Underinsurance

Don't get caught out

• Dig out your home insurance documents
  First things first, find out exactly what level of cover you currently have for your buildings and contents
• Calculate your contents
  It’s easy to under-estimate the value of your contents and possessions as there are so many items to consider. The best advice is to be thorough and walk round each room of your house and note down an estimated value for all the items you'd take with you if you moved home, plus items that are fixed to the structure of your home. These include clothing, electrical items, garden furniture, bikes, carpets, curtains, fixtures and fittings, as well as any art and collections.
• Check all your possessions are covered
  Some home insurance policies don't cover art, antiques or collectables, or items of high value, or the insurance company may require you to list these separately. Make a list of anything you're not sure about and ask your insurance company if you’re covered.
• Count the cost of a rebuild
  When you get a quote for home insurance you may be asked to specify a 'rebuild cost' - this represents how much it would cost to completely rebuild your home, including materials and labour. This will vary according to the size, age and type of property you have, and can be a key area for being underinsured.
• Keep your insurance up to date
  It’s usually a good idea to review your buildings and contents insurance cover at least once a year, perhaps when you receive your buildings and contents insurance renewal.

Why choose Hiscox Home Insurance?

Hiscox Home Insurance has been designed to help make sure you’re chance of being underinsured is minimised. Depending on your circumstances, we may offer unlimited buildings and contents cover so whatever the value of your loss, you can be confident you’re covered. You only need to list any items, pairs or sets worth £15,000 or more and give us a total value for any jewellery, art and collections. For certain claims, such as the loss of money while away from home or tracing and repairing a leak, there's a maximum amount we'd pay. However, the cover we provide is still higher than most other home insurance policies. Visit our cover details page to learn more.

When you get a quote, we'll ask you a series of questions about your home so we can tailor your quote to your exact circumstances. This way, even though we offer unlimited cover, you're only paying for the cover you need.

Learn more about Hiscox Home Insurance