Home Insurance (or Household Insurance, Buildings Insurance, Contents Insurance) provides cover on buildings, contents and personal possessions which may be taken outside the home. Cover can either be for standard cover or accidental damage cover.

Standard cover provides insurance for the following perils:

• Fire
• Lightning
• Explosion
• Earthquake
• Theft or attempted theft
• Aircraft
• Impact by vehicles or animals
• Falling trees, branches, lamp posts, telegraph poles or aerials
• Riot and civil commotion
• Malicious damage
• Storm
• Flood
• Escape of water or oil
• Subsidence, heave or landslip
• Accidental breakage of fixed glass, sanitary fittings or ceramic hobs
• Accidental damage to pipes, cables and tanks
• Accidental damage on home entertainment equipment
• Property Owner’s Liability
• Personal Liability
• Employers’ Liability in respect of domestic employees (e.g. a part-time cleaner). This cover is compulsory at law.

Accidental damage cover can be added to both Buildings Insurance and Contents Insurance and provides insurance for the above perils and for other losses that arise from accidental means. Thus such a policy would provide cover if paint were to be spilled on a carpet – this would not be covered on a standard policy.

Various extensions are included, such as:

• The cost of alternative accommodation following a claim
• Cover on contents in the open – e.g. washing on a line or ornaments in the garden
• Cover on contents of freezer cabinets
• Money and credit cards
• Replacement of locks following theft of keys

Insurance can be arranged on buildings only, contents only or both sections under one policy. Cover on personal possessions taken outside the home – laptop computers, jewellery, camera, pedal cycles and so on – can be added to household contents policies.

Under some policies it is possible to insure caravans and small boats. Policyholders who are trustees – e.g. for a Village Hall – can arrange individual Trustees Indemnity insurance to protect them if one of the trustees commits a “wrongful act” and they are sued as a group.

Cover for those who run a business from home can be arranged under a “Working From Home” policy. If this applies for you please refer to our Working From Home Summary.

Household policies are usually subject to an excess, which means that you must pay the first part of any claim. The usual excess is £50 and this rises to £1,000 for subsidence, heave or landslip.

Examples of incidents that would usually be covered under a Home Insurance policy are as follows:

• Theft of your possessions from your home. The policy would pay to replace them with new items.
• Whilst digging in the garden, you damage a gas pipe. You will be charged for replacement of the pipe and the policy will pay the cost of this.
• You are walking in the street in the rain and a passer-by alleges that you injured them with your umbrella. Your insurers will pay for the cost of defending the claim (whether or not you are found negligent) and for any compensation payable.
• Whilst on holiday overseas, you lose your watch. This would be covered under the extension for Personal Possessions.
• A kitchen fire causes damage to worktops. Insurers would pay for the damage to be repaired and for any necessary redecoration to the house.
• You engage a cleaner for 2 hours a week. Whilst they are at work, they sustain a minor electric shock on your vacuum cleaner and say that they are going to sue you. The Employers’ Liability section of your policy will pay to defend you.

Norris & Fisher are happy to answer individual queries on Home Insurance. Please telephone us on 01794 518855.

If you would like a quotation, please complete our Enquiry Form and return it by post, fax or email. We will respond immediately we receive a quotation from insurers – usually on the following working day.