Listed Building Insurance

Written by

David Joyson

Home Insurance Expert & Customer Champion

Reviewed by

Emily Young

Content & Digital Marketing Executive

Listed Building Home Insurance

Protecting homes with architectural or historical significance

“Listed” buildings are properties which have been identified as having historical, architectural, or cultural significance that is legally protected and regulated. The listing identification stage is held through a survey of an area, or a building preservation notice, by a local planning authority.  

Listed Building Grades

Listed buildings are graded from I to III in England and Wales, or from A to C in Scotland, based on their level of historic and architectural importance. Because a number of buildings will sometimes be recorded in a single listing, the exact number of listed properties in the UK is not known. However, it is estimated to be around 500,000.  

Listed Building Home Insurance

Listed properties typically have more significant rebuild costs than standard homes, posing a greater risk to homeowners in the instance of damage or theft. Although the cost of insurance varies for every property, listed building insurance generally has a higher premium. This is because rebuilding an older property often requires specialist tradespeople and materials which are not readily available. Specialist work tends to be more expensive, which is a primary reason for seeking to insure a listed property.  

Homeprotect recognises the importance of protecting your listed home and the unique challenges that can come with it, which is why our team of experts is here to help tailor your home insurance policy to suit your situation and needs when it comes to your listed property.  

Maintaining a listed building

If you own a listed property, you are responsible for its maintenance. Common listed building renovation difficulties include changing doors, window glazing, outbuildings and fitting burglar alarms. Before you undertake any work, you must seek permission from your local authority, such as your local council or in some cases, a body like Historic England, for them to decide whether you can go ahead with renovations or repairs to the listed building. This applies to both internal and external changes to the property. The reason for this is to ensure the aspects of the listed property which are of special interest are not lost.  

You can contact a Quantity Surveyor to arrange a Professional Rebuilding Cost Assessment. To reduce the risk of claiming on your property, you should carry out a regular inspection of your listed property, keeping your eyes peeled for damage to the roof, drainage issues and damp patches. 

What’s covered by BUILDINGS & contents insurance?

Our home insurance covers insured events like: 

• Fire and smoke 
• Flood and storm 
• Theft and attempted theft 
• Escape of water or oil 
• Malicious damage 
• Subsidence, landslip, and heave 
• Falling trees or branches 
• Vehicle collisions or damage caused by emergency services 

This includes the structure of your main home, outbuildings (such as summer houses and sheds), and permanent outdoor features like patios, driveways, paths and boundary walls. Your contents are also protected, including furniture, electronics, clothing and kitchenware — even those stored in garages, sheds or other outbuildings. 

What we offer

What isn’t covered?

There are some things we can’t cover, including: 

Keeping your home and belongings in good condition is essential. If damage happens because of neglect or poor maintenance, your claim may be declined, and your policy could be cancelled. 

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.