CoverMapBuildings, contents or combined: what you’re buying
Home insurance comes in three shapes. Before you compare home insurance providers in the UK, be clear which one you need.
- Buildings insurance covers the structure and permanent fixtures: the walls, roof and floors, plus things like fitted kitchen cupboards and your bathroom. MoneyHelper says it is usually required if you have a mortgage or own a leasehold home. If you’re a leaseholder, it is often already paid through your service charge.
- Contents insurance covers, in MoneyHelper’s words, “everything that would fall out if you tipped your home upside down”. If you rent, contents cover is the only part you need, and it isn’t a legal requirement.
- Combined buildings and contents insurance puts both under one policy, so you deal with one insurer for the whole home.
Our guide to buildings vs contents insurance goes into the split in more detail, and our home insurance cost guide shows what each type typically costs.
How to compare building and contents insurance
Two policies at a similar price can pay out very differently. These are the features worth lining up side by side.
New-for-old or indemnity
New-for-old cover replaces damaged or stolen items with new ones, whatever their age or condition. Indemnity cover takes off an amount for wear and tear, so you get less back for older items.
Accidental damage
Accidental damage cover is usually an optional extra. Some top tiers include it: Admiral Platinum and AXA Premier, for example. MoneyHelper notes that damage caused by pets is usually excluded, even with accidental damage cover.
Single-item limits and valuables
MoneyHelper says many policies have a limit of around £1,500 per item. High-value items above the limit may need to be listed by name or it may not be fully covered. MoneyHelper’s benchmark for a good contents policy is valuables cover of £12,000 or more. This matters most if you’re looking for the best contents insurance for a home with a few high-value items.
Excess
The excess is the part of any claim you pay yourself. MoneyHelper says a typical contents excess is £50–£250, and suggests looking for a buildings excess of £0–£100. Watch the subsidence excess on buildings cover: it can be around £1,000.
Legal expenses
MoneyHelper rates legal expenses cover as a “should have” on a contents policy. On a buildings policy, £50,000 of legal cover as standard is a “could have”. At Aviva, Admiral, AXA and NFU Mutual it is sold as an add-on.
MoneyHelper’s “good policy” benchmarks
MoneyHelper publishes benchmarks for what a good policy looks like. They are a useful yardstick when you compare buildings and contents insurance quotes.
| Feature | MoneyHelper benchmark |
|---|---|
| Contents sum insured | £50,000 or more, or index-linked |
| Valuables cover (contents) | £12,000 or more |
| Alternative accommodation (buildings) | At least £40,000 or 20% of the sum insured |
| Public liability (buildings) | £2 million |
| Buildings excess | £0–£100 (subsidence excess can be around £1,000) |
Source: MoneyHelper, “Buildings insurance: what does a good policy look like?” and “Contents insurance: what does good look like?”, checked October 2026.
For buildings cover, the sum insured should match the cost of rebuilding your home, not its market value. Our underinsurance guide explains why getting this wrong can cut a claim.
Which? Recommended Providers and customer scores for 2026
Which? surveys policyholders every year and checks policy details. Its home insurance results were updated on 17 September 2026, based on a survey in May and June 2026. Which? asked 3,419 policyholders who had claimed in the last two years and 3,039 current customers, and looked at 177 policy elements across 30 providers.
- Which? Recommended Providers for home insurance: NFU Mutual (customer score 86%) and Tesco Insurance (81%).
- Highest customer scores: Bank of Scotland and NFU Mutual, both 86%.
- Lowest customer scores: Co-op Insurance and Urban Jungle (contents only), both 55%.
These are Which?’s findings, not ours. The full reviews sit behind the Which? paywall. A high customer score tells you how existing customers and claimants felt. It doesn’t tell you whether a policy is the right size or price for your home.
Financial Ombudsman complaints: buildings vs contents
If an insurer rejects your complaint, you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Its annual data shows how many home insurance complaints reach it, and how often it sides with the customer.
| Product | Complaints 2025/26 | Upheld 2025/26 | Complaints 2024/25 | Upheld 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buildings insurance | 6,399 | 38% | 7,321 | 41% |
| Contents insurance | 1,685 | 30% | 1,671 | 34% |
| All products | – | 30% | – | 34% |
Source: Financial Ombudsman Service annual complaints data, 2025/26 (published 21 May 2026) and 2024/25 (published 2 July 2025).
Buildings complaints far outnumber contents complaints, and the Ombudsman upheld a higher share of them in both years. Both the number of buildings complaints and the uphold rate fell in 2025/26. These figures cover the whole market, not individual insurers.
How Defaqto Star Ratings work
Many insurers show a Defaqto Star Rating on their website. Defaqto rates more than 10,000 financial products, including about 6,000 insurance policies, from 1 to 5 Stars.
In Defaqto’s words, “1 Star represents a more basic product, whereas a 5 Star product is one of the most comprehensive on the market.” The rating is based on features and benefits, not price. A 5 Star rating says a policy has a lot of cover. It says nothing about price or how claims are handled, so it works best alongside customer scores and complaints data.
