Home Insurance
Protect your home from loss or damage. Get a direct quote on Home Insurance from Swinton today to find a suitable deal for you.
What is Home Insurance?
Home Insurance is a type of insurance that helps to protect your property and your possessions. There are different policies available for a range of circumstances like theft or fire damage, ensuring that your home and belongings are always covered.
What types of Home Insurance are there?
A home insurance policy will fall into one of three categories:
Contents Insurance
Contents insurance covers all of the items in your home that don’t make up a part of the building itself. These include furniture, clothing, electronics and more. Taking out content insurance prevents you from being hit with a hefty bill to replace your belongings if they are destroyed or stolen.
Buildings insurance
Buildings insurance covers any damage to the physical structure of your home, including damage to areas like the walls, roof and windows. You’ll also be covered for permanent fixtures that can’t be removed, such as fitted kitchens, bathrooms and fitted wardrobes.
Combined Insurance
Combined Insurance allows you to get both Buildings Insurance and Contents Insurance under a single policy. You may be able to save money by choosing a Combined policy with a single provider rather than taking out Contents and Buildings Insurance separately.
What does Home Insurance cover?
1. Contents Insurance
Contents insurance covers your personal belongings that reside in your home. However, there are some limitations to what you can receive for theft or damage:
A maximum for single items — This is the limit to what an insurer will pay out for an individual item, typically around £2,000. If you have valuables that are worth more than this figure, like jewellery, you’ll need to speak to your insurer to arrange additional cover.
A maximum for all your contents — Most Contents Insurance policies have an upper limit to how much an insurer will pay for replacing your possessions. Ensure that your policy is sufficient to cover your items’ value before taking out insurance.
2. Buildings Insurance
Buildings Insurance will cover you for the cost of repairing or rebuilding your home in the event it is damaged or destroyed by an ‘insured peril’. A typical policy will class an ‘insured peril’ as damage caused by:
- An escape of water (like a burst pipe)
- Fire
- Theft
- Flooding
- Extreme weather conditions
- Falling trees
- Riots
Supporting Alzheimer’s Society
There are around 850,000 people with dementia in the UK. Someone develops it every three minutes and there’s currently no cure.
You can help make us make a difference, for with every Swinton Home Insurance policy taken out online, you have the option to make a £2 donation. Your kind gift will help provide a lifeline to more people affected by dementia.
Home Insurance cover in detail
This table shows benefits for combined Home Insurance cover
Please refer to policy wordings for exact cover
Key benefits | Essentials | Classic | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
Buildings (Choose a limit to suit your needs) | £500,000 to Unlimited | £500,000 to Unlimited | £500,000 to Unlimited |
Contents (Choose a limit to suit your needs) | £50,000 to £150,000 | £50,000 to £150,000 | £50,000 to £150,000 |
Alternative accommodation cover (Buildings) | Up to £30,000 | Up to £30,000 | Up to £75,000 |
Alternative accommodation cover (Contents) | Up to £10,000 | Up to £10,000 | Up to £20,000 |
Lost or stolen keys | Up to £500 | ||
Freezer contents | Up to £250 | ||
Theft from outbuildings | Up to £2,500 | Up to £5,000 | |
Cover for downloaded audio/visual files | Up to £2,500 | Up to £2,500 | |
Office equipment cover in the home | Up to £5,000 | Up to £10,000 | |
Garden cover | Up to £1,000 | Up to £2,500 | |
£5,000 student cover | |||
Matching sets cover | |||
£100,000 legal protection | Optional | Optional | |
Accidental damage | Optional | Optional | Optional |
Home Emergency | Optional | Optional | Optional |
Personal possessions (cover your valuables and gadgets wherever you are in the world) | Optional | Optional | Optional |
Maximum limits shown. Other features, benefits and limitations exist, please contact us for details. | |||
Policy documents
Policy wording (PDF - 1.6MB)
Policy wording (PDF - 1.6MB)
Policy wording (PDF - 1.6MB)
Optional Extras
Legal protection — Protect yourself from the costs of being sued or claiming against someone else.
Accidental damage — Cover for one-off incidents that unintentionally cause damage your property or its contents.
Personal possessions — Cover for items that you carry with you away outside your home like keys, smartphones and laptops.
Choose between an Online self-service or a Standard policy
With our Online policy, you'll receive a £10 discount, along with self-service Home Insurance allowing you to manage your policy quickly and securely online, at a time that suits you.
Or, for an extra £10, choose our Standard policy and manage your Home Insurance with the full support of our friendly call centre team or via live chat, as well as the convenience of an online account.
Additional property types we can insure
Unoccupied properties
Just because a property is vacant does not mean you can’t be covered with a Home Insurance policy. From a lengthy sale to extensive renovations, our specialist home insurance for unoccupied properties will give you peace of mind in the knowledge that you’re protected from damages.
High-value properties
If your home and its contents exceed the maximum value of a typical home insurance quote, you can still find the right policy for you with Swinton Insurance. We can help cover high-value properties that are valued over £500,000.
Listed buildings
For those who are lucky enough to live in one of the UK’s most beautiful properties, our home insurance policies can cover a range of listed buildings in England, Scotland and Wales.
Flood risk insurance
If you live in an area with a high-risk of flooding, the last thing you need is to worry about finding a home insurance provider. At Swinton Insurance, we can provide policies for homes in high-risk areas or those that have been previously damaged by floodwater.
Non-standard builds
The art of home building is evolving, creating more properties than ever classified as non-standard construction. From unconventional building materials to futuristic ‘eco-homes’, we work hard to ensure that all homeowners can insure their properties.
