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Compare quotes across 85[1] providers and find the cheapest home insurance quote for your household.
You can get a tailored home insurance quote in a matter of minutes – and it’s even quicker if you have all your details to hand before you start your journey:
This’ll include:
You’ll need to decide:
Once you’ve put in all your details, you’ll be able to compare home insurance quotes. Make sure to consider price, cover limits, and any add-ons you think you’ll need.
With Independent Advisor, you can get a home insurance quote from a source you can trust.
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By comparing quotes, you could find a cheaper home insurance policy and save up to £222.47*.
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It takes just a few minutes to get a tailored home insurance quote with our comparison journey.
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With our comprehensive guide to home insurance, you’ll have everything you need to pick the best policy for your property.
“If you want to make sure you’re getting the best home insurance deal, it pays to compare policies from different insurers every time you renew. When you compare premiums annually, it should also prompt you to check that your policy is still right for you. Perhaps you’ve acquired more stuff over the year, and you need to boost the level of cover provided by your policy.”
Home insurance covers your home and belongings against theft, damage and loss. There are two main types of home insurance: contents insurance, which insures your possessions, and buildings insurance, which insures your home against damage. ‘Contents’ can be described as anything you would take with you if you moved, while ‘buildings’ are the structures that make up your home and anything attached to them, such as a garage.
You can either take these out as separate policies from different insurers or a combined policy from one that includes both, which may save you money overall.
Whether it’s the number of bedrooms in your home, the number of kids in your family, or even how often you’re at home, there are a range of factors that affect the cost of your home insurance.
And by getting to grips with how your home insurance quote is broken down, you can get a better idea of how you can get cheaper buildings and contents insurance.
For every bedroom your property has, the more it’ll likely cost to rebuild. Similarly, the more bedrooms, the higher you may need to set your contents insurance.
For example, we found, on average, it’s 143.48 per cent cheaper to insure a two-bedroom property than a six-bedroom home.[4]
If you take out a combined policy, it’ll normally be cheaper than separate buildings and contents policies. If you need a specialist policy, meanwhile, that’ll likely cost more than standard home insurance.
Where you live has a huge effect on your home insurance. This is because insurers will have data on the risks in your area, such as crime rates, and the likelihood of flooding or subsidence.
The cost of insuring a house is different to a flat or bungalow. Interestingly, we found that it cost £94.41 more to insure a four-bedroom semi-detached bungalow than it did to insure a semi-detached house with the same number of bedrooms.[5]
If you live in an older property, you’ll likely pay more for your cover. This is because older homes have a higher chance of something going wrong, and may require more expensive materials to repair.
We found that the average combined home insurance policy was 9.63 per cent cheaper for every 20 years later a property was constructed, starting from 1904.[5]
Notably, a house built in 2024 was £61.97 cheaper to insure than one built in 2004, and £136.82 cheaper than one built a century earlier in 1924.
The more your family grows, the more you’ll end up paying for cover. We found that for every child you have, the cost of your combined home insurance increases by an average of 8.55 per cent.[7]
If your home is unoccupied for long stretches of time, your buildings and contents will be more expensive. This is because there is a greater chance of something going wrong without you realising.
The more your possessions are worth, the more you’ll pay for contents insurance. You’ll also need to take into consideration high-risk valuables, such as jewellery and works of art.
Your voluntary excess is the sum you have to pay whenever you make a claim, alongside any compulsory excess your provider may have. If you take out a combined policy, you’ll have one excess for the buildings cover, and one for the contents cover.
The more you choose to pay as a voluntary excess, the cheaper your premium will be – to a limit. When setting both buildings and contents excesses to the same level, choosing a £300 excess produced the cheapest premium, with quotes creeping up from that point onwards.[8]
The more secure your home is, the cheaper your home insurance will be. And that doesn’t just include home security systems such as burglar alarms and smart doorbells, but your window and door locks, and even your smoke alarms.
If you add a bunch of optional extras, such as home emergency cover or family legal protection, your policy will end up costing more. If these add-ons are important to you, you could look into policies that include them as standard.
If you’ve made a home insurance claim in the past, you’ll pay more for your next policy. However, if you haven’t made any claims, you should have your premium reduced by your no-claims discount.
“Repairing and rebuilding older homes can be more expensive. You’ll probably need pricier materials and possibly specialist craftsmen, who often charge more. Insurance companies are especially nervous about thatched roofs, as there’s an obvious risk of fire and they cost more to repair and replace than other types of roof. Costs can rise even more if your home is listed.”
As the cost of cover increases, it’s worth doing everything you can to get cheaper home insurance. That’s why we’ve put together 11 tips for how you can reduce the price of your premium:
Avoid letting your home insurance policy auto-renew, as you could end up missing out on a cheaper deal. Instead, use Independent Advisor to compare home insurance policies from 85 providers.
By comparing a range of providers, not only can you end up with cheaper home insurance, you may be able to find a policy better suited to your household.
