In the case of theft or damage to your property or possessions, home insurance will provide you with financial protection to help you pay for the rectification of such occurrences.

Home insurance is usually divided into two aspects: Building insurance and contents insurance. Building insurance covers the permanent fixtures. This includes any outbuildings, bathroom suites and fitted kitchens, as well as the property itself. i.e. the actual structure. Contents insurance provides financial protection for furniture, white goods, electrical appliances, clothes, and any other items kept in the home. You will need to ensure that your policy is sufficient to cover the rebuild of your home and the replacement of all of your possessions so that you are fully financially safeguarded against any unexpected eventualities.

For more comprehensive cover, optional add-ons are available, but naturally, this will increase the cost of your monthly premiums. A few examples of the types of optional add-ons that can be purchased include accidental damage cover, legal cover, emergency assistance and garden or sports equipment cover.

Buildings and contents cover can be purchased together from the same insurance provider and this will usually earn you a discount.

There are also various other types of home insurance which are more specialised to the specific use of the property. There are companies who offer tailor made policies for, for example, holiday homes, motorhomes and high value homes. These are designed to cater for the more specific needs that are associated with these types of homes. Please see our other sections for more detailed information about these more specialised types of policy.