Does Home Insurance Cover Your House Renovation?

Renovations have become more popular in recent years. People are choosing to revise or expand their existing living spaces instead of moving. Even with comprehensive home insurance, you may need specialist home insurance. This is especially true if you plan to renovate your home. In any event it is normally a condition of your policy that you advise your insurer BEFORE any works commence. This article explores whether your home insurance covers your house renovation and what you need to know.

While insurers have no hard and fast rules for acceptability, they commonly place restrictions or conditions on your Policy based on the type and value of the work carried out, and the security of the property during renovation.

Always check with your insurer before you go ahead with any work to make sure they are able to provide cover. Failure to do so could invalidate your insurance policy.

What does home insurance cover?

Home building insurance typically covers the general structure of your property, including the walls, roof and floors. It may also include cover for permanent fittings and fixtures, such as kitchen cabinets and bathroom suites. Contents insurance covers items kept in your home that aren’t part of the buildings – everything from curtains and furniture to clothes and electrical goods. Most home insurance policies provide cover in the event of fire, flood, escape of water, storm damage and theft. Some policies will also include cover for minor home improvements, such as redecoration or DIY.

However most standard home insurance policies do not provide cover for large renovations, such as extensions or loft conversions, and this is when a specialist home insurance provider can help.

What are the risks associated with renovations to my home?

Major renovations can increase the risk of damage occurring to the structure of your building and your contents. This can be for several reasons such as:

• Builders or contractors may cause accidental damage to the house structure or contents
• Use of construction tools – blow torches, power sanders and drills for example can all cause damage to your home
• Construction workers and their contractors increases the risk of injuries happening at your property
• Empty homes may be a desirable target for thieves and vandals. Read more about unoccupied home insurance
• The house might face a variety of additional risks, for example, it might lack security, or the roof might not be water-tight yet

What does house renovation insurance cover?

House renovation insurance can offer protection for your home throughout a period of renovation.

Here are some things to consider before talking to your insurer:

Select a well-qualified and experienced contractor. Ensure they provide a clear breakdown of each work area in the quote. This breakdown should include timescales and costs.
Do not sign a contract with the builders or architect until you have discussed it with your insurer. Some contracts may be less likely to be acceptable.
Check that the contractor has their own adequate Public Liability cover
Always consider the entire project and realistically assess the total costs, the time it will take, and the changes you will make.
Your insurer will need to know these details
Home security – consider how the planned work will affect your home’s security and what actions you will take to protect it if security gets compromised. Expect changes to the cover and be prepared to comply with certain conditions.

Finally, will your house be left unoccupied? On-going renovation work can make your home impractical to live in short term so you may choose to live somewhere else to avoid the mess and inconvenience. It is important to be realistic about the length of time you think you will need to leave your home unoccupied. You may think a project is going to take 6 weeks, then there are inevitable delays that occur. If you do leave your home unoccupied and the works continue for a longer period than you specify with your insurer, it can significantly impact your cover.

Always tell your insurer the worst-case scenario when asking for a quote (meaning the highest possible costs of the project, and longest possible period for leaving your home unoccupied) and if changes occur throughout the project keep your insurer up to date.

Note that poor or faulty workmanship isn’t usually covered under a home insurance policy. Make sure you choose an adequately qualified and reputable tradesman to do the work for you.

How do I get home renovation insurance?

Call one of our advisors today on 03333 11 11 10, get a quote online, or speak to one of our specialists via live chat.
You will need to provide us some of the following information:

• Details of your renovation project
• How long you expect the work will take to complete
• Estimated costs
• Who will be carrying out the work, either yourself or hired contractors
• If, and how long the property will be left unoccupied for
• What you expect the rebuild value of your home to be, and any increase to contents value after renovations and refurbishments are completed

Summary

Through reading this article, you have learned the critical importance of consulting with your insurance provider before starting any home renovation projects to ensure your policy remains valid and covers the specific work you plan to undertake.