore cover for individual buy-to-lets, limited company ownership, HMOs, converted properties, blocks of flats and larger portfolios. Optional protection may include property owners' liability, legal expenses, rent guarantee, home emergency and accidental or malicious damage.
Renovation Insurance
Major building work or a long period of unoccupancy can change the risk completely. A standard home policy may restrict or exclude cover while structural works are taking place.
We can explore specialist cover for the existing structure, the works, materials and relevant liabilities, then help move the property back to suitable household or landlord cover once the project is complete.
Freehold, leasehold or a whole block?
Freehold property
The owner will normally arrange buildings insurance for the full property, with contents cover selected separately or combined in one policy.
Leasehold flat
The freeholder or managing agent will usually arrange the buildings policy for the block. The leaseholder should check the policy, the lease and any lender requirements, then consider separate cover for contents, valuables and any internal items that fall outside the block policy.
Freeholder, management company or block owner
A block policy can cover the building and communal areas under one arrangement. Reinstatement cost, occupancy, number of units, commercial elements and the interests of leaseholders and mortgage lenders all need to be considered.
Insure the rebuild, not the sale price
A property's market value and its rebuilding cost are not the same. RICS explains that a reinstatement assessment should reflect the likely cost of reconstruction and relevant allowances such as demolition, professional and statutory fees.
For a standard home, the rebuilding figure may be available in the valuation or survey and can be sense-checked using the BCIS rebuilding cost calculator. Listed, unusual, high-value and multi-unit buildings may require a professional reinstatement cost assessment.
Underinsurance can affect far more than a total-loss claim. The Financial Ombudsman Service gives the example of a home with a £400,000 rebuild cost insured for £200,000. Where an average clause applies, an insurer may pay only 50% of a claim, leaving the policyholder to fund the balance.
Not only when you move home
Insurance should be reviewed when the property or the way it is used changes. A remortgage, extension, major refurbishment, change of tenant, HMO conversion, purchase of a valuable watch, period of unoccupancy or increase in rebuilding costs can all create gaps in an old policy.
We can review existing cover alongside a remortgage or portfolio review, even where there is no new purchase. The purpose is simple: to make sure the policy still reflects what you own and how the property is occupied today.
We will keep it moving
Buying or refinancing property already involves lenders, valuers, solicitors, agents and deadlines. We can take ownership of the insurance conversation, gather the relevant details early and keep the start date aligned with the wider transaction.
With your authority, we can work alongside the other professionals involved, helping to remove another job from your list and reduce the risk of insurance becoming a last-minute problem.
Home & Property Insurance
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Home insurance is not required by law. However, mortgage lenders will normally require suitable buildings insurance as a condition of the mortgage. Contents insurance is generally optional.
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The required date depends on the contract, tenure and lender. On many purchases in England and Wales, the buyer needs buildings cover from exchange of contracts. Your solicitor and lender should confirm the correct date. For leasehold property, the block policy will also need to be checked.
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Yes. A remortgage is a sensible time to review the existing policy, check the rebuilding cost and make sure the cover still reflects the property, contents and occupancy.
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Yes, subject to underwriting. High-value items may need to be specified individually, supported by a valuation and covered for use away from the home if required.
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We can explore standard and specialist arrangements for a wide range of properties. The available cover and terms will depend on the building, occupancy, claims history, rebuilding cost and insurer underwriting.
Let us look after the property as well as the mortgage.
Tell us what you are buying, refinancing, letting or renovating. We will establish what needs protecting and provide a quote early, so you can move forward with one less thing to worry about.
Request an insurance quoteCover is arranged through our insurance sourcing arrangements, subject to underwriting and eligibility.
The information on this page is general guidance. Insurance is subject to underwriting and the terms, conditions, limits, exclusions and excesses of the selected policy. Full details will be provided before you decide whether to proceed.