Your home is a place for the people and things you love most. That's why it’s important to know what your home insurance covers you for. Our guide helps you make sure you’re not left without cover.
Leaving your home unoccupied
As part of your policy, we'll cover your home for up to 60 days if it's unoccupied. This is providing you intend to reoccupy the home within this time.
You’ll need to let us know if your home will be unoccupied for longer. You can find out more in your policy book about which limits and exclusions apply here.
Not getting in touch when something changes
You’ll need to let us know if your personal details change, like if:
- you are moving address
- you have any unspent criminal convictions
- the value of your contents increases
You also need to let us know if you’ve started using your home for non-clerical business.
If you don't let us know about changes to your policy we might:
- change your policy cover
- pay less for your claim
Or in some cases, we may not pay for your claim at all or cancel your policy.
Check the ‘Keeping your policy up to date’ section in your policy book for everything you need to tell us about and when.
Using your home for business
There are some situations where you can use your home for business and stay insured properly.
Remember to let us know if you’re using your home for business to stay covered.
Your policy covers desk-based, administrative work. This includes things like:
- making calls
- filling out reports
- sending emails
You'll need to let us know if you're using your home for a non-clerical job. This includes things like:
- storing business stock
- operating specialist machinery from your home
- meeting other businesses, like clients and lawyers
Our standard home insurance covers your personal clerical office equipment used for your business, like keyboards and monitors.
Don't forget that limits and exclusions apply, so check your policy book to see what they are.
We can't cover some kinds of business use, so it’s best to get in touch with us to see if we can cover what you’re doing.
You'll need your own business insurance to cover your business, liability and equipment.
Getting a lodger
A lodger is a non-family member who permanently lives with you.
If you have a spare room, you might want to get a lodger for company or to help with the cost of living.
Check your policy documents in MyAccount to see if you need to let us know you have a lodger. This includes if there is no tenancy agreement in place or you’re not profiting from the arrangement.
Renovating your home
If you’re making changes to your home, you don’t need to tell us about small improvements like a lick of paint or replacing your kitchen units.
But you do need to tell us about any structural building work or renovations you’re doing to your home.
This could be things like adding an extension, building a garage or knocking down walls.
Underinsuring your contents
Underinsuring your contents means not listing your valuable items correctly on your insurance policy. It can also be the undervaluing of your entire contents so they’re not covered for what they’re actually worth.
It's important to give us the right values so we can provide the right level of cover if you need to make a claim.
Any of the items below worth more than £2,000 need to be added to your policy so we can cover them in full if something happens to them.
These include:
- any rare collectible items
- audiovisual, photography or sports equipment
- computers, laptops and tablets
- jewellery and watches
- pictures, prints or works of art
- precious metals or stones
- stamp, coin or similar collections
- musical instruments
- bikes worth over £350
Make sure you stay on top of your high-value items and update your cover if you buy or get rid of anything worth over £2,000.
You should also make sure you’re keeping the total value of your contents up to date so you’re covered properly.
Don't forget that limits and exclusions apply, so check your policy book to see what they are.
What else should you check
Certain things don’t cancel your policy, but we can’t cover a claim caused by them.
This includes:
- not looking after your home properly
- claiming for the damage that happened before your policy started
- not taking the steps to stop further damage from happening
Every home insurance policy is different. That’s why it's important to read your policy book carefully, so you know what you’re covered for.
If you’re not quite sure about something, get in touch with us so we can help.
What happens if my home insurance is invalid?
Invalidating your home insurance means you can't make a claim when something goes wrong.
You may also need to let your next insurer know if one of your previous policies was invalidated. This might mean they can't give you cover.
Make sure you keep things in check so your policy stays valid.
Can I check if my home insurance is invalid?
If you’re unsure whether your policy is valid, get in touch with us to check your policy details.
Don’t wait until you need to make a claim to check if your policy is valid. We may not cover you if your policy isn’t up to date, as that makes it invalid.
If you’re insured with us, check your policy documents in MyAccount to see your personal details, level of cover, excess, add-ons, specified items and more. If anything is outdated, update it as soon as you can.
If you're worried your policy isn't active anymore, get in touch with us to check.
Not insured with us yet? Take a look at our handy guide to buying your home insurance.
