Most mortgage providers will require you to have buildings insurance to cover the cost of rebuilding your home in case of disaster. Mortgage companies lend you money in the knowledge that if for any reason you fail to make your payments they can take your house as an asset, so for this reason they will insist that the asset is insured.

You should make sure your buildings insurance covers the cost of alternative accommodation if for some reason your home is uninhabitable. You will also find it worthwhile to double check whether the policy fully covers the cost of rebuilding or if it gives the market value of your property.

As well as the physical structure like the walls and roof, your buildings insurance policy should cover any permanent fixtures in your home, including for example your bathroom suite, fitted kitchen cabinets and garden shed. Essentially, the things that you would not or could not normally take with you if you moved home should be covered by your buildings insurance policy.

The items within your home that you would take with you if you moved need to be covered by separate contents insurance. You do not have to have contents insurance, but a basic policy which covers your furniture, clothing, electrical appliances and floor covering.

If you have any particularly expensive items in your home they may not be covered by a standard contents insurance policy. On the other hand, some policies will even cover you in the event that someone is injured in your home due to some failure on your part to maintain the property.

Like with buildings insurance, the least expensive policies do not always give the best value. For example, cheaper policies will only give you the market value of the goods that you need to replace, not what it will actually cost you to buy new replacements. If you would not be prepared to replace a damaged rug with a second hand one, you may wish to pay a little extra for your contents insurance to get a new for old policy.

Contents and Buildings insurance will both normally cover you for damage or destruction of your property by flood, storms, fire, theft and vandalism, but higher levels of cover are available if you feel that it is necessary, for example accidental damage. If you have children in the home this can be very useful and well worth the extra premium.

There are a number of price comparison websites that will help you to find the best deal for you, and with so many different products available you are sure to find a policy with the appropriate level of cover to meet your needs.