Home insurance in the UK is generally split into buildings insurance and contents insurance, which can be bought together or separately depending on your situation. If you have a mortgage, your lender will almost always require buildings insurance as a condition of the loan.
Buildings vs. contents
Buildings insurance covers the structure of your home — walls, roof, windows, and fixtures like a fitted kitchen or bathroom — against risks like fire, storm, flood and subsidence. Contents insurance covers your belongings inside the home — furniture, electronics, clothing — against theft, damage and similar risks. Renters typically only need contents cover, since the landlord is responsible for the building itself.
Single item limits
Standard contents policies usually cap how much they'll pay for any single item unless it's specifically listed ("specified") on the policy. If you own higher-value items — jewellery, a bike, expensive electronics — it's worth checking the single item limit and adding specified cover if needed, rather than assuming everything is automatically covered at full value.
Common exclusions to check
Accidental damage is often an optional add-on rather than included as standard. Home insurance also typically doesn't cover general wear and tear, gradual damage (like a slow leak that's gone unnoticed for months), or damage while a property has been left unoccupied beyond a set number of days — worth checking if you travel frequently or own a second home.
Sums insured need to be realistic
For buildings cover, insuring for less than the actual rebuild cost can reduce any payout proportionally, even for a partial claim — this is different from market value, which includes land value that doesn't need rebuilding. For contents, underestimating the total value of your belongings can have a similar effect.