Home insurance protects the building you own, the things you own within that building, or both. Protection for the physical structure of a building is called buildings insurance, while covering the things you own is called contents insurance. And, of course, you can choose to cover both.

So if you have covered your property and/or contents with home insurance, then if something unfortunate should happen – such as a flood or theft – you can make a claim on your policy.

Home insurance can cover damage done to your building or contents by accident or through unforeseen events like theft. It can be used to repair damage or replace items including the house itself, and cover can be enhanced by adding on extra insurance which includes Family Legal Protection, Home Emergency and Accidental Damage cover. An additional cost may apply.

Contents insurance protects your belongings – anything in your property which isn’t part of its permanent structure – while buildings insurance protects the physical building, for example plumbing and electrical systems.

Defaqto is a leading financial information, ratings and fintech business. Its unbiased product information, provided as Star Ratings, helps customers make better informed decisions. Using Star Ratings, Defaqto  rate every product on the market, on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. A 1 Star product covers the basics, whereas a 5 Star product is one of the most comprehensive on the market.

1 Star – A basic product, with a low level of features and benefits.
2 Star – A product typically offering a below average range of features and benefits.
3 Star – A standard product providing an average level of features and benefits.
4 Star – A product with a good level of features and benefits.
5 Star – An excellent product with a comprehensive range of features and benefits.

NO. Your policy does not cover for anything that happens gradually. This includes damage to electrical and domestic appliances caused by them breaking down.

Home maintenance is important and it is your responsibility to look after your building and contents. Your policy is designed to only cover you for things that you couldn’t have reasonably predicted. 

We try to make life as simple as possible for you. In order to help you decide which cover is right for you, we suggest that you have a think about the value of your house and contents. This doesn’t have to be hard work – though you might want to make a list of the things you own and add up the total values. It needn’t be to the penny, but it should be as accurate as possible.

If you own items that could have changed in value over the years, such as artwork, antiques, musical instruments and jewellery, it’s a good idea to get a professional to value them.

An excess on any insurance policy is an amount you will need to pay when you make a claim. There are two kinds of excess: voluntary and compulsory. Voluntary excess is an amount you choose to pay while a compulsory excess is one that you have to pay if you want to make a claim. The total excess in the event of a claim will be the combination of the two.

Your excess may be taken from your insurance claim payout. For instance, if you have an excess of £1,000 and make a claim for £5,000, your insurer may retain £1,000 of the payout and give you £4,000.

Accidental Damage is an extra level of home insurance cover and separate from damage included on your main policy. Your policy will already cover you for damage caused by a storm, fire, flood or theft and attempted theft.

Accidental damage is sudden, unexpected harm done to your building or contents unintentionally. It is damage done by you or someone in your house. This could be accidentally drilling through a pipe when doing DIY, for instance. Or, in the case of contents insurance, it could be knocking a glass of red wine onto a carpet.

You will need to purchase Accidental Damage cover at the same time you buy your policy – it can’t be added on later. Only you can decide if you want or need Accidental Damage cover. Accidental Damage comes as standard with our Gold product.

Please remember to consider your compulsory and voluntary policy excess before you make any Accidental Damage claim because often the claim damage is less than the excess amount.

There's no legal requirement to have home insurance in the UK, however, mortgage lenders may make having buildings insurance a requirement before they are willing to lend you money.

It means that your policy will renew automatically when your policy comes up for renewal next year. It is a convenient stress free way of staying insured. We’ll send a reminder 28 days before your renewal date so you can check the details, and make sure you are still happy to go ahead. 

Please look at your Policy Summary as the information on this document is specific to you. It includes your personal and property details, the cover you have purchased, the cost of your insurance, your chosen method of payment, any excesses applicable and if you are set up to auto renew, or not.

You can update your auto renew preference in a number of ways. You can call the Contact Centre on 03334 439 850 or go onto the Self Service Centre or email us at homeinsurance@postoffice.co.uk or you can write to us at Post Office Insurance Services Fountain Court 119 Grange Road Middlesbrough TS1 2DT. Please be ready to quote your Home insurance policy number which begins with an H followed by digits.

If you choose to pay by monthly instalments, you will be charged for the credit, and this is indicated by the (variable) APR%. Premium Credit Limited (PCL) may also charge a £5 facility fee which covers their ongoing regulatory operating costs of affordability and anti-money laundering checks. This means you pay more for a monthly payment plan than you would for an annual lump sum arrangement. 

PCL are a third party finance provider, appointed by Post Office Insurance to provide credit to our customers who’d like to pay monthly by direct debit for their Home insurance. You can contact PCL on 03447 369 820. 

Ageas Insurance Limited are appointed by Post Office Insurance as the underwriter of our main Home insurance product. Ageas also handle the customer claims journey. 

DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Limited underwrite and provide the Family Legal Protection (FLP) and Home Emergency (HE) insurance cover, offered to Post Office Home insurance customers. They also provide the Legal Helplines service.  

If you’re taking in Ukrainian refugees, your existing Home insurance cover won’t be impacted, and you don’t need to contact us. Under our policy terms and conditions a Ukrainian refugee living in your property will be defined as being a family member, rather than a guest or lodger. The only exception, and when you might want to call us, is if your new extended “family” members have arrived with any high value personal possessions (like jewellery) that need cover in and out of your home, whilst they are staying with you .

If you need to call us then our team are happy to answer any questions on 0333 4439 850 Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.