On average, you could save £49.07 by taking out a combined policy over separate buildings and contents insurance, based on policies bought from MoneySuperMarket in April 2024.
Make sure you accurately calculate the rebuild cost and market value of your home so you don’t end up paying more than you need to for buildings insurance.
It’s worth taking the time to calculate how much your possessions really cost, rather than just estimating, in order to make sure you aren’t taking out too much cover (or, indeed, too little).
Only choose add-ons, such as accidental damage or personal possessions away from home, if you really feel they’re necessary. Otherwise, you’ll be paying more for policies you probably won’t claim on.
By upping your voluntary excess, you can bring down the price of your home insurance premium. However, be careful – only commit to an excess you can realistically pay.
If you can afford to, paying for your home insurance policy up front, rather than in monthly instalments, will mean you won’t pay interest on your policy.
It can be worth paying for a small repair yourself, instead of making a claim, in order to protect your no-claims discount.
Installing security cameras, burglar alarms, and smart locks can all help you access cheaper home insurance, while improving the safety of your household.
If you join your local Neighbourhood Watch, you may be able to receive a discount on your home insurance. This is because it suggests to your insurer you’re willing to go the extra mile to protect your home.
Freehold homeowners
If you’re a homeowner with a mortgage and you’re a freeholder, you’ll usually have to have buildings insurance on your property. Cover for damage to the building is a requirement of most mortgages. You should also consider taking out contents insurance to cover the items inside your home that you own against damage, loss or theft.
Leasehold homeowners
If you own a flat, you may find that the cost of your buildings insurance is included in the service charge you pay the property freeholder. If that is the case, you should still consider a separate contents insurance policy to protect your belongings.
Renters
As a tenant, you’ll want to consider contents insurance to cover your belongings. This’ll often include tenants’ liability insurance to cover any items belonging to the landlord you’re legally responsible for. Your landlord, meanwhile, will typically have insurance to cover damage to the building.
Landlords
If you’re a landlord, you’ll usually need landlord’s buildings insurance to cover the structure of the building you rent out. If you’ve furnished the property, you may also want to take out landlord’s contents insurance to cover damage to those items.
Students
As a student, you may want contents insurance to cover your personal items. Replacing broken or stolen items like laptops, musical instruments or sports equipment while away at university can be very expensive without insurance. This cover may be included in your parents’ home insurance policy.
Holiday homeowners
If you’re a holiday homeowner, you’ll need specific holiday home insurance. Your holiday home could be rented out to many different people during the year. This can make damage to the building or its contents more likely than if you’re renting to longer-term tenants, so insurance is important.
Unoccupied homes
If your property is empty for more than 60 days in a row, you’ll likely need unoccupied home insurance. For example, if you are waiting for your house to be renovated, or if there is a significant gap between tenants.
Non-standard homes
If your house is built of materials like timber, steel or daub, is in a flood-risk area, or is suffering from subsidence, you may need to take out specialist non-standard home insurance.
When you get home insurance quotes using a comparison site, it will ask you some simple questions about you, your home and the level of cover you need. You’ll then be able to easily compare them.
However, there are also times when you may need to seek out specialist home insurance, depending on the details of your property.
Buildings insurance covers damage to the structure of your home. Buildings insurance would pay out to repair your roof if it was damaged and leaking after a storm, for example. You only need it if you own your home, either with or without a mortgage.
Contents insurance covers the items inside your home that you would take with you if you moved house. It usually includes white goods, such as your washing machine and fridge freezer, and more personal items such as your jewellery and laptop. You can claim on your contents insurance for the cost of replacing or repairing your possessions if they are damaged, destroyed or stolen.
Combined buildings and contents insurance policies cover both the structure of your home and your belongings inside in one. This can make it easier if you need to claim for serious damage, such as from a fire, that affects both the building and your contents. It can often be cheaper to purchase combined cover over separate buildings and contents insurance policies.
You may need specialist home insurance if your property is built from non-standard construction materials, such as timber, steel or daub; if your roof is thatched, shingled or flat; or if you have a barn conversion or modular home.
You may need specialist home insurance if your property is in a flood-prone area, is at risk of subsidence, is a listed building, or has an exceptionally high value.
When taking out a standard combined home insurance policy:
It will cover
It won’t cover
While the cost of home insurance hasn’t risen as fast as car insurance, the ABI reported that average combined premiums still rose 13 per cent to £341 across 2023.[9]
| Policy type | Average premium in 2023 (ABI) | Year-on-year increase |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings and contents insurance | £341 | 14 per cent |
| Buildings insurance | £262 | 15 per cent |
| Contents insurance | £124 | 7 per cent |
And prices have continued to rise into 2024, with the average combined policy hitting £375 between January and March – that’s up 3 per cent quarter-on-quarter, and 19 per cent year-on-year.[10]
While the average contents cover didn’t change over that period, remaining at £132, buildings cover was up 5 per cent on October to December’s average, rising to £298.
