Home insurance that fits the actual house
The two most common home insurance failures we see are simple. The first: a buildings policy where the rebuild figure was set casually at the original mortgage completion, then never reviewed — and the property has since extended, refurbished, or appreciated past the limit. The second: a contents policy with a single-item limit that quietly invalidates the jewellery, the watch, or the bike that would actually be the loss someone would claim for.
Neither failure shows up until a claim. Both are fixable in an afternoon, and both make a meaningful difference to whether the policy does the job it was bought for.
What we typically arrange
- Buildings insurance sized to a realistic rebuild figure — using BCIS calculators, surveyor input, or insurer-provided tools depending on the property. We confirm the figure rather than copy the previous policy’s number forward.
- Contents insurance scaled to what’s actually in the house. A simple walk through the rooms usually uncovers categories that have been under-insured — kitchen appliances, electronics, outbuildings, garden contents, kids’ bikes.
- Specified items for high-value pieces — engagement rings, watches, cameras, instruments, bicycles, art. These need to sit above the standard single-item limit.
- Accidental damage as an add-on where it’s worth the marginal cost — typically families with kids or pets.
- Away-from-home cover for personal possessions taken outside the home — phones, laptops, cycles. Often included by default with limits worth checking against actual use.
- Specialist cover for non-standard properties — listed buildings, thatch, timber frame, flat-roof, subsidence history, holiday lets. The high street is patchy; a specialist panel handles these properly.
When to review
The general rule: any time the property or the contents change materially. A new extension, a refurbished kitchen, a significant purchase, an inheritance, or a change in how the property is used (lodger, holiday let, home office with stock). Insurers also expect to be told about claims on other policies, criminal convictions in the household, or material changes in occupancy. None of these are deal-breakers; all of them are problems if undisclosed and discovered at claim time.
How we work
For most clients we run the existing policy through the open market at renewal — usually finding a sharper price or genuinely better cover. For new purchases we put cover in place to start on completion day so there’s no gap between exchange and the buildings being insured. For non-standard or higher-value cases we work with specialist insurers who handle the property type properly rather than forcing it into mainstream pricing.