Buildings insurance
No one likes nasty surprises. That’s why we do all we can to make sure our homes are as safe as houses. But while fitting smoke detectors and burglar alarms gives us some peace of mind, some of life’s mishaps are unavoidable.
While coming home to find your floors flooded or your doors damaged from a break-in can be a shock, there are ways to lessen some of the financial worries and help you put things right again.
With the right buildings insurance policy in place, you don’t need to worry about covering costs if life throws a spanner in the works.
Get a quote for M&S Home Insurance
M&S Home Insurance is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited.
What is buildings insurance and why do I need it?
Buildings insurance covers the cost of damage to your property if the unexpected happens. Typically, buildings insurance covers everything that’s fixed in your home, such as the walls and ceilings, fitted kitchen and bathroom suites, windows, doors and fitted cupboards and wardrobes.
If you’re buying your home with a mortgage, buildings insurance is a must, as mortgage providers typically require buyers to have cover in place as a condition of taking out a mortgage. While you may have the option to purchase buildings insurance through your mortgage provider, it’s also worthwhile shopping around to ensure you have the cover you need at a price you’re comfortable with.
Why should I get home buildings insurance from M&S Bank?
All buildings insurance policies differ in what they offer and it’s important to find cover that suits your requirements. At M&S Bank some of the benefits we offer include:
- A choice of premier or standard cover
- 24 hour claims service
- Flexible claims settlement; choose an alternative settlement instead of repair or replace
- Alternative accommodation if you can’t live in your home due to damage covered by your policy
- Damage to garages and outbuildings
- Replacement locks and keys for external doors if yours are lost or stolen
- Pay monthly at no extra cost
What's covered in buildings insurance with M&S Bank?
We offer premier and standard buildings insurance which provide cover for loss or damage to your property. Our premier policy gives you extensive protection against higher damage costs – and extra peace of mind.
Premier buildings insurance from M&S Bank covers you for the following:
- Unlimited Sums Insured
- Accidental damage
- Alternative accommodation for you, your family and pets if you have to move out following:
- Insured damage
- Evacuation because of health and safety risk
A standard buildings policy also covers you for evacuation because of health and safety risk and typically costs less; however, the cover levels are lower. Check out the policy wording for our premier and standard insurance to find out more about the benefits and limits, or compare them here.
Both premier and standard policies give you the option of extra protection by adding home emergency cover to your policy. This will give you protection against household emergencies such as plumbing problems caused by leaking pipes or your boiler breaking down. You can also add legal expenses cover worth up to £50,000.
M&S Home Insurance can cover both your building and its contents, giving you reassurance that your home is protected. Find out more about our contents cover here.
What's not covered?
M&S Home Insurance can’t cover everything, some of the things we don’t cover include:
- Wet rot or dry rot damage
- Damage caused by wear and tear
- Damage or theft if your home has been unoccupied for more than 90 days in a row
Read the policy wording for full details of what is and isn’t covered with M&S Home Insurance.
M&S Home Insurance policy booklet(opens in a new window)
Looking for a quote?
Getting a buildings insurance quote is straight forward; we only need a few details and you’ll have the option to spread the cost of your policy over 12 months at no extra cost.
Get a quote for M&S home Insurance
If you’re an existing customer, you can find out how to renew or change your policy, or make a claim by visiting our existing home insurance customer page.
M&S Home Insurance is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited. Terms and conditions apply.
Instant help
Important documents
M&S Home Insurance Product Information Document (opens in a new window)
M&S Home Insurance policy booklet(opens in a new window)
M&S Home Insurance summary of cover limits
Read our flood information guide
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FAQs
How do I make a claim?
There are no claim forms to complete. If your policy number begins 830, please call our claims line on 0800 111 4901. Lines are open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday and 9am-5pm Saturday.
If your policy number begins MHO, please call 0800 051 2556 and our claims team will be happy to help. Lines are open 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Please have your policy number to hand when you call.
How can I pay?
You can pay by monthly instalments or in one annual premium.
Monthly instalments are paid by Direct Debit over 12 months and there is no additional charge to pay this way. If you choose to renew your policy, we will continue to take payments by instalment unless you tell us otherwise.
You can make an annual payment each year by credit or debit card and to assist you at renewal we can automatically renew the policy by your chosen payment method to make sure you continue to be covered.
Are there any charges to change or cancel my policy?
We don't charge a fee for mid-term changes, but depending on the change, there might be an additional premium to pay. To make sure that you have the right cover in place, please let us know of any changes that occur during the annual policy term.
If you wish to cancel the policy, there is no charge to do so.
What's a policy excess?
This is the amount of money you have to pay if you make a claim.
M&S Home Insurance has an excess of £100 on the buildings and contents sections, and you can choose to increase the excess and receive a discount to your premium.
If you make a claim that affects both the buildings and the contents, we will only charge you one excess on your claim, this will be the higher of the two if they are different.
Please note that for any buildings claim for subsidence, heave or landslip an excess of at least £1,000 will apply. Also an excess of at least £250 will apply to escape of water claims, this will be increased if you have chosen a higher voluntary excess on buildings or contents.
How do I know how much to insure my home and contents for?
You need to give us a value for the total amount of cover you need for all the contents you may take away from your home at any time and if you want Pedal Cycle cover away from home you need to tell us the value of your most expensive cycle.
Otherwise you just need to make sure that our cover limits are sufficient for you:
Premier:
- Buildings: unlimited
- Contents: unlimited
- Contents away from home: your choice up to a max total of £50,000
- Total valuables in the home: £50,000
- Single valuable items: £15,000
- Data: £2,500
- Property owners' and personal liability cover: £5m
- Domestic employees' liability cover: £10m
- Tenants' liability: £40,000
Standard:
- Buildings: £1m
- Contents: £100,000
- Contents away from home: your choice up to a max total of £25,000
- Total valuables in the home: £25,000
- Single valuable items: £10,000
- Data: £2,500
- Property owners' and personal liability cover: £2m
- Domestic employees' liability cover: £10m
- Tenants' liability: £40,000
Cover you can rely on
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5 Star Rated Home Insurance