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Get the right buildings insurance for you

This best buildings insurance guide outlines how to get the best building insurance rates and the best buildings insurance deals for you.

Different sorts of people will need different buildings insurance. LowerMyBills can help almost everyone get cheap buildings insurance. Here's how to get the best buildings insurance deals for YOU:

About you	Tips on getting buildings insurance
You live in a standard property in a low-risk area	Life's easy for you – just make sure you get the right level of cover and that you shop around. To work out the cover you need, remember it's the rebuilding cost, not the amount the property is worth. Check your mortgage valuation or use an online valuation tool (see our advice on the level of buildings cover you need). Standard construction usually means a typical house with brick walls and a tiled roof.
You live in a non-standard property	If your house isn't standard, you might find it a bit harder to work out how much cover you need – but you should still shop around. You might need a surveyor to tell you the rebuilding cost. You'll need to tell the insurer what's different – be it a thatched or flat roof, or a timber frame.
You live in a listed building	There are more than half a million listed properties in the UK. They are more complicated to insure, as the rules of repairs in the event of damage. You can still shop around – but tell the insurer it's listed and get an accurate rebuilding cost from a surveyor.
You're a landlord	It's usual for the buildings insurance to be your responsibility (after all, you own the property). Make sure you tell the insurer that you let the property.
You live in a flat	Flat owners usually don't insure flats individually – the owner of the freehold insures the building. If a management company that you're part of owns the freehold, it is free to shop around – so make sure whoever organizes it does so.
second home	Insurers prefer homes to be occupied. If you're insuring a second home, tell them if it's rented out or unoccupied.
You live in an area at risk of flooding	If there's not a significant risk of flooding (defined as a 1 in 75 chance each year and calculated by the Environment Agency), you should have no problems getting insurance - although at medium risk levels, premiums may be high. If the risk is high, you may not get flood cover unless, for instance, flood defences are planned. Talk to your existing insurer and any one you plan to switch to before changing policies.
You've had subsidence before	You need to declare this, and it may affect your premiums. But there's nothing to stop you shopping around. Most insurers subscribe to an industry code on how to deal with any subsidence claim shortly after you've changed insurer. If you've made a claim for subsidence in the past year, many insurers won't take you on as a new customer.
You use your mortgage lenders' insurance	You rarely HAVE to do this – although a couple of lenders charge a small fee for using another company. This is likely to be much less than the savings you could make from switching to a cheaper buildings insurance supplier.

Best buildings insurance brought to you by LowerMyBills from Experian

The LowerMyBills best buildings insurance guide was created to give you insight into how you can get the best buildings insurance deals and best buildings insurance rates for you - depending on your circumstances, the building and other factors - giving you the information you need to make an informed decision when you next buy buildings insurance.

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