From your most prized possessions to your nearest and dearest, your home holds almost everything you value most! That's why knowing exactly what you’re covered for is so important.
To make sure you’re not left without cover, we’ve put together this handy list of things which could leave your policy invalid.
Leaving your home unoccupied
Our home insurance covers your unoccupied home for up to 60 days. You need to let us know if you think you’ll go over that limit.
We define an unoccupied home as one that isn’t lived in by the policyholder or their family members for longer than the ‘days unoccupied limit’. You can find that limit in your policy schedule.
Remember, if you don't keep your home heated, it could lead to burst pipes, leaks or even flooding in the home.
Not getting in touch when something changes
You need to keep us in the loop with any changes to your information or changes to your home while you're insured with us.
It might seem obvious but changing your address is something you definitely need to tell us about!
Likewise, you'll need to tell us about any alterations carried out to your property or any criminal convictions you get.
Not letting us know could mean:
- we won't pay out if you make a claim
- we could reduce the amount you're able to claim for
- your policy could be declared void
If you’ve told us you have an intruder alarm, you need to tell us immediately if you decide to stop using it.
Make sure to check the ‘keeping your policy up to date’ section of the policy booklets for a full list of things you need to tell us about and when.
Keeping quiet about an incident
You need to tell us straight away if any incident occurs, even if you don’t want to make a claim.
Not telling us about minor damage could affect claims in the future if we're unaware of the initial incident.
Using your home for business
In some cases you're allowed to use your home for business use. Our guide on home insurance for business use explains exactly what’s covered.
But if you don't tell us what your property is used for when you start your policy, or if you start using the property for business mid-term and don’t let us know, you might not be covered.
You're covered for clerical use and you don't need to let us know about that - but you'll need to tell us about anything more. Our Gold and Platinum insurance policies offer cover for office equipment used for business purposes.
We wouldn't be able to offer cover to certain occupations. For example, people who sell items and have customers visit their home to purchase.
Getting a lodger
If you have a spare room, a great way to keep on top of mortgage payments can be to take on a lodger. But it's really important you tell us if you do.
Your policy could be invalidated if you don't.
Having your home renovated
There’s always something which needs doing at home, whether it’s a lick of paint in the hallway or something major like an extension to the kitchen.
But, you always need to let us know before work starts if you intend to have any building work or renovations done to your home.
Think things like attic or basement conversions and structural alterations rather than routine maintenance or decoration.
Not telling us about planned renovations could result in your policy being declared void.
Underinsuring your contents
You should always make sure you have the right level of insurance. Underinsurance is an issue, and we want you to have the correct amount of cover.
It’s important to give us accurate values to make sure you have enough cover if you need to make a claim. You can use our helpful contents calculator for guidance.
Any high-risk items worth more than £2,000 need to be specified in order to be covered for their full value, these include:
- any collectible articles which are rare or unusual
- audio visual, photographic or sporting equipment
- computers, laptops, tablets and notebooks
- jewellery, watches or pearls
- pictures, prints or works of art
- precious metals or stones
- stamp, coin or other collections
- musical instruments
- bikes over the value of £350
Home insurance can be complicated and every policy is different. That's why it's important to make sure to read your policy books carefully and get in touch with us if you need any help!
