Protecting your home and belongings with the right cover from leading UK insurer.
Your home is one of your most important investments — but life can be unpredictable. Whether it’s accidental damage, theft, fire or flooding, the right household insurance can give you peace of mind and financial protection when you need it most.
What is it?
COVERAGE
Building Insurance
Your buildings policy includes protection against:
Buildings insurance protects the permanent parts of your home — including fitted kitchens, bathrooms and structural features.
You can extend your household insurance with optional covers, such as:
Legal expenses cover – Assistance with legal disputes.
Home emergency cover – Help with urgent issues like boiler breakdowns or burst pipes.
Personal belongings cover – For valuables carried outside the home.
Host or holiday let cover – For insured properties that are rented out.
Cycling cover – Specialist protection for expensive bicycles.
Accidental damage cover – For everyday knocks and spills.
Household insurance is not a legal requirement in the UK, but it’s one of the most important financial protections you can have.
Mortgage holders: Most lenders require buildings insurance as a condition of your mortgage — so it’s effectively essential if you’re buying with a loan.
Ask yourself: If your home was destroyed by fire, or your belongings were stolen, could you afford to replace them yourself? For most people, the answer is no. That’s where a tailored household insurance policy provides real peace of mind.
Buildings insurance protects the physical structure of your home against damage from:
Buildings insurance covers the permanent structure including the roof, walls, floors, fitted kitchens, bathrooms, and built-in wardrobes.
Note: If you have a mortgage, your lender will require you to have buildings insurance in place from the day you exchange contracts.
Contents insurance protects items within your home that are not permanently attached, including:
Contents cover also protects items away from home when you choose personal possessions cover.
For complete protection and convenience, we can arrange a combined buildings and contents policy. This gives you comprehensive cover under one plan, often at a more competitive price than buying separate policies.
Buildings insurance protects the physical structure of your home against damage from:
Buildings insurance covers the permanent structure including the roof, walls, floors, fitted kitchens, bathrooms, and built-in wardrobes.
Note: If you have a mortgage, your lender will require you to have buildings insurance in place from the day you exchange contracts.
Contents insurance protects items within your home that are not permanently attached, including:
Contents cover also protects items away from home when you choose personal possessions cover.
For complete protection and convenience, we can arrange a combined buildings and contents policy. This gives you comprehensive cover under one plan, often at a more competitive price than buying separate policies.
Protecting your home doesn’t mean paying over the odds. Here are ways to reduce your premiums:
Improve Home Security
Pay Annually
Paying your premium in one lump sum rather than monthly can save you interest charges.
Build a No Claims History
Each claim free year typically reduces your premiums.
Increase Your Excess
A higher voluntary excess can lower premiums — as long as you could afford it.
Insure Accurately
Use a Broker
Our access to multiple insurers and negotiation ability often finds better value than going direct.
What Affects Your Household Insurance Cost?
Insurers assess risk based on:
Property Factors
Personal Factors
Policy Choices
Our advisers consider all these factors to find you the most competitive rate from leading UK insurers.
Property Factors:
Personal Factors:
Policy Factors:
At WS Insurance, our clients trust us for our expertise, transparency, and personalised support. We take pride in delivering reliable insurance solutions and guiding property owners with care at every step. Their feedback reflects our commitment to exceptional service and long-term relationships.
Insurers consider several factors when calculating your premium, including:
The size and rebuild cost of your property
Where your property is located
The age and materials of the building
Your personal claims history
The value of your contents
The security features in place
Our brokers assess all of this to help you find the most competitive rate available.
House insurance (also known as home buildings insurance) typically covers the cost of repairing or rebuilding your home if it’s damaged by events such as fire, flood, storm, subsidence, or vandalism. It can also include cover for permanent fixtures like kitchens, bathrooms, and built-in wardrobes.
Yes. Most mortgage lenders require you to have buildings insurance in place from the day you exchange contracts. This ensures your property is protected should damage occur before or after completion.
Absolutely. We specialise in arranging bespoke home insurance policies for high-value properties, including listed buildings and homes with specialist rebuild requirements. We’ll source tailored cover to ensure your property is fully protected.
Yes, many policies can be extended to include personal possessions when you’re away from home — for example, jewellery, mobile phones, and laptops. Our team can help you find the right level of protection for your lifestyle.
Accidental damage isn’t always included as standard but can usually be added for an additional premium. This covers unintentional damage, such as spilling paint on a carpet or breaking a window.
The rebuild value is the cost of rebuilding your home from the ground up — not its market value. It’s important your policy reflects an accurate rebuild cost to avoid being underinsured. WS Insurance can help you arrange a professional valuation if needed.
Yes. Whether your home is timber-framed, thatched, or steel-framed with a concrete exterior, we can source specialist insurers who understand non-standard construction and provide the right protection.
Contact us or your insurer immediately; document the damage and we’ll support you throughout.
As independent insurance brokers, we compare leading insurers to find the best cover for your property. You’ll receive tailored advice, personal service, and peace of mind knowing your home is protected by experts who understand your needs.
Not quite. Buildings insurance protects the physical structure of your home, while “home insurance” typically refers to a combined policy covering both buildings and contents.
A helpful way to think about it: if you turned your home upside down, everything that falls out is covered by contents insurance, and everything that stays in place is covered by buildings insurance.
Yes. All UK mortgage lenders require buildings insurance as a condition of your loan. You must have it in place from the day you exchange contracts, not just from completion.
Absolutely. Whether your home is timber-framed, steel-framed, thatched, or has concrete walls, we work with specialist insurers who understand non-standard construction and provide the right protection.
The rebuild value is the cost of completely rebuilding your home from the ground up – not its market value. Market value includes factors like location and demand, while rebuild value is purely the construction cost.
Rebuild costs are often lower than market value in expensive areas, but can be higher for older properties requiring specialist materials. We can help arrange a professional rebuild valuation through Winfields Chartered Surveyors if needed.
Yes, we specialise in arranging cover for listed buildings, heritage properties, and homes with unique features. These properties require specialist insurance due to higher rebuild costs and the need for traditional materials and specialist contractors.
Yes, we specialise in arranging cover for listed buildings, heritage properties, and homes with unique features. These properties require specialist insurance due to higher rebuild costs and the need for traditional materials and specialist contractors.
Standard contents insurance covers items within your home only. However, you can add “personal possessions cover” (also called “all risks” or “personal belongings cover”) to protect items like jewellery, phones, laptops, and cameras when you’re out and about.
Most standard contents policies have single-item limits (often £1,500-£2,500). For valuable items above these limits, you should specify them individually on your policy or arrange specialist cover.
We offer dedicated fine art and valuables insurance for collections and premium watch insurance for luxury timepieces.
Not always. Accidental damage cover is often an optional extra that you can add to your policy for an additional premium. This covers mishaps like spilling red wine on your carpet, dropping and breaking a TV, or putting your foot through the ceiling.
Contact our dedicated claims support team as soon as possible. We’ll guide you through every step of the process, from the initial call to settlement. Our team will liaise with your insurer, help with paperwork, and ensure your claim is handled fairly and efficiently.
Yes, many insurers offer multi-policy discounts if you take out several types of insurance with them. We can help you explore bundling options that could save you money.
It protects your home structure, contents and possessions against damage, loss or theft.
Not legally, but most mortgages require buildings insurance, and it’s strongly recommended.
Yes — we can arrange specialist cover for jewellery, watches, art and antiques.
Accidental damage is usually an optional extra.
Yes — we arrange cover for a wide range of property types.