But why has the cost of home insurance been increasing? There are a number of reasons, including:
And some regions have seen the cost of home insurance rise faster than others. For example, according to the latest data from Consumer Intelligence, the average quote in London rose 49.9 per cent between April 2023 and 2024, compared to 37. per cent in the North West.[14]
There are a number of optional extras you can add to your home insurance policy if you want a bit more protection.
This is usually optional and easy to overlook, but very much worth including, as it covers mishaps like spilling wine on the sofa and other accidents that cause damage.
This normally includes phones, smart watches, gadgets, jewellery and bikes. In some cases, these items will be covered inside your home as standard; in others, you’ll need to add it as an optional extra. You can also pay extra for personal possessions away from home. This usually means they’ll be insured away from home anywhere in the world, including when you’re on holiday.
Some level of legal cover may be included as standard, but family legal protection and a higher level of cover for general legal costs and expenses – if you are sued or need to sue someone, for example – are often optional.
More often than not, this is extra and will pay for the cost of calling a tradesperson to your home in an emergency situation, such as a broken-down boiler or burst pipes.
If you own an expensive bike, you may have to include it in your home insurance policy as a separate item, as some policies only cover bikes worth up to £350 as standard, if they’re included at all.
Replacement keys can be a standard inclusion, but if not it’s worth considering it as an optional extra, as it should cover the cost of having locks changed and new keys made should your house keys be lost or stolen.
This would pay to replace spoiled food if your freezer breaks down unexpectedly. Some home insurers will offer this as standard, while some make it an optional extra. Admiral, for example, includes up to £250 of cover for freezer food under its basic contents insurance.
We have put together a list of popular questions that you may have, to help you along in your home insurance purchasing journey
While home insurance isn’t a legal necessity, a valid buildings insurance policy may be required by your mortgage provider. Even if this isn’t the case, not having the appropriate cover in place can leave you and your family vulnerable.
Your home is probably your most valuable possession, and it’s filled with things that are important to you and your family, so keeping it safe and secure makes sense. While the risks of theft, accidents and natural disasters can’t be eliminated, home insurance can reduce their impact, as it allows you to replace your damaged or lost possessions without being entirely out of pocket.
A no-claims discount or bonus is a reward for not claiming on your home insurance. It gives you a reduction on your premiums when you renew your home insurance.
The discount builds up and becomes more valuable the more years you go without claiming on your insurance. No-claims discounts vary from insurer to insurer. It can be up to 30 per cent for the first year, increasing to as much as 60 per cent after around five years.
Before claiming on your home insurance, you should weigh up the cost of paying for the fix or replacement yourself against the cost of the increased premiums from losing your accumulated no-claims discount.
Many insurance providers offer discounts to customers who bundle several products together, such as car insurance and home cover. These include Admiral and LV. You should still check that a combined policy from a particular provider is cheaper than taking the policies out separately from different providers, however.
Aside from any potential savings, combining products has several advantages, including:
Installing a smart home security system can potentially reduce home insurance premiums with some providers. Insurance companies often view homes with security systems as less likely to experience theft, vandalism, or other property damage. This decreased risk can lead to lower insurance premiums for homeowners.
It’s important to note that the discount amount will vary depending on the insurance company, the specific smart home security system, and other factors related to your home and location.
Joining a Neighbourhood Watch scheme can potentially lower your home insurance premiums. Such programmes involve community members working together to report suspicious activities and help prevent crime in their neighbourhoods.
Insurance companies often view these programmes as an effective way to reduce crime rates and improve community safety. However, the impact on your insurance premiums will depend on your specific insurance provider and their policies.
Home emergency cover isn’t essential, but it can be useful if you think you might find it difficult to pay for any emergency repairs to your home you might need.
It typically includes situations such as a boiler breakdown or central heating failure, plumbing problems such as a burst pipe or blocked drains, electrical failure, broken doors and windows, and roof damage that needs immediate attention. It won’t cover incidents caused by a lack of maintenance on your part (such as a boiler that hasn’t been serviced within a certain period of time) or anything resulting from normal wear and tear.
Accidental damage cover as part of your buildings insurance will provide cover for items that are part of the structure of your home or fixed fittings. For example, if you knock a glass off a shelf and it cracks your bathroom sink, or if a football smashes your window, it’s likely to be covered.
Under accidental damage cover in contents insurance, incidents like knocking a TV over, cracking a glass coffee table or spilling red wine on a carpet or sofa are likely to be covered.
Whether or not you need accidental damage cover can depend on the makeup of your household, for example if you have pets or children.
If you need to make a home insurance claim, follow these tips to maximise your chances of success:
We research the latest home insurance data, news items and trends so that you always have the most up-to-date information to help you make your decision.
When we’re reviewing home insurance providers, meanwhile, we focus on the following features to gain a thorough overview of what a company is offering:
Find out more about how we review home insurance providers.
