UK Holiday Home Insurance

  • Property covered for non-paying and paying guests including Airbnb.
  • Covers holiday homes empty for 30+ days at a time.
  • Coastal properties and barn conversions covered.
  • Underwritten by AXA Insurance.
David Joyson

Written by

David Joyson

Home Insurance Expert & Customer Champion

Libby Goodsearles

Reviewed by

Libby Goodsearles

Head of Marketing

Less than 1 minute

Updated: 10 Dec 2024

What is holiday home insurance?

Holiday home insurance is meant to provide home insurance cover for properties that you wouldn’t consider to be your main residence, but that you use for purposes such as going on family getaways, renting out to guests, or perhaps both.  

The way you use your holiday home will influence the price and policy terms we can offer. We take into account factors such as the risks associated with your property. For example, if you frequently leave your holiday home unoccupied, damage to the property could go unnoticed. Or, if you rent out your holiday home, damage could be caused by paying guests during their stay.  

Other specifics, such as location, rebuild value, property security, and property maintenance, will also contribute to determining the price and policy terms which we can offer.  

do i need holiday home insurance?

While you’re not legally required to take out holiday home insurance, the protection that comes with having home insurance can be reassuring.  

As long as your home has fixed foundations and is based in the UK, we can provide a holiday home insurance quote. We cover properties such as cottages, mansions, lodges, country homes, and barn conversions.  

If you choose to insure your holiday home with Homeprotect, our holiday home insurance comes with the option to purchase buildings cover, contents cover, or both. Keep reading to learn more about what is and isn’t included in our holiday home insurance.  

can i get standard home insurance for a holiday home?

Your standard home insurance policy typically won’t cover your property if it’s used as a holiday home, which is why you’ll want to consider taking out holiday home insurance.  

You can get a quote to find out more about the holiday home insurance cover you’ll need for your situation.  

what home insurance do i need if i rent out my holiday home?

If you own a holiday let, you’ll want to make sure you have certain levels of cover such as public liability and loss of rent. Our holiday home insurance can cover your holiday home if you’re renting it out – get a quote today to find out more. 

What our expert says…

Our holiday home cover is very popular and we currently insure over 30,000 UK holiday homes. If you have paying guests, then you can claim up to £30,000 for loss of rental income, if your property can’t be lived in due to an insured loss, such as fire or flood.  

However, there are cover restrictions, such as the exclusion of alternative accommodation and accidental damage cover if you have paying guests. But because of these restrictions our holiday home cover is, on average, considerably cheaper than our standard property cover. 

So even if the price is appealing, do make sure you read through the policy terms to understand the specifics of what is and isn’t covered – that way you can be confident that Homeprotect has the right cover for you.”

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Gerry McNally

Home Insurance Expert

holiday home Insurance Reviews

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What’s covered by holiday home 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 fix for uncontrollable leaks

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.

Theft, vandalism or accidental damage caused by a paying guest.

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

Lost items.

Escape of water incidents occurring between 1 October – 1 April (inclusive) if your home is left unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days.

The costs of alternative accommodation (unless the property is your main home).

Recommended by our customers

72% Saved money when they switched to Homeprotect*

*Survey data of 1,089 buying customers from 30th October – 12th November 2024

HOME 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, including attached garages and conservatories, if you need to rebuild or repair it following an insured loss. Also covers permanent outdoor structures such as driveways, patios and boundary walls. 

£1 million

(more cover available if you need it) 

Contents cover

Covering the value of the possessions you could take with you when moving home, such as furniture, clothing, valuables, appliances, fittings, entertainment equipment, gadgets and bikes, following an insured loss. Cover provided on a new for old basis. 

from £25,000

Loss of rent

If you have paying guests, we’ll cover lost rent if your guests can’t stay in the home due to an insured event. 

up to £30,000

Home emergency

Covers sudden, unexpected emergencies, such as uncontrollable water leaks, that require immediate corrective action to prevent or limit damage to your home, or make your home secure. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss. 

up to £500

Family legal protection

Covers legal costs following an insured loss. There must be reasonable prospects of winning and the incident must have occurred during the policy term. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss.

up to £25,000

Trace and access

Covers the cost of detecting the source of a water or oil leak to your home or outbuildings. Includes reinstating any wall, floor, ceiling, drive, fence or path removed or damaged during the search (up to the claim limit).

up to £10,000

Outbuildings cover

Covers rebuild or repair of your outbuildings (e.g. detached garages, greenhouses, sheds and summerhouses) that are within the boundary or a communal area you’re legally responsible for, if you need to rebuild or repair them following an insured loss.

from £20,000

Liability cover

Covers damages and claimants’ costs and expenses for your legal liability in the event of accidental death, injury or illness to a third party, or damage to property belonging to a third party. 

up to £5 million

Personal possessions

Covers items likely to be worn, carried or used by you away from your home (e.g. bags, clothes and sports equipment) in the event of physical damage or theft. Cover provided anywhere in the world.

Optional

(excluded if you have paying guests)

Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home

Cover for electronic gadgets (e.g. mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc), bikes (including electrically assisted bikes), valuables (e.g. watches and jewellery), equipment (e.g. hearing aids) and other expensive or high risk items that you take out of your home. 

Optional

(excluded if you have paying guests)

Accidental damage

Covers sudden, unexpected and unforeseen events around the house (e.g. spillages or breakages) that result in physical damage and which was caused by you, your guests, a third party or wild animals. Two levels of cover are available.

Optional

(excluded if you have paying guests)

Your Questions Answered

When insuring your holiday home, there are add-ons or optional cover available to enhance your protection and tailor your policy to your specific needs. Some common holiday home add-ons you might consider include: 

  1. Accidental Damage Cover: This add-on provides protection against accidental damage to your holiday home’s contents or structure, such as spills, breakages, or mishaps. (Excluded if you have paying guests).  
  1. Personal Possessions Cover: If you keep personal belongings or valuable items at your holiday home, personal possessions cover can provide coverage for these items. (Excluded if you have paying guests).   
  1. 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. (Excluded if you have paying guests).  

Public liability insurance would be included as standard in your holiday home insurance.  

Cover of up to £5,000,000 per period of insurance can be provided to pay damages and claimants’ costs and expenses (agreed by us in writing) for your legal liability in the event of incidents such as death, bodily injury, or illness to a third party (e.g. someone other than you, anybody permanently residing with you) or domestic staff (e.g. cleaners or gardeners). 

Please read our policy booklet to find out more about what is and isn’t covered.  

The type of insurance you need and your policy terms will depend on how you use your property. The difference between a ‘holiday home’ vs a ‘second home,’ might be, for example, the amount of time you spend in it. Some holiday homes are left unoccupied for extended periods of time. In the case of unoccupancy for more than 30 days, there may be certain restrictions that would come with your cover. However, if you own a second home not used as a holiday destination, but as a second permanent residence you frequently visit, this would likely result in different policy terms.  

Your home insurance cover can be adjusted depending on your situation. The best way to find out more about what cover you need would be to get a quote.  

The cost of holiday home insurance will vary depending on factors such as location, rebuild value, property security, property maintenance, and the level of cover you choose. 

You can get a quote for holiday home insurance today.  

No, Homeprotect can only provide holiday home insurance to customers who live in the UK.  

No, Homeprotect only covers properties within the United Kingdom, England, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. 

As long as your home has fixed foundations, we can provide cover for a range of properties such as:  

  • Cottages 
  • Mansions 
  • Lodges 
  • Country homes 
  • Barn conversions 

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New Customer?

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

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