Non-standard home insurance can cover homes with higher-risk features, claims history, flood risk, unusual construction, or occupancy issues.
Non-standard home insurance is cover for a property, owner, landlord, or set of details that does not fit a simple home insurance quote.
This can include homes with a higher risk of flood, past subsidence, unusual building materials, a long claims history, listed status, renovation work, or periods when the home is empty. It can also apply where the property is let to tenants or used in a way that a standard policy may not allow.
At Got You Covered, our home insurance can help with a range of more specialist home insurance needs. This may include homes affected by flood or subsidence, unoccupied properties, homes under renovation, and cover for buildings, contents, or both.
A home may be classed as non-standard when an insurer needs more detail before it can decide whether to offer cover and on what terms.
This may be because the home is harder to repair, more likely to need a claim, or harder to value. For example, the ABI explains that buildings insurance usually covers the structure of the home, but the rebuild cost must be right. This can be more complex for listed buildings or non-standard construction.
A property may also need specialist cover if it has a higher flood risk. You can check the long-term flood risk for an area in England, including risk from rivers, the sea, surface water, reservoirs, and groundwater where data is available. This does not guarantee whether a specific home will flood, but it can help show why insurers may ask more questions.
Some homes may also fall under schemes or special arrangements. For example, Flood Re was set up to improve the availability and affordability of flood insurance for eligible UK households at higher flood risk.
Non-standard home insurance does not mean every risk is covered. It means the insurer will assess the details and decide what cover, price, excesses, limits, and exclusions may apply.
Some policies may have higher excesses for flood or subsidence claims. Others may limit cover if the property is empty for too long. The Financial Ombudsman Service gives examples of unoccupied home conditions, such as keeping heating on, draining water systems, or visiting the property at agreed times in some cases of escape of water claims in unoccupied properties.
You should always check the policy wording, insurance excess, limits, and exclusions before you buy. A cheaper quote may not be the best fit if it leaves out cover you need.
An insurer may ask about the property’s age, walls, roof, listed status, flood history, subsidence history, previous claims, rebuild cost, security, occupancy, tenants, and any renovation work.
Take care to answer the insurer’s questions accurately when you get or renew cover. Tell the insurer about later changes if your policy requires you to, because wrong or incomplete information can affect the policy or a future claim. You can read more in MoneyHelper’s home insurance guide.
The Financial Ombudsman Service also explains that misrepresentation and non-disclosure can affect how an insurer deals with a policy or claim. This can include cases where information is wrong, incomplete, or misleading.
We arrange insurance through insurers and work with customers who may not fit a standard quote. This can include homeowners, tenants, and landlords with more complex needs.
If the property is rented out, a normal home policy may not give the right protection. Our landlord insurance can help with rental property risks, depending on the insurer and policy. These may include buildings cover, contents owned by the landlord, property owners’ liability, legal expenses, loss of rent, or tenant-related risks.
We can talk through the details and explain the options available. Cover is subject to the information you provide, insurer acceptance and the policy’s terms, limits, conditions and exclusions. The FCA requires insurance communications to be clear, fair and not misleading, and we aim to help you understand what you are buying.
Non-standard home insurance is for homes or circumstances that do not fit a typical home insurance quote.
It may be relevant if your home has flood risk, subsidence, unusual construction, listed status, long unoccupied periods, previous claims, or tenants.
The main thing is to give accurate information and check what the policy does and does not cover. Terms can vary, so review the cover, excesses, exclusions, and conditions before you decide.
