Improving Your Home Could Invalidate Your Insurance

Robert Brown • November 20, 2018

If you're a homeowner then you’ve probably considered making some changes at one point or another, whether this be renovating or extending, we’ve all thought about the improvements we could make to our own home.

While extending and improving your property can add considerable value to your home, it is vital that you speak with your insurer and eliminate the risk of being under insured.

With all of the costs associated with moving into a new house, plenty of homeowners are now opting to enhance their own home instead of searching for a new property. In a recent study from Co-op insurance, it was found that approximately 75% of homeowners have made changes to their property since moving in.

If you’ve recently had or you are currently planning on having major building work done, such as adding a conservatory, converting the loft or adding an extra bedroom, you must receive planning permission and all work must be carried out following the correct regulations in order to avoid invalidating the cover on your home.

It is also worth remembering that even if the work carried out on your home is completed to the correct standards, you will still need to notify your insurer of these changes. When the original cost of your premium was calculated, this figure was based on the value of your home at that time and the potential rebuilding cost. If the value of your home were to rise due to improvements, you could be under insured and your cover may become null and void.

This also applies to any new constructions outside of your home such as garages and sheds, as your building insurance should cover both your home and outbuildings.

If you plan to work on your home, you should contact your insurer before any work begins, provide them with as much information as possible and be sure to ask if you need to make any changes or increase your cover for the duration of build.

Don’t forget to double check your contents insurance at the same time, as your possessions may not be covered if they were damaged during the construction process and for the extra peace of mind, look into legal cover to help with any potential disputes with the tradesman over poor workmanship.

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