UsdawProtect Home Insurance Comparison

Where we have the information available, the 10% cashback on your annual home insurance premium, will be paid directly into your bank account within two months of you taking out the home insurance policy.

To ensure you receive your 10% cashback, please contact our Customer Services Team on customercare@uibuk.com. You will need your current USDAWProtect policy and new home insurance policy. With this information we will ensure that the payment is made.

First check that you have provided all the necessary details. For an online quote, you will need to provide basic personal information (including details of any claims you or anyone living with you have made on home insurance in the last five years).

The insurer will also want to know details about the property you are looking to cover. Including when it was built, its security features (e.g., types of locks), whether it has ever been flooded and what the walls and roof are made of.

For contents insurance, you will have to give details of the valuables and possessions you want to include on the policy, and the sum you want them to be insured for.

In some cases, an online quote will not complete because the insurer has further questions, in which case you may need to speak to someone over the telephone.

It is important to know exactly what locks you have on your doors. If you give incorrect information when applying for home insurance, it could invalidate your claim in the future.

There are three main types of lock.

Fiver-lever Mortice Deadlocks. Usually found in wooden doors. The lock is fitted inside a cavity in the door. Some conform to a safety standard known as BS3621. If so, you can find it written on the lock itself.

Key-Operated Multi-Point Locks. This lock has several locking points. All lock simultaneously when you turn the key. These are typically used for uPVC and composite doors rather than wooden ones. Another sign you have this lock is if you need to lift the handle to lock the door.

Night Latches or Yale Locks. This locks automatically when the door is closed. Often used in addition to Mortice Deadlocks. They can be opened from the inside by turning a latch, but only with a key from the outside.

There are several ways to find out when your property was built.

Check your ‘title register’ or ‘title deeds’. If you cannot find them, you can request a copy from the HM Land Registry.

Check the survey. Look at the survey you had done when you bought the property or took out a mortgage. This should give details of when the house was built.

Seller’s Property Information Form. For more recent purchases, the former owner should have completed this form.

Ask your local authority. Hold information such as when planning permission was granted for your home.

Ask your neighbours. If your neighbours live in a similar house, they could provide helpful information on when your property was built.

There are two types of home insurance policies.

Building insurance – Covers the structure of the house, and in most cases, fitted items inside. For example, walls, floors, windows, roofs, and fitted kitchens or bathrooms.

Content insurance – Covers personal possessions inside the home. For example, furniture, carpets, electronics, clothes, and jewellery.  

You may want just one or both types of policy for your home.

For each type of home insurance, read the terms and conditions of your policy carefully to see what is and is not covered. And make sure you fully understand in what circumstances your insurer will pay out. The common reasons are in the event of fires, storms, or floods.

Although not a legal requirement if you have a mortgage most lenders will stipulate that you get buildings insurance, so you are covered in the event of theft, fire, flooding and more.

It is important to think about what could happen if you did not have it. Would you be able to pay out of pocket for damages to the walls, roofs, or flooring of your home?

Contents insurance looks after your personal belongings. For example, clothes, jewellery, electrical goods, and furniture.

Policies will not pay out for general wear and tear, but you should be able to make a claim for theft, fires, and flooding. Accidental damage tends to be an optional extra.

Even though it is not a legal obligation to have contents insurance, it is important to think about what could happen if you did not have it. Would you be able to pay out of pocket to replace damaged or stolen contents from your home?

If you rent your home rather than own it, your landlord should provide buildings cover. But finding contents insurance is up to you. Be sure to check your contract to make sure that contents insurance isn’t a requirement. 

Non-standard home insurance is an umbrella term for property that does not fit the norms of standard home insurance.

Non-standard home insurance also applies if the homeowner is considered more at risk. For example, if the policyholder has past criminal convictions or declared bankruptcy.

Non-standard home insurance is also known as specialist insurance.

Non-standard home insurance risks include:

• Property type – high-value, listed building, thatch roof, barn conversion, timber/steel frame

• Property location - flood risk, subsidence risk

• Property condition - flat roof, under construction or home renovation

• Property usage - shared, residential let, unoccupied, business use, second home

• Personal circumstances - bad credit history, adverse claims history

Paying for your home insurance annually, in a single one-off payment, usually works out cheaper. This is because interest is normally added to staggered payments, on top of the price of your premium.

However, many people prefer to pay for home insurance monthly. Spreading the cost throughout the year may not be cheaper but is often more affordable.

If you choose to pay for your home insurance monthly, you may be asked to pay one or two months cover upfront. The rest can be paid in instalments throughout the year.

Your home insurance provider will run a credit check on you first before agreeing to the payment plan. If you have a low credit score, you may be charged a higher interest rate.

Accidental damage is unlikely to be automatically covered by standard buildings insurance. However, you can purchase it as an ‘add on’ to your building insurance and contents insurance.

What does accidental damage cover for building insurance? Accidental cover on building insurance protects you if you unintentionally damage the structure of your house. For example, a DIY accident.

What does accidental damage cover for contents insurance? Accidental cover on contents insurance protects your belongings from unintentional damage. However, many policies will not cover accidental damage caused by pets. For example, scratching or chewing.  

Read your policy wording carefully, so that you fully understand what is and is not covered under accidental damage with your chosen insurer.

Excess is a fixed amount you will pay yourself if you make a claim. It can be voluntary or compulsory.

Compulsory excess on home insurance is the figure applied by your insurer when you first take out your policy. It usually starts from £50.

Voluntary excess on home insurance is decided by you. As it is voluntary, you do not have to pay any at all. However, choosing to pay voluntary excess means your premium costs will generally be lower. This is because your insurers will know they will not have to pay out as much in the event of a claim.

Your total excess is the combined cost of your compulsory and voluntary excess.

Excess works by being deducted from your pay-out if you make a claim. For example, if your claim is for £500 and your compulsory excess is £100, you will receive £400 from your insurer.

Different excesses may apply to different claims under the same policy.