an old shed with a garden rake resting on it

Our cover

Home Insurance with a Criminal Conviction

Get a quote online in minutes

  • Buy online – no need to explain on the phone.
  • Same level of cover regardless of conviction.
  • Underwritten by AXA Insurance.
  • All sensitive information is kept confidential.
David Joyson

Written by

David Joyson

Home Insurance Expert & Customer Champion

Sophie Kamkar

Reviewed by

Sophie Kamkar

Content Marketing Manager

Less than 1 minute

Updated: 7 Mar 2024

GOT AN UNSPENT CONVICTION?

Online quotes for ex-offenders with unspent criminal convictions

Searching for home insurance can be a challenge when you have a criminal conviction. Generally, insurance companies do not provide cover to applicants with an unspent conviction, leaving hundreds of thousands of UK residents uninsured and at risk.

DO YOU HAVE ANY CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS WHICH ARE NOT SPENT?

Convictions that are unspent must be disclosed when applying for a new role, or a product such as a mortgage or insurance. The length of time that you need to disclose your unspent conviction depends on the sentence. You do not have to disclose a spent conviction (or any driving or motoring conviction) to your insurer.

DECLARING A CONVICTION 

If you or anyone living at the property, including tenants, has an unspent criminal conviction, you must declare it, if asked. If you don’t, you may be at risk of your insurance provider cancelling your cover or refusing to renew your policy because of the non-disclosure. What’s more, if you have not been truthful and need to claim then your policy could be invalid and you may not receive any support or pay out from your insurer.

DECLARING AN INSURANCE CANCELLATION OR REFUSAL

Your prospective insurer is likely to ask you whether you have had insurance cancelled, refused or had special terms imposed. You must disclose this information, unless the refusal, special terms or cancellation were employed in reaction to a conviction that was unspent at the time but has since become spent.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN MY CONVICTION IS SPENT?

Unless you were convicted with a prison sentence of over four years, your conviction will most likely become spent. The time it takes to become spent varies depending on your sentence and if you were tried as an Adult or a Young Person (under 18). Once your criminal record becomes spent you no longer need to disclose it to your home insurance provider.

specialist Home Insurance Reviews

woman on laptop next to window

Get a home insurance quote online

Get a quote online in less than 10 minutes*

buildings & Contents Insurance Cover Levels

Our home insurance is designed to protect your home against insured events such as fire, storm, flood, escape of water, theft, malicious damage, subsidence, landslip or heave.

Buildings cover

Covers the main structure of your home if you need to rebuild or repair it.

up to £1 million

(eligibility criteria applies)

Contents cover

Covering the value of all your possessions in the home, on a new for old basis.

from £25,000

Alternative accommodation

For you and your pets, in case you can’t live at your home while it’s being repaired after an insured event.

up to £85,000

Home emergency

Covers emergencies that occur in your home like uncontrollable water leaks, electricity failure, faulty locks and vermin infestation. Two levels of cover are available.

up to £500

Family legal protection

Provides a 24/7 legal advice helpline and up to £25,000 cover for claims involving contract disputes and property damage. For a claim to be successful, there must be reasonable prospects (more than a 50% chance) of winning the legal case. Two levels of cover are available.

up to £25,000

Trace and access

Covers the cost of detecting the source of a water or oil leak and repairing any damage caused in the process.

up to £10,000

Outbuildings cover

Covers rebuild or repair of your outbuildings (such as detached garages, greenhouses, sheds and summerhouses).

from £20,000

Liability cover

Liability cover involving accidental death, bodily injury or illness or property damage that you are legally liable to pay.

up to £5 million

Personal possessions

Cover for portable items that you take out of your home, like bags, clothes and sports equipment

Optional

Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home

Cover for electronic gadgets (e.g. mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc), bikes (including electrically assisted bikes) and valuables (e.g. watches and jewellery) that you take out of your home.

Optional

Accidental damage

Covers situations when unexpected accidents happen, such as spillages on the carpet, breakages around the house or drilling through hidden pipes. Two levels of cover are available.

Optional

Recommended by our customers

72% Saved money when they switched to Homeprotect*

What’s covered by BUILDINGS & contents insurance?

Home insurance provides financial protection if you need to repair your home or replace your belongings after they’ve been stolen, damaged or destroyed.

It comes in two parts: buildings insurance (cover against damage to the property itself) and contents insurance (for damaged or stolen items within the home). These can be combined or bought separately, so the first step is deciding which option is better for you.

What we offer

Quick home emergency response times

Have a home emergency, such as electricity failure, faulty locks or vermin infestation? With the 24/7 Home Emergency cover, which we provide as standard, you can typically get an engineer at your home within four hours. And if you’re worried about an uncontrollable leak in your home, we aim to have an emergency plumber to you within two hours.

Extreme weather conditions may extend response time. Policy terms and claim limits apply.

5 star rated buildings cover

Our building insurance has been given the highest rating by independent financial research companies, Defaqto and Moneyfacts.

Repair guarantee

Any buildings work we undertake is guaranteed for 24 months following a claim and any contents repair work we undertake is guaranteed for 12 months.

New for old

Where we replace an item, we will do our best to meet the original specification on a ‘new for old’ basis. If we can’t find an exact replacement, we’ll offer you a suitable alternative, or a full cash settlement.

Legal advice

We provide Legal Protection cover as standard, giving you access to telephone legal advice on any personal legal issue, under the laws of the UK, any European Union country, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Switzerland and Norway.

What isn’t included?

Damage cause gradually, or by wear and tear, or by failure to fix a known issue.

Faulty design or poor workmanship.

Damage caused by pets.

The cost of repairing or replacing items following a mechanical or electrical fault.

Lost items.

New Customer?

If you’re deciding on whether to buy home insurance with us, you can use our latest policy booklets as a guide.

Existing Customer?

Prefer to SPEAK WITH us?

Our insurance experts are on hand if you have any questions.