This article was updated on 5th June 2026
Legal cover can be a useful part of home insurance, but it is often misunderstood. It does not pay compensation, and it does not cover every legal problem. Instead, it can help with certain legal costs if you need professional legal support for a covered dispute.
Legal expenses cover is sometimes called Family Legal Protection. It can help with legal adviser costs for issues such as consumer disputes, property damage, property sale and purchase disputes, and other covered legal matters, depending on the level of cover you have.
This guide explains how home insurance legal cover works, what it may include, what is usually excluded, and when upgrading to Family Legal Protection Plus may be worth considering.
Home insurance legal cover is a type of legal expenses insurance. It is designed to help with the cost of legal advice and representation for certain disputes.
It is sometimes known as “before the event” cover. This means the cover must normally be in place before the legal issue starts. If a dispute has already begun before the policy starts, it is unlikely to be covered.
Legal cover is not the same as hiring a solicitor privately. If you need to make a claim, you must usually contact the legal helpline or claims team first. Costs must be agreed in advance, and your claim must meet the policy terms.
Yes, in this context, Family Legal Protection is the name used for the legal expenses cover included with Intelligent Insurance home insurance policies, where shown on your policy schedule.
Family Legal Protection helps cover legal adviser costs for certain personal legal disputes. Family Legal Protection Plus extends the range of covered disputes and increases the cover limit for most sections.
Family Legal Protection provides cover for legal adviser costs for certain types of legal action, including:
Standard Family Legal Protection provides cover up to £25,000 for advisers’ costs, subject to the policy wording, claims limits and exclusions.
Family Legal Protection Plus gives wider cover than the standard Family Legal Protection section. It includes the standard cover areas and adds further protection for certain personal legal matters.
This can include:
Family Legal Protection Plus provides cover up to £50,000 for most covered sections. Employment disputes have a lower limit of £5,000. A £100 excess applies.
| Feature | Family Legal Protection | Family Legal Protection Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum cover limit | Up to £25,000 | Up to £50,000 for most sections |
| Employment disputes | Not included under standard cover | Included, up to £5,000 |
| Consumer pursuit | Included | Included |
| Consumer defence | Included | Included |
| Property damage | Included | Included |
| Property sale and purchase disputes | Included | Included |
| Property infringement | Not included under standard cover | Included |
| Personal injury | Not included under standard cover | Included |
| Personal identity fraud | Not included under standard cover | Included |
| Probate disputes | Not included under standard cover | Included, subject to policy terms |
| Excess | £100 | £100 |
Legal expenses insurance has conditions and exclusions. These are important because having legal cover does not mean every legal dispute will be accepted as a claim.
Common restrictions include:
There may also be qualifying periods for some types of claim. For example, employment disputes and property infringement claims may not be covered if the issue starts too soon after the cover begins.
Legal expenses cover and liability cover are not the same thing.
Legal expenses cover helps with certain legal adviser costs if you need to pursue or defend a covered legal action. For example, it may help if you need to pursue a contractor after a consumer dispute or take action after someone causes physical damage to your property.
Liability cover is different. It applies when you are legally responsible for injury or damage to someone else or their property, subject to the liability section of your home insurance policy.
In simple terms, legal expenses cover helps with the cost of certain legal action. Liability cover helps if someone makes a claim against you for injury or damage where you are legally liable.
Legal disputes can be stressful, time-consuming and expensive. Legal cover may be useful if you want access to legal advice and help with certain legal costs before a problem occurs.
Examples of where legal cover may help include:
The key point is that the matter must fall within the policy terms. It must also have reasonable prospects of success, and the likely legal costs must be proportionate to the amount in dispute.
If you think you may need to use your legal cover, contact the legal helpline before taking action yourself.
You should avoid:
It is also sensible to keep copies of contracts, receipts, emails, photographs and any other evidence linked to the dispute. These may be needed when your claim is assessed.
Home insurance legal cover can be worth having if you want support with certain personal legal disputes and access to legal advice when problems arise.
For many homeowners, the main benefit is not just the claims limit. It is knowing that there is a process to follow, a legal helpline to contact, and cover for certain adviser costs if the claim is accepted.
However, it is important to understand the limits. Legal cover does not replace every type of legal advice. It does not cover every dispute, and it will not usually cover costs you have already incurred without approval.
Family Legal Protection may be enough if you mainly want support for core issues such as consumer disputes, property damage and property sale or purchase disputes. Family Legal Protection Plus may be worth considering if you want wider protection, including areas such as employment disputes, personal identity fraud, property infringement, probate disputes and social media defamation.
Before deciding, check the policy wording, IPID and your schedule so you know exactly what is included.
If you already have a policy with Intelligent Insurance and want to check whether Family Legal Protection or Family Legal Protection Plus applies, please refer to your policy schedule or contact our team.
You can also read our related help-centre guides:
No. Legal expenses cover is designed to help with certain legal adviser costs. It does not pay compensation itself.
Usually, the insurer will appoint a panel solicitor or adviser. You may be able to choose your own legal representative if court proceedings need to start or if there is a conflict of interest. Any costs must still be agreed and will be subject to the policy terms.
Legal expenses cover is designed for personal legal matters. Business, trade and professional disputes are generally excluded, although Family Legal Protection Plus may include certain employment disputes where you are acting as an employee.
You may be able to add Family Legal Protection Plus to your policy. However, cover will not apply to disputes or circumstances that have already started before the upgrade is in place.
Contact the legal helpline or claims team as soon as possible. Do this before appointing a solicitor or incurring legal costs, as costs usually need to be approved in advance.
This article is for general information only and does not provide legal advice. Cover is subject to the terms, limits and exclusions shown in your policy schedule, IPID and policy wording.
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