John Lewis Home Insurance. With you when it matters.

We all know that buying Home Insurance can be confusing at the best of times. Do you want to protect your buildings, your contents or both?

Policies vary in cost but the really important bit is how much they actually cover you for.

This can make it difficult to work out who’s really providing great levels of cover while still offering value for money.

To make it a little easier, we’ve pulled together a useful list of things that you may wish to consider to help you get the right policy.

First of all, you should think about the kind of cover you need - buildings insurance, contents insurance or both?       

Contents insurance covers all the possessions you’ve got in your home.

It covers you against your property being stolen and some policies also cover you if something gets damaged by accident – like if you spill red wine on your carpet.

If you have buildings insurance, this protects your building, including any outbuildings, such as sheds, against things like flooding, fire and subsidence. When you’re looking for insurance, remember that the details of every building and contents policy will be different. Make sure you check the exclusions - the things the policy won’t cover.

Secondly, you should think about what you want your Home Insurance to include.

For example, do you have any high-value jewellery? Or garden furniture you want to protect?

Look for wide-ranging cover with a good selection of features. Most providers will allow you to add cover to your policy, such as Accidental Damage, Home Emergency or Personal Possessions cover. It really is worth studying the policy detail to find out who offers what.

Do you have an unusual or unique property?

Every home is unique, but some need extra levels of cover. For example, if you have a large number of bedrooms or a thatched roof, a standard policy may not give you the amount of insurance you need.

Try and look for a policy specifically designed for your home. We provide that with our Specialist Home Insurance.

Next, you’ll need to think about valuing your home
and its contents.

Every Home Insurance policy will offer different levels of cover for all the things in your home.

A sum insured policy will pay up to a specific amount when you make a claim. For this type of policy, you’ll need to work out the value of everything in your home, as well as the cost of rebuilding it.

Because this can be difficult to do, some companies offer home insurance without this limit – so you don't have to work out all the separate values.

Insuring special items      

Most Home Insurance policies will normally include cover for your valuables such as jewellery, watches, works of art and paintings. But… you might have to specify items individually if they are worth more
than a set amount.

Once you’ve decided what you’re looking for, it’s helpful to be prepared before you start the quotation process.

So what should you have to hand when you’re getting a quote?

• You’ll need all your personal details
• The property details, such as the year it was built, details of security devices and details of any subsidence
• Plus, the date you want your insurance to start.

 And finally, try to choose a reputable insurance provider that you can trust. Finding good value Home Insurance is important and knowing that you and your home are protected should the worst happen will give you valuable peace of mind.

Find out more about how John Lewis Home Insurance is with you
when it matters.