Home Insurance in the UK

In the UK home insurance isn’t compulsory – however if you don’t own your property outright, i.e. it has a mortgage secured against it, the mortgage lender will insist that you take out buildings insurance at least – this is because they have an interest in your property.

Should you break the terms and conditions of your mortgage agreement, by failing to make payments for example, the lender has a legal right to repossess your property and sell it to repay the debt; because of this they want to make sure their interest is protected, and in the UK home insurance in the form of buildings cover will protect the property from a wide range of potential threats.

UK home insurance providers are sympathetic to those who take measures to protect their property from crime, and will offer discounted premiums for those that do; just a few options for reducing your chances of becoming a victim of burglary are:

Locks – UK home insurers favour a "five-lever mortice deadlock" on your external doors - you can buy these in most DIY shops. Letterbox – Fit a restrictor to the inside of your letterbox, to prevent intruders reaching through to release locks or bolts. Patio doors – these are especially vulnerable, so extra security locks should be fitted at the top and bottom to stop the frame being lifted off the tracks, and the sliding section should always be on the inside.