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Non Standard Home Insurance

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Susan Difford Insurance Expert

What the experts say...

"If you have a non-standard home, you'll need specialist cover because repairing or rebuilding it could be more expensive than for a standard property. Specialist skills and craftsmanship may be required to repair or replace materials, increasing the risk to your insurer and driving up your premiums." - Susan Difford, Co-founder of Clean Green Compare


The majority of houses in the UK can be insured with a regular home insurance policy. However, there are a significant number of homes that are considered “non standard” and require specialist non standard propertry insurance.

Key Points

  • Non-standard homes require specialised insurance due to higher repair or rebuild costs.
  • Types of non-standard properties include thatched roofs, unoccupied properties, listed buildings, and those at risk of subsidence or flooding.
  • Building insurance covers structural damage, while contents insurance covers possessions.
  • Combined policies for both building and contents insurance are often more cost-effective.
  • Mortgage lenders may require building insurance for non-standard homes.
  • The cost of non-standard home insurance varies based on factors like property age, security measures, size, and location.

Non Standard Home Insurance Explained

Properties that were built using non standard methods/materials, are at risk of flooding/subsidence as well as listed and unoccupied properties – they are all considered non standard a lot of the time and therefore require a special type of non standard home insurance.

Read on to find out more about non standard home insurance, including the types of cover that are available and the factors that affect the cost of a non standard policy.

Did you know…? 

The rebuild costs of a non standard home are typically higher than a standard home, so you need to get a specialised policy.

Types of non standard home insurance

  • Building insurance – Building insurance covers your property for structural damage, including rebuild costs it if were destroyed. The rebuild costs for non standard properties can be difficult to estimate, so it’s a good idea to get a surveyor to assess your property to avoid being underinsured.
  • Contents insurance – Contents insurance covers the possessions inside your home as well as fixtures and fittings. How much risk your home is at of being broken into will affect how much you pay for contents insurance. Non standard aren’t necessarily more or less secure than regular homes by nature. It mostly depends on the area your home is in and any security measures you have in place.
  • Combined insurance – A combined policy is where you get contents insurance and building insurance together from the same insurer. This is not only more convenient than getting separate policies, but often works out cheaper too.

Properties that are considered non standard

Thatched roof properties

Homes with thatched roof properties will certainly need a non standard home insurance policy. The materials and expertise required to rebuild a thatched roof means they are considered higher risk and therefore a lot of regular home insurance providers won’t offer policies, or if they do, they’ll be priced much higher.

Thatched roof properties are also often at higher risk of fire damage. This is because the material used for the roof is very flammable as well as the fact that a lot of of thatched roof homes have a traditional chimney and fireplace.

Unoccupied properties

Unoccupied properties are known to be at significantly higher risk from thieves, vandals and squatters. If your property is going to be unoccupied for an extended period of time, whether because it’s a holiday home or you’re having work carried out, then you’ll certainly want to get an occupied property insurance policy to protect it.

Listed buildings

Listed buildings are those that are considered to be of special architectural or historical interest. Listed properties are usually very old and the general rule of thumb is that the older a property is, the more likely it is to be listed.

Listed buildings require non standard insurance policies to cover them because the risk factors and rebuild costs are usually very different to that of a standard home. In fact, it’s usually recommended that owners of listed properties have them professionally surveyed to find out the true value.

Buildings at risk of subsidence

Subsidence can be an extremely costly and complicated problem to fix. Certain buildings are at more risk of subsidence than others, depending on how they are, the ground they were built on and if there are any large trees in close proximity.

Property that is considered to be risk of suffering from subsidence will therefore likely cost more to insure and require a non standard home insurance policy.

Buildings in high flood risk areas

Flooding is another problem that’s potentially very costly and homes that are in high-risk flood areas will likely need to get non standard home insurance.

To get insurance quotes for any of these types of properties, simply click the links below to go to the appropriate page.

Did you know…?

If you want to make any structural changes to a listed property, you’ll usually need to get permission from your local council.

Is non standard home insurance necessary?

It’s sometimes the case that people who own a non standard home find the insurance costs to be too high, particularly from standard home insurance providers. Whether or not you’re required to have insurance in place will often depend on if you have a mortgage or not. A lot of mortgage lenders will require you to have building insurance in place until the mortgage is paid off.

If you own the property outright, then it’s your choice as to whether you get non standard home insurance or not. It’s worth thinking about what the repair/rebuild costs would be and whether you think the risk of not having cover is worth it overall.

How much does non standard home insurance cost?

The cost of a non standard home insurance policy will vary a lot, depending on some key factors. The most important ones are –

  • Age of the property – The age of the property is always something insurance providers take into account, since it lets them know how much repairs are likely to cost and how likely it is to suffer from problems like damp and mould.
  • How secure it is – Security is always a big factor, so any steps you can take to make your property more secure should help to reduce the cost of your premium. Steps you could take include physical security such as approved door and window locks or blinds for bifold doors, French doors and windows and approved locks for garages.
  • The size – The size of the property is another thing insurance providers consider, including how many bedrooms there are.
  • Rebuild costs – The rebuild costs will affect the price of your policy too. This includes the cost of materials required as well as any special expertise that would be needed, such as with a thatched roof property.
  • Location – The location of the property lets insurers know how much risk your property is at, both from criminals and the environment.
Did you know…?

Getting quotes for a non standard home is easier than ever. Getting quotes online also means there’s no pressure or hard sell; simply choose the policy that’s right for you.

Get non standard home insurance quotes now

If you want to get quotes for non standard home insurance now, then simply click the button below. All you have to do is provide some details about yourself and the home you want to insure and you’ll then have access to your quotes.