Major UK home insurance providers compared
The table below picks out one feature from each insurer’s own website. It isn’t a ranking. It shows how the main home insurance providers in the UK differ on cover.
| Provider | One feature (from the insurer or Which?) |
|---|---|
| Aviva | Aviva Signature contents cover has an unlimited contents sum insured, with category limits (for example, valuables £10,000 and home office £15,000). |
| Direct Line | Three tiers of buildings cover: Silver (up to £750,000), Gold (£1 million) and Platinum (unlimited). |
| Admiral | The Platinum tier includes full accidental damage cover, with contents cover of £150,000. |
| AXA | Repairs come with a three-year guarantee. |
| NFU Mutual | No monthly payment fees or interest charges if you pay by instalments. |
| Tesco Insurance | A Which? Recommended Provider for home insurance, with a customer score of 81%. |
Source: Aviva, Direct Line, Admiral, AXA and NFU Mutual websites; Which? best and worst home insurance providers (updated 17 September 2026). Checked October 2026; cover limits and tiers can change.
Comparison sites vs direct-only insurers
Comparison sites show quotes from a panel of insurers in one go, which makes it quick to compare home insurance providers on price. But they don’t cover the whole market. MoneyHelper points out that “not all insurers appear on comparison sites, such as Direct Line.” NFU Mutual sells through its local agents and by phone.
So a fuller search usually means running a comparison site and then getting quotes direct from any insurers that aren’t on it. Compare like for like: the same sum insured, the same excess and the same add-ons.
Renewal prices: what the rules say
Since 1 January 2022, FCA rules have meant your insurer can’t charge you more to renew than it would charge a new customer for the same policy. MoneyHelper still suggests comparing the market rather than letting your policy auto-renew, because another insurer may be cheaper or offer better cover. Our home insurance cost guide covers what the rule has changed.
Paying monthly: what it costs
Paying by monthly instalments often costs more than paying for the year up front. In a report published on 16 June 2026, Which? looked at 38 home insurers and found:
- APRs on home insurance instalments ranged from 0% to 29.9%, with an average of 21%.
- 15 of the 38 insurers charged nothing extra to pay monthly. Hiscox and NFU Mutual were among them.
- AXA charged 16.1% APR, Halifax 15.9%, and Aviva 15% on average (up to 19%).
- Policy Expert charged 29.9% and cut this to 24.9% after the survey. Several brokers and brands charged 29.9%.
MoneyHelper’s advice is to pay annually if you can, as it normally costs more to pay monthly. If you can’t, the APR is worth comparing alongside the premium.
A quick checklist for choosing a home insurer
- Decide whether you need buildings, contents or combined cover.
- Work out your rebuild cost and the value of your contents, including any items above the single-item limit.
- Check new-for-old cover, accidental damage, legal expenses and the excess on each quote.
- Look at Which? customer scores and the Defaqto rating, remembering what each one measures.
- Get quotes from a comparison site and from direct-only insurers.
- Compare the cost of paying monthly with paying annually.
- Check whether your home security could affect your quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the Which? Recommended Providers for home insurance in 2026?
In its results updated on 17 September 2026, Which? named NFU Mutual (customer score 86%) and Tesco Insurance (81%) as Recommended Providers for home insurance.
Do I need buildings insurance, contents insurance or both?
MoneyHelper says buildings insurance is usually required if you have a mortgage or a leasehold home, though leaseholders often pay for it through the service charge. Renters only need contents cover, which is not a legal requirement. Homeowners often choose combined buildings and contents insurance.
Are all home insurers on comparison sites?
No. MoneyHelper notes that not all insurers appear on comparison sites, such as Direct Line. NFU Mutual sells through local agents and by phone. Getting quotes direct as well gives you a fuller picture.
What does a Defaqto 5 Star rating mean?
Defaqto rates policies from 1 to 5 Stars based on their features and benefits. A 5 Star policy is one of the most comprehensive on the market. The rating does not take price into account.
Is it cheaper to pay for home insurance annually?
Usually. Which? found in June 2026 that home insurance instalment APRs ranged from 0% to 29.9%, averaging 21%. 15 of the 38 insurers it checked, including Hiscox and NFU Mutual, charged nothing extra to pay monthly.
What is a single-item limit on contents insurance?
It is the most a policy will pay for any one item. MoneyHelper says many policies have limits around £1,500 per item, so you may need to list more valuable items separately.
Can my insurer charge me more to renew than a new customer?
No. Since 1 January 2022, FCA rules mean your renewal price can be no higher than the price a new customer would pay for the same policy. It can still be worth comparing other insurers.
Sources
- Which? – Best and worst home insurance providers (updated 17 Sep 2026)
- Which? – Many car and home insurers still charging over 25% APR to pay monthly (16 Jun 2026)
- Financial Ombudsman Service – Annual complaints data and insight 2025/26 (21 May 2026)
- Financial Ombudsman Service – Annual complaints data and insight 2024/25 (2 Jul 2025)
- Defaqto – Star Ratings
- MoneyHelper – Home insurance: how to get the best deal
- MoneyHelper – What is buildings insurance?
- MoneyHelper – What is contents insurance?
- MoneyHelper – Buildings insurance: what does a good policy look like?
- MoneyHelper – Contents insurance: what does good look like?
- Aviva – Contents insurance
- Direct Line – Home insurance cover
- Admiral – Home insurance
- AXA – Buildings insurance
- NFU Mutual – Home insurance