Buildings Cover topics

If you have buildings insurance cover with Intelligent Insurance, your patio and walls are automatically included. Here’s a breakdown of the coverage: Permanent Fixtures Coverage These are considered permanent fixtures and are covered under your buildings insurance. Enjoy peace of mind knowing that damages to these essential elements of your property are included in your policy. Contents in the Open Coverage Items that can be moved around, such as garden furniture or plant pots, fall under the category of contents in the open. The coverage for these items can vary by underwriter, with protection extending up to £1,000. Summary Understanding the distinction between permanent fixtures and contents in the open ensures that your coverage aligns with the specific components of your property. Intelligent Insurance provides comprehensive solutions to safeguard both your property’s structure and its movable contents in outdoor spaces.

No. It isn’t standard, but you can bolt it on to protect against accidental damage you or your family cause. What can it cover? Buildings: the fabric of your home. Contents: everything inside. You can choose to add it to either, or both. Adding Accidental Damage Cover to Your Policy: Simply click Manage My Policy. Enter your details and follow the steps. Alternatively, you can do so via live chat. Note: Do have your policy number to hand.

Accidental damage cover is a protective feature for your contents, specifically designed to address instances where you or your family inadvertently damage possessions. Common scenarios include accidental spills like wine on a sofa or unintentional incidents like knocking over and breaking ornaments. Ideal for Family Homes This coverage proves particularly beneficial in households with children, where accidental mishaps are more likely. It acts as a financial safety net, ensuring that your belongings are safeguarded even in the face of unexpected accidents within the home. Scope and Limitations It’s important to note that accidental damage cover has its limitations. While it covers damages caused by family members, it typically excludes damage inflicted by pets, such as biting, scratching, or chewing. Additionally, coverage may not apply during periods when the property is let, unoccupied, or unfurnished. Business Exclusions Goods used for business purposes are also generally excluded. It’s essential to be aware of these exclusions to understand the scope of protection provided by this type of insurance. Tailoring Coverage to Your Needs Homeowners can often customise their policies to include or exclude accidental damage based on their individual needs and circumstances. This flexibility allows for a tailored approach to insurance, aligning with the specific risks and lifestyle considerations of each household. Summary By delving into the specifics of accidental damage cover, homeowners can make informed decisions about their insurance coverage, ensuring that their belongings are adequately protected against a range of unexpected incidents.

Yes, most outbuildings are automatically included in your home insurance policy. Standard Coverage: Up to £30,000 per outbuilding is typically covered. Older Policies: If your policy started before 01/12/2018, coverage is limited to £10,000 per outbuilding. Optional Extra Cover Need more protection? You can extend your buildings insurance to increase the cover limit and match the value or usage of your outbuildings. Information We’ll Ask For When you get a quote, we’ll need details such as: Type of outbuilding (e.g., shed, garage, garden office) Construction materials How it’s used What Counts as an Outbuilding? An outbuilding is any structure separate from your main home, used for domestic purposes. It does not include: Structures open on one or more sides Buildings without a permanent foundation Treehouses, inflatable, or non-rigid structures Need Dedicated Cover? If you’re looking for home insurance that provides extra protection for outbuildings, see our Outbuilding Home Insurance page for full details.

An outbuilding is any permanent structure on your property that is separate from your main home. These can serve various purposes, from storage and parking to leisure and hobbies. Common Types of Outbuildings Sheds: For storing garden tools and outdoor equipment Garages: To protect vehicles from weather and theft Workshops: Dedicated spaces for DIY projects and crafts Summerhouses / Greenhouses: For relaxation or plant cultivation Insurance Considerations When arranging home insurance, outbuildings are typically included in your policy. The level of cover depends on: The type and size of the structure Its construction and use The value of contents stored inside Ensuring you have the right coverage protects both the structure itself and the items you keep inside. Need More Information? For details on how outbuildings are covered under your policy and options for enhanced protection, visit our Outbuilding Home Insurance page.

Buildings insurance – Comprehensive Protection Buildings insurance is a fundamental component of home insurance, providing essential coverage to homeowners. It serves as a financial safeguard against the potential costs associated with repairing or rebuilding a home that has suffered damage or destruction due to various unforeseen events. Covered Elements Moreover, this type of insurance extends coverage to the structural components of your home, encompassing the roof, walls, and windows. Additionally, this type of insurance includes protection for permanent fixtures and fittings within the property. This can range from fitted kitchen units to bathroom suites, ensuring that integral elements of your home are covered in the event of damage. Shielding Your Home The primary purpose of buildings insurance is to shield homeowners from the financial burden of repairing or reconstructing their homes. Whether it’s damage caused by natural disasters, accidents, or other covered events, buildings insurance steps in to alleviate the costs associated with restoring the structure to its pre-damaged state. Financial Security Investing in buildings insurance, therefore, provides homeowners with peace of mind, knowing that their most significant investment—their home—is protected against unexpected challenges. This type of coverage is particularly crucial for individuals who have mortgages, as lenders often require insurance to mitigate their risk. Summary By understanding the purpose of buildings insurance, homeowners can make informed decisions about their insurance needs, ensuring comprehensive protection for their homes.

