Building and Contents Insurance

Building and Contents Insurance in Bristol

Buildings and contents insurance for your home is usually a combined policy covering damage or loss that might occur to your home and its contents. 

Buildings insurance is essential for all mortgaged houses, and it is possible to get the two insurances separately (buildings and contents), but providers usually offer them as a combined cover.

Contents insurance covers all items in your home that are not fixed, like your furniture, jewellery, appliances, clothing, etc. There are different types of cover, from the cheapest indemnity insurance, which will replace what was there before or "new for old" cover, which gives you brand new replacements for lost items. 

Contents insurance will cover you in most of the same situations as buildings insurance but also includes theft. You can specify high-value items such as bicycles, watches, etc. and have a level of "away from home" cover for things like loss of car keys, the theft of a handbag, mobile phones, etc. 

Note that all our cover is Defaqto 5-star rated. We do not offer cut-price, "skinny" policies that may come out top on comparison websites but have exclusions that you only discover when you need to make a claim. 

Is it cheaper to get buildings and contents insurance together?

Usually, combining buildings and contents insurance is cheaper than buying both individually. Please note whether there are separate excesses with a combined policy, as this could mean having more than one excess applied with a claim on both a building and contents.   

Who pays building insurance on a leasehold property?

Do you legally have to have house insurance?

If you own your property, there is no legal requirement to have building or contents insurance, but this will help cover expensive costs should your home get damaged. However, if you have a mortgage or a home equity loan, the lender will require you to have buildings cover as a minimum.

On a leasehold flat, it is the Freeholders responsibility to arrange for buildings insurance. Check the wording on your lease, as these may state that you have to reimburse the Freeholder for part of the cost of buildings insurance through a service charge.

Does contents insurance cover carpets?

Carpets will typically be covered by contents insurance. Usually, tiles, wood, and laminate floors claims would be under buildings insurance. 

Building and Contents Insurance Questions

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Buildings insurance covers your house in a disaster where it is so badly damaged that it needs to be rebuilt entirely. For example, storm or flood damage, fire, smoke, explosions, water leakage/burst pipes, subsidence, or third-party vandalism etc.

Mortgage providers will insist that you take out this cover as it means they will be able to recover their losses in such an event, and it provides part of the security for the loan. Solicitors will need to see proof of your cover before they exchange contracts.

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