Best home insurance companies in 2023

Promoted for

Flexible cover

Aviva home insurance

Finder Award

Promoted for

Customer satisfaction

Admiral Home Insurance

Promoted for

Specialist cover

Homeprotect Home Insurance

Finder Award

Promoted for

Premium cover

More Than Home Insurance

Your home is your castle (even if it’s a rented one) and you want to ensure that it’s covered. “Home insurance” can mean cover for a building, its contents (your possessions) or both. There’s a wide variety of policies and prices – some companies even offer several tiers of cover, as well as additional extras – and the excess you pay can differ too. So it’s worth knowing what to look for when you’re buying cover so you get what you need and don’t pay over the odds for it.

Some of the best home insurance companies in the UK

Read review

HomeProtect home insurance

• Info
• Pros and cons

HomeProtect offers cover online and has a range of specialist policies (for listed buildings, and for people who run a business from home, for example) as well as standard buildings and contents cover, which you can get as standalone or combined. Buildings cover gets a 5-star rating from the policy data analyst Defaqto. The policies are underwritten by AXA and Legal and General, and basic legal expenses cover and home emergency cover are included as standard. There's a 24/7 emergency helpline and up to £30,000 for alternative accommodation if you have to move out.

• HomeProtect's buildings and contents home insurance is 5*-Defaqto-rated.
• HomeProtect's different cover options suit different requirements and budgets.
• Claims can be made online.

• You will have to pay an administration fee if you decide to amend your policy.
• You will have to pay a cancellation fee in order to terminate your policy after the 14-day cooling off period.

Read review

M&S bank home insurance

• Info
• Pros and cons

The brand best known for fancy food and reliable underwear launched home insurance in 2000. You can choose between buildings, contents or both, and Premier or Standard cover. A Premier contents policy gets you accidental damage that extends to visitors' belongings and students' possessions while they're at college. If you make a claim (there's a 24/7 hotline) that affects both buildings and contents, M&S Bank will apply only one excess, and you can pay your premium in monthly instalments at no extra cost. The policies are underwritten by Aviva and have a 5-star rating from the data analyst Defaqto.

• Flexible claims service.
• Extra protection against household emergencies.

• Only two cover options.

Go to site Read review

Admiral home insurance

• Info
• Pros and cons

There are three tiers of home insurance from Admiral – a standard policy, a Gold version and a