Key points: There’s no UK law that makes buildings insurance compulsory. Most mortgage lenders insist on cover from exchange of contracts. Outright owners can skip it, but would face the full rebuild cost if disaster strikes. Leasehold flats are usually covered by a block policy arranged by the freeholder or management company. Buildings cover protects you from potentially six‑figure repair bills. Not by law. However, most mortgage lenders require you to have buildings insurance in place from exchange of contracts to protect their loan. Cash‑buyers & outright owners: you’re free to go uninsured, but you’d have to fund any rebuild costs yourself. Leasehold flats: your freeholder or management company will normally arrange a block policy and recharge you. For details of what a policy typically includes, see our guide What does buildings insurance cover?. In short, while not legally mandatory, buildings insurance is strongly recommended to avoid potentially six‑figure repair bills.

Rental Insurance Overview If you’re renting a property, the responsibility for insuring the structure of the building typically falls on the landlord. As a tenant, you are generally not required to obtain building insurance for the actual structure of the property. Personal Contents Coverage Your focus as a renter should be on protecting your own belongings within the rented space. While the structure is the landlord’s concern, it’s crucial for tenants to consider contents insurance. This coverage safeguards your personal possessions, including furniture, electronics, and valuables, against risks like theft, fire, or other covered events. Landlord’s Responsibility The landlord’s insurance, known as landlord insurance or buildings insurance, is designed to cover the structure itself. This includes protection for the building’s foundation, walls, roof, floors, doors, and windows. It is the landlord’s responsibility to secure this coverage to handle potential structural damage or repairs. Peace of Mind for Tenants Understanding the division of insurance responsibilities between landlords and tenants is essential for renting with peace of mind. While your landlord ensures the building’s structural protection, you can focus on safeguarding your personal possessions with contents insurance tailored to your needs. Clarifying Responsibilities Ensuring clarity on insurance responsibilities at the beginning of a tenancy helps both landlords and tenants fulfil their respective obligations. It’s advisable for tenants to communicate with their landlords to confirm the property’s insurance coverage and, if needed, obtain contents insurance for their personal items. Summary By understanding the insurance dynamics in a rental arrangement, tenants can make informed decisions to secure the appropriate coverage for their specific needs, ensuring a well-rounded approach to protecting their living space.

Buildings insurance vs home insurance Cover type What it protects Typical claims Buildings insurance The fabric of your home: walls, roof, floors, foundations, permanent fixtures Fire, flood, storm, subsidence, structural collapse Home insurance(buildings + contents) Everything above plus what you keep inside – furniture, electronics, valuables The above plus theft, accidental damage, leaks to belongings, etc. Key points Buildings insurance is a subset of home insurance: it covers only the structure. Home insurance wraps buildings and contents into one policy for all-round protection. Most mortgage lenders insist on buildings cover; contents cover is optional but strongly advised. Choose buildings insurance if you only need to protect the shell; opt for full home insurance to cover the shell and your belongings.

Key points: Market value is the price your home would fetch if you sold it today, it’s driven by land value, location, demand and overall condition. Rebuild cost is what it would cost to demolish what’s left, clear the site and rebuild the property to the same specification. Rebuild cost usually sits below the market value (though it can exceed it for listed or remote properties). Insurers base buildings cover on the rebuild cost, not the market value, get this wrong and you risk being under‑insured. Market value explained The market value is the figure a buyer is willing to pay on the open market at a given point in time. Land value, local amenities, school catchments and supply‑and‑demand trends all feed into it. Rebuild (reinstatement) cost explained Rebuild cost includes: Demolition and debris removal Site clearance and preparation Materials and labour to rebuild the structure like‑for‑like Professional fees for architects, surveyors and building regs approval Because it looks purely at reconstruction, it ignores land value and broader market sentiment. Why the difference matters for insurance Buildings insurance pays out on the rebuild cost, so that’s the figure to insure for. Over‑insuring wastes premium; under‑insuring could leave you thousands short in a claim. Use the free RICS BCIS rebuild calculator or commission a chartered surveyor if you’re unsure. Need more detail? See How do I work out my rebuild cost?.

Intelligent Insurance policies offer building cover for the following: Fire Riot, civil commotion and labour or political disturbances and strikes Malicious damage Impact from aircraft (or other flying devices), or anything dropped from them, vehicles or trains, falling aerials or masts, falling trees or branches, animals Storm, flood or weight of snow Subsidence or ground heave of the site the buildings stand on, or landslip Escape of water from or freezing in any fixed domestic water or drainage installation, heating installation, washing machine, dishwasher, fridge, freezer or water bed Theft or attempted theft Escape of oil from a fixed, domestic, oil-fired heating system

Wear and tear allowance is not covered in your insurance policy. This is because you are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of your property.