Home Insurance

To get a home insurance quote you'll need to share some basic personal details, including full name and date of birth and of course, details about the property that needs to be insured. As well as address and postcode, you should expect to supply information about the size and age of the property, the type of property - flat, bungalow, semi-detached, detached or terrace house, for example - and what level of security the house has, such as a house alarm.

You will also need to provide details of any claims made or losses by anyone living at the property in the past 5 years, whether they were insured or not.

We make it quick as possible to get a home insurance quote, whether that's online or on the phone.  Simply provide a few details online and we will send you a quote for your policy within minutes. You can also retrieve a saved quote.

If you prefer to call, our phone number is 0330 159 0981.

There are three types of home insurance cover. Buildings insurance covers the structure of your property. Contents insurance covers possessions inside your property. Buildings and contents insurance covers both.

The structure of a property typically includes the walls, roof, floors, doors and windows of a house. Buildings insurance will cover any damage to these areas of the property. It can also often include permanent fixtures such as fitted kitchen units and bathroom suites. Our home insurance also covers sheds and greenhouses.

Your property should be insured for the amount of money it would cost to rebuild. Buildings insurance is usually a compulsory condition if you have a mortgage, but you don’t have to take it with your lender. You can buy it from a home insurance provider, such as the RAC.

Contents insurance - also referred to as contents cover - looks after the items in your property. This typically includes things like carpets, curtains, furniture, clothes, televisions, fridges, freezers, washing machines and so on. It can also include jewellery. You can also add specific items to your policy if you want the added reassurance that these are covered.

When obtaining contents insurance, you should set an estimated cost for replacing these items. Don't underestimate - in the event of a claim, make sure you have enough money to properly replace any item that has been damaged.

We cover some listed buildings, this is dependent on Underwriter approval. You may be asked additional questions about your property to enable us to determine whether or not we can cover it.

Yes - a no claims discount is a reward to policyholders who haven't made a claim on their home insurance cover. However, whilst a discount is possible at renewal, it’s not certain that you will receive one.

Any outbuildings are usually covered by buildings insurance - and that includes greenhouses, too. If you have them, make sure you include your garage and shed on your home insurance policy. If you have items of particular value and worth within these outbuildings - such as bikes – these can be added to your cover.

Accidental damage cover isn't typically included in our standard contents cover, but you can add this on if you require it. If you have young children, pets or are planning a DIY project bear in mind that if you cause any damage to the property yourself - drilling through a water pipe for example - you won't be covered unless you have opted to add accidental damage cover.

If you plan to rent out a property, you will still need to have buildings and contents insurance in place. The structure of the property remains at risk of damage, as with any house or apartment. You will also want to make sure the contents inside are protected with contents cover, especially if the property is being rented as furnished. That's your furniture inside, after all. You can add accidental damage cover too as an optional extra, in case tenants spill anything on the carpets, for example.

Subsidence is when the ground beneath a property's foundations is unstable or begins to sink, which can then lead to damage - you may notice cracks appearing. Policies can vary but buildings insurance usually protects against new subsidence.  If there has been any history of subsidence at your property or adjacent properties, you need to tell us this at quote stage.

If you live in what is considered a high-risk subsidence area, your policy cost may reflect this.

This is definitely something to be aware of. If you work from home on a regular basis and use equipment specifically for business - such as a company laptop you may want to cover this within any contents insurance.

For the majority of people their home is their most valuable asset and also the most expensive purchase they will make in their lifetime. Don't be tempted to take a cheap policy that could leave you exposed financially should disaster strike. It’s important you review what home insurance can cover, as well as the price, and make sure you have the right insurance in place for your circumstances.

Instead of looking for cheap cover, consider ways of reducing your premium when it's time to renew your home insurance quote.

Taking out joint buildings and contents cover with the same insurer can sometimes cost less than two separate policies, and increasing your voluntary excess can also reduce the overall price.

Paying for your home insurance in full every year, instead of monthly payments - which usually incur interest charges - can lower your total insurance costs.

RAC will cover your home for the rebuild value as you won’t have to buy the land again, so the cost of rebuilding is usually lower than its overall value. This should include the cost of any fittings such as bathroom and kitchen units, the Association of British Insurers have a free calculator that allows you to login in and answer questions based on house size and number of rooms to provide a good estimate.

While we aim to make our buildings insurance as comprehensive as possible there are a number of aspects that are not covered within the policy, such as:

• General wear and tear
• Pollution
• Damage caused by insects and vermin

You will also not be covered if you have caused the damage yourself - such as DIY disasters - unless you add accidental damage cover to your policy.

Also, if your home will be or has been left unoccupied for more than 45 days, please let us know to avoid any issues should you wish to make a claim. Further details of cover and exclusions can be found in the Policy Document.

It’s important you don’t underestimate the value of your contents, as in the event of a total loss, you would be expected to pick up the shortfall. When valuing your home contents, be sure to take into account the cost of replacing carpets and soft furnishings as well as clothing, electrical equipment and furniture. Insurers have the right to reduce any settlement proportionately. For example, if you insure your property or possessions for half the value, the insurer may only pay half the claim.

Go round each room separately - including your shed and outbuildings - making a list of all the items in there and estimating how much they’d cost to replace. Take note of any risk items, which usually includes desirable items that could be easily removed from the property, such as mobile phones, laptops and jewellery.

You might be surprised at the total.

Our contents policies provide cover for your possessions on a ‘new for old’ basis. This means that if you make a claim we will pay the cost of replacing an item with its new equivalent. So if you’re claiming for the theft of a television that’s now only worth £100 second hand, your replacement will be a brand new model of similar quality.

The ‘single article limit’ is the most the insurer will pay out in the event of a claim for any one item, and for RAC Home Insurance customers, this is a maximum of £1,500. So if you have an engagement ring, piece of artwork or a valuable worth more than the single article limit, you need to tell your insurer about it (and you may pay a bit extra to get it covered).

Accidental damage cover can be added to your RAC home contents insurance, so if you have young children or do a lot of DIY, you might want to pay a bit extra to add this to your policy. Personal possessions cover is another optional extra. This can cover your laptop, camera and even money (to the value of £350) when taken away from the home. We also extend cover for when you are abroad. We have listed the available Optional Extras for ease.

For further information on home insurance, speak to one of our home insurance team on 0330 159 0981.