Home insurance advice that fits your property and your life
Home insurance is not just another box to tick when you buy a property.
It’s there to help protect you if your home or belongings are damaged, lost or affected by events such as fire, flood, storm, escape of water, theft or accidental damage, depending on the policy you choose.
You may need buildings and contents insurance if:
- You are buying a home
- You are moving house
- You are remortgaging
- Your current policy is due for renewal
- You want to check whether your cover still fits your home
- You have renovated or extended your property
- You have bought new furniture, technology or valuables
- You are not sure whether your current policy is enough
The cover for you will depend on your property, your belongings, your mortgage, your budget and the level of protection you want.
That is where advice can be useful.
Buildings and contents insurance at a glance
Buildings insurance is designed to protect the structure of your home, while contents insurance is designed to protect the belongings inside it. If you are buying a property with a mortgage, buildings insurance will usually need to be in place from exchange of contracts.
The cover for you will depend on your property, belongings, mortgage requirements, budget and the level of protection you want. We can help you understand your options and arrange suitable cover for your needs.
Why use an adviser for buildings and contents insurance?
It can be tempting to choose home insurance based on the cheapest monthly price. But with insurance, the level of cover matters.
A protection adviser can help you understand what you are actually covered for, what may be excluded, and whether the policy fits your needs.
An insurance broker can help you:
- Understand the difference between buildings and contents insurance
- Check what cover you need for your mortgage
- Think about the rebuild cost of your property
- Consider the value of your belongings
- Understand optional extras such as accidental damage or legal expenses
- Check whether valuable items need to be listed separately
- Compare cover, not just price
- Understand policy excesses and exclusions
- Arrange cover in time for your purchase or remortgage
- Save time by helping you narrow down the options
The aim is to help you arrange cover with more confidence, rather than leaving you to guess what is suitable.
For insurance business we offer products from a choice of insurers.
What is buildings insurance?
Buildings insurance is designed to protect the structure of your home.
This can include things such as:
- Walls
- Roof
- Floors
- Windows
- Fitted kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Permanent fixtures and fittings
- Garages and outbuildings, depending on the policy
If you have a mortgage, your lender will normally expect you to have buildings insurance in place.
Buildings insurance is not only about meeting lender requirements. It is also about making sure you are not left to cover major repair or rebuild costs yourself if something serious happens.
What is contents insurance?
Contents insurance is designed to protect the belongings inside your home.
This can include things such as:
- Furniture
- Clothing
- Electrical items
- Jewellery
- Carpets
- Curtains
- Personal possessions
- Children’s belongings
- Home office equipment, depending on the policy
A simple way to think about contents is: if you moved home, the things you would usually take with you are likely to be contents.
Contents insurance is usually optional, but it can still be very important. If your belongings were damaged or stolen, you would otherwise need to replace them yourself.
Do you need buildings and contents insurance when buying a home?
If you’re buying a property with a mortgage, buildings insurance is normally required by the lender.
This is because the property is the lender’s security for the mortgage. If the building were seriously damaged, the lender needs to know the property is protected.
Contents insurance is not usually required by the lender, but many homeowners choose it because they want to protect their belongings too.
If you are buying a leasehold flat, the buildings insurance may be arranged by the freeholder or management company and paid through your service charge. You should still check what is covered and whether you need contents insurance separately.
We can help you understand what to consider before completion, so your cover is not left until the last minute.
What should you think about when choosing home insurance?
When arranging buildings and contents insurance, it’s worth looking beyond the monthly premium.
You may want to consider:
- What is covered
- What is excluded
- The policy excess
- The rebuild cost of the property
- The value of your contents
- Accidental damage cover
- Personal possessions away from home
- High value items
- Home emergency cover
- Legal expenses cover
- Alternative accommodation if your home cannot be lived in
- Claims history
- Flood risk or property specific risks
- Whether you pay monthly or annually
The right policy is not always the cheapest policy. It is the one that gives you the level of protection you need at a cost that feels manageable.
Common home insurance mistakes to avoid
Home insurance can be easy to overlook, especially when you are focused on the mortgage, solicitor, removals and completion date.
Common mistakes include:
- Only choosing the cheapest policy
- Not checking the excess
- Underestimating the value of contents
- Forgetting to list high value items
- Not checking whether accidental damage is included
- Assuming a leasehold flat includes everything you need
- Letting an old policy renew without reviewing it
- Not updating cover after renovations
- Leaving insurance until the last minute before completion
We can help you avoid these mistakes by talking through what matters before you arrange cover.
Why choose Your Mortgage Expert?
At Your Mortgage Expert, we help clients think about home insurance as part of the wider home ownership journey.
If you are buying, moving or remortgaging, there is already a lot to manage. We can help make the insurance side clearer, so you understand what cover may be needed and when it should be in place.
Clients choose us because we offer:
- Clear advice in plain English
- Help understanding buildings and contents insurance
- Support arranging cover alongside your mortgage
- Guidance on policy options, excesses and exclusions
- Help thinking about both your home and belongings
- A managed process from enquiry through to application
- Friendly advice by phone, video or face to face
We’re based in Salisbury and help clients locally and across the UK.
Need buildings and contents insurance?
If you’re buying a home, moving house, remortgaging or reviewing your existing policy, we can help you understand your buildings and contents insurance options and arrange suitable cover for your needs.
This page was reviewed by our mortgage and protection advice team and last updated in May 2026.