Home Renovation Insurance
- Buildings Cover up to £1 million.
- Covers unoccupied properties.
- Underwritten by AXA Insurance.
- Average quote time is only 10 minutes.
More information
Home insurance cover while renovating
What is renovation insurance?
Renovation insurance covers your home while it’s undergoing improvement works. At Homeprotect, we include cover for renovations as part of your standard home insurance policy — as long as the total value of the work is less than £20,000.
If your renovation project is valued over £20,000, just let us know. We’ll update your policy so that the rest of your home remains protected while work is underway.
Yes. Whether you’re redecorating, converting a loft, or adding an extension, having home insurance gives you peace of mind if something goes wrong.
With Homeprotect, we continue to insure the areas of your home that aren’t being worked on, while your contractor’s own policy covers the work area. To be eligible, contractors must have public liability cover of at least £1 million.
You must not sign a liability waiver or agree to name your contractor on the policy as an insured party. Doing so could invalidate your cover.
If you’re carrying out the works yourself, you must be suitably qualified and accredited. All references to contractors in your policy will apply to you.
Renovations include any project involving building work or structural alterations inside your property boundary. That covers:
– Extensions
– Loft conversions
– Kitchen and bathroom refits
– Rewiring and new plumbing
If the total value of the work is over £20,000 (including VAT), you must tell us before work starts. This applies regardless of whether you’re living in the home during the renovation or not.
If your property is left unoccupied for more than 72 consecutive hours during the renovation, cover will be limited to Fire, Lightning, Explosion and Aircraft impact (“FLEA”) until someone moves back in.
During this time, there is no cover for escape of water, flood, storm, subsidence, landslip, heave, or theft.
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Policies underwritten by AXA Insurance
AXA underwrites Homeprotect insurance policies
72% saved money when they switched to Homeprotect
Based on survey data of 1,089 buying customers*
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Moneyfacts
Our home insurance is 5 Star Rated by Moneyfacts
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What is and isn’t covered during renovations?
We provide cover for the parts of your home not being worked on. However, some exclusions apply:
No cover is provided for:
Any part of the building undergoing renovation
Accidental damage (to any part of the building or contents)
Damage to underground services
Storm or snow damage if the property isn’t wind- or weathertight
Unfixed materials and goods intended for the renovation
Loss, damage, or liability resulting from work done by contractors (even after completion)
Injury or death to builders, contractors, or subcontractors
You must also ensure contractors working at your home have at least £1 million public liability cover.
What we offer
Emergency help when you need it most
If you have a home emergency — such as a power outage, uncontrollable leak or a broken lock — our 24/7 Home Emergency cover is included as standard.
- We aim to get an engineer to you within four hours
- For serious water leaks, we’ll try to have a plumber with you in two hours
Response times may vary during extreme weather. Policy terms and claim limits apply.
5 star rated cover
Our insurance has received the highest rating from independent financial researchers, Moneyfacts.
Repair guarantee
We guarantee any buildings work we arrange after a claim for two years. Contents repairs are guaranteed for one year.
New for old
Where we replace a damaged or stolen item, we’ll do our best to match the original — on a ‘new for old’ basis. If that’s not possible, we’ll offer a suitable alternative or a full cash settlement.
Legal support when you need it
Family Legal Protection is included as standard. You’ll have access to expert telephone legal advice on personal matters under the laws of the UK and most of Europe.
What isn’t covered?
There are some things we can’t cover, including:
Gradual damage, wear and tear, or issues you failed to fix
Faulty workmanship or poor design
Contractor work (including related losses or liability)
Mechanical or electrical breakdown
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.
renovation insurance Cover Levels
Buildings cover
Protects the main structure of your home, including attached garages and conservatories, and permanent outdoor features such as patios, driveways and boundary walls.
up to £1 million
(more cover available if you need it)
Contents cover
Protects your household contents — including furniture, clothing, appliances, gadgets and valuables — against events like fire, flood and theft. Cover is provided on a new for old basis.
from £25,000
Alternative accommodation
We’ll help cover the cost of temporary accommodation for you and your pets if your home becomes uninhabitable due to an insured event. If you stay with friends or family instead, we’ll cover your extra living costs.
up to £75,000 (Buildings)
up to £10,000 (Contents)
Home emergency
Covers sudden, unexpected emergencies — like an uncontrollable leak — that require immediate action to prevent damage 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 for certain insured events. There must be a reasonable chance of success, and the incident must happen during your policy term. Two levels of cover are available, for different types of insured loss.
up to £25,000
Trace and access
We’ll pay to detect the source of a water or oil leak, and cover the cost of reinstating floors, walls or paths that were disturbed in the process.
up to £10,000
Outbuildings cover
Covers detached garages, greenhouses, sheds, summerhouses and other outbuildings within your boundary or any communal area you’re legally responsible for.
from £20,000
Liability cover
Covers your legal liability for accidental death, injury or illness to someone else, or damage to their property.
up to £5 million
Personal possessions
Covers items you wear, carry or use outside the home (e.g. clothing, bags and sports equipment).
Optional
Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home
Optional cover for mobile phones, laptops, tablets, watches, jewellery, hearing aids and other high-risk items you take out of your home.
Optional
Accidental damage
Optional cover for unexpected mishaps around the home — such as breakages, spillages or damage caused by you, your guests or wild animals. Two levels of cover are available.
Optional
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
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?
Find answers to some of your questions here. Your latest policy documents are also available to view and download.
Your renovations insurance Questions Answered
Contractors working on your home must hold at least £1 million in public liability insurance to qualify for Homeprotect cover.
You only need to tell us if the redecoration work is worth over £20,000. Smaller cosmetic work doesn’t need to be declared.
When undergoing home renovation work with a reputable contractor, they should provide public liability insurance. Homeprotect requires contractors to have at least £1 million in liability cover to qualify for our policies.
Homeprotect renovation insurance then provides cover for the rest of your home, where the renovation works aren’t taking place.
If your home renovations are valued at £20,000 or above, you will need to let us know, so we can adjust your home insurance policy accordingly. If you don’t you risk invalidating your policy if you attempt to make a claim.
No. Contractors are responsible for their own insurance. Our policy does not cover injury to or caused by contractors.
Homeprotect renovation insurance is designed to protect the rest of your property while you are undergoing valuable renovation projects. The projects themselves will be covered by your contractor’s liability insurance.
Yes. If your renovation is valued over £20,000, you must notify us before work begins. If you don’t, your policy could be invalid.
Use the BCIS Rebuild Calculator built into our online quote journey, or contact a chartered surveyor, especially for listed buildings or non-standard construction.
Cosmetic changes include decorating, new flooring or fittings. Renovations are more structural or involve plumbing, electrical or major building work.
Yes, but you can’t claim for anything that happened before the policy began. Claims for earlier incidents may be considered fraud. .