Timber frame properties
Despite timber being a traditional building material, many homeowners with timber-framed properties struggle to secure a policy. At Swinton Insurance, we consider every property for home insurance.
Holiday homes
From sandy beach resorts to secluded lakeside retreats, it’s crucial to keep your home-away-from-home protected. Our home insurance policies for holiday homes work much in the same way as for your primary house, covering your valuables along with the building itself.
Second homes
If you’ve invested in a second home, it’s vital to protect it as though it were your first. We cover a range of second homes for our customers across the UK and endeavour to find a policy that works for you.
Why choose Swinton Insurance?
Home Legal Expenses - Comes as standard with our Premier Home Insurance policies and can be added to Classic and Essentials Home Insurance plans. Learn more about Home Legal Expenses here.
Home Emergency Cover - Can be purchased as an additional extra to your standard Home Insurance policy. Learn more about Home Emergency Cover here.
An experienced team - Our insurance specialists are happy to answer all your questions on Live Chat or over the phone.
View your documents online - You can quickly and easily make changes or renew your policy using My Account.
Separate policies - If you’re not interested in a combined policy, you can choose to take out separate Buildings Insurance and Contents Insurance policies.
Customer care - Winner at the UK Customer Satisfaction Awards 2021.
Based on reviews of all products
How to get a Home Insurance quote
At Swinton Insurance, we’ve made it easier than ever to get a Home Insurance quote. To get started, you’ll just need a few key details ready for us about your property. The information we’ll need from you includes:
Property details - The type of property, number of rooms and when it was built.
Construction details - The building materials of structural walls and the roof.
Security details - Features such as burglar alarms, smoke detectors and window and door locks.
Your cover - The level of protection you need for your home contents, personal possessions and when you want your policy to start.
How to make a claim
No matter how well we prepare for the unknown, the unexpected can still happen at any time. If the worst happens and your property or possessions are damaged or stolen, we’ve made an easy-to-follow process to make it as simple as possible to make a Home Insurance claim.
Before you call
Before you contact anyone, make sure you have as much helpful information with you as possible. Preparing ahead of the call will help to process your claim quicker and prevent any delays. Information that would be helpful to have ready includes:
Policy documents
Police crime reference number (if applicable)
Photos, receipts or recent valuation of valuables
Evidence of damaged contents
Contact your insurer
If you know who your home insurer is, you should contact them directly. To find out who your insurer is, you can find their details on posted documents, your policy schedule, or you can log into your online account where the details will be displayed on the main page.
If you need help contacting your insurer, call Swinton on 0333 035 9373 or contact us via Live chat.
Make your claim
Once you’ve made contact with your insurer, they’ll ask for the details of your claim and authorise the repair or replacement of your damaged or lost items. They may appoint authorised personnel to undertake an inspection to your property and provide repairs and replacement services.
Home Insurance FAQs
Home Insurance prices can vary depending on region and based on year-on-year price rises.
|
Region |
Average premium |
Year-on-year price rise |
|
London |
£205 |
6.8% |
|
South East |
£157 |
6.1% |
|
North West |
£152 |
2.8% |
|
East of England |
£149 |
5.5% |
|
Yorkshire & The Humbar |
£144 |
2% |
|
Scotland |
£143 |
5% |
|
West Midlands |
£141 |
3.3% |
|
East Midlands |
£140 |
2.9% |
|
Wales |
£140 |
1.3% |
|
South West |
£137 |
4.9% |
|
North East |
£133 |
1.6% |
Prices accurate at time of writing (August 2021).
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Pay upfront - By avoiding instalments, you can avoid being charged additional interest on your payments.
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Boost security - The safer your property is, the less nervous your providers will be. You can easily reduce the cost of your Home Insurance by installing security equipment and top-of-the-range locks on your doors and windows.
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Consider combining - Often, insurance providers offer a discount for customers that choose to combine Buildings Insurance and Contents Insurance into a single policy.
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Wear and tear - Any general wear and tear like worn carpets or faded leather.
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Theft by deception - You can’t claim on your policy if you are deceived, like unwillingly handing over your keys to a thief who then steals from you property.
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Computer viruses - Many insurers won’t cover tech that is damaged by viruses, like laptops and home computers.
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Unoccupied homes - Unless agreed upon with your insurer beforehand, many providers won’t cover any loss or damage if your property in left unoccupied for more than 30 days.
You don’t need to take out Buildings Insurance if you’re a renter, that’s the responsibility of the landlord. You may, however, wish to take out a Contents Insurance policy to protect your valuables.
Home emergency cover protects you and your property in events such as electrical failure, blocked drains and your boiler breaking down. If you make a claim, your insurer will pay for a tradesperson to visit your property to make repairs.
Choosing a higher voluntary excess for your Home Insurance will reduce your premium, but it will require you to pay more if you claim. If you instead decide to pay a lower excess, your premium will be higher, however, your insurer will have to pay more in the event of a claim.
If you need to work from home due to the impacts of COVID-19, you’ll be glad to know that your Home Insurance policy already covers this, so you don’t need to tell us.
Typically, your employer is legally responsible for any business equipment they provide you (e.g. a laptop and mobile phone). However, if you’re using your own equipment for work, our Classic policy covers equipment valued up to £5,000, while Premier covers belongings worth up to £10,000. Our Essentials plan does not provide cover for business equipment.
Please note, there is no cover for business-related stock or visitors to your home and any non-clerical business use must always be declared, so please call us if this is the case.