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What is Buildings and Contents Insurance?

This insurance is there to protect your home and belongings. There are two parts to a policy, the Buildings cover and the Contents cover. Depending on your needs you can have one or the other, or both at once.

Buildings Cover

Covers the cost of repairing damage to your property or rebuilding it if it has been destroyed. Garden sheds, garages, fences and walls are usually also covered. If you have a mortgage on the property, your lender will insist that you have an appropriate Buildings Policy in place to cover the full “reinstatement” value of the property which should cover the full cost of demolishing, redesigning and rebuilding the property.

We deal with a wide range of buildings insurers. For your free quote please get in touch today to discuss your requirements.

Policies will usually cover loss or damage caused by:

• Fire, lightning or wind damage, flooding, earthquakes
• Theft, vandalism, attempted break-ins
• Subsidence, heave and landslide
• Frozen or burst pipes and water damage
• Falling trees, lampposts, aerials or satellite dishes
• Vehicle or aircraft collisions

Policies can vary in price depending on the level of cover and the extra features included. For a personal quote please get in touch today to run through your requirements. To give you that extra peace of mind, some of the additional features on offer include:

• Emergency 24 hour plumber – to make sure that leak is sorted straight away
• Cost of alternative accommodation – so that you have somewhere to stay if your house is uninhabitable
• Accidental damage cover – for example if your brand new TV gets knocked over and smashed
• Lost or stolen keys cover – some policies will pay to replace all your locks to ensure your property remains secure

Contents Cover

Contents cover can be added to the policy to make sure damage to your personal belongings is also covered under your policy. You will be asked to choose a cover amount which should be enough to replace all your belongings if they were destroyed by a fire or flood for example.

Any built-in fixtures and fittings will usually be covered by your buildings policy, such as walls, windows, roof, kitchen units and bathroom suites. You will however need to factor in the cost of replacing as a minimum:

• Carpets and Curtains as these are not usually covered by a buildings policy
• All freestanding furniture such as beds, cupboards, shelves, sofas, chairs, tables, desks, lamps, cabinets and sideboards. Built-in wardrobes should be covered by the buildings policy.
• Artwork, Ornaments, Antiques and Collectibles
• Electronic equipment such as TVs, PCs, laptops, phones, tablets, gaming consoles etc
• Kitchen equipment, such as microwave, toaster, kettle, blender, coffee machines etc
• Cookware, Crockery and Cutlery
• White goods – Washing Machine, Tumble Dryer, Fridge, Freezer, Dishwasher etc
• Fitness equipment such as exercise bikes, rowing machines, treadmills, weights, weight benches etc
• Bedroom linens, bedsheets, towels, blankets, pillows
• Books, DVDs, Games, CDs
• Clothes and Shoes
• Jewellery, Watches etc
• Children’s toys and furniture
• Cosmetics, toiletries, perfumes, aftershaves etc
• Garden furniture and toys such as swing sets, slides etc
• Items stored in sheds or outbuildings, lawnmowers, bicycles, tools etc

If you move room-to-room making a list of all your belongings and their replacement values you may be surprised at how much it all adds up to. This is why contents cover is just as important as buildings cover as if your house burns down you don’t want to be left with a rebuilt house but nothing to put in it!

As with the buildings policy, contents cover has various optional extras that you may find useful. To discuss your individual needs please get in touch today for a quick chat. Some of the extra features on offer include:

• High Value Item cover – most policies have a limit on the individual value of items covered but you can usually list specific high-value items on the policy such as expensive pieces of jewellery, watches, cameras etc.
• Cover Outside of the Home – you can cover certain items for damage or loss outside of your home if you regularly take them with you such as engagement rings, watches, laptops etc.
• Plants in Gardens – a well stocked garden may be worth thousands if it needs to be replaced. This feature offers protection against damage to your plants through flood, storm, fire, theft, vandalism etc

Rental Properties

If you are a landlord and your property is tenanted then a specialist landlord policy gives extra protection against issues such as damage caused by tenants.

If you are a tenant yourself then you will not need buildings cover as the property does not belong to you. You are however at liberty to just take out Contents Cover as you would still want your belongings to be replaced if the property suffered a fire or flood.

Whatever your situation, get in touch today to see what we can do for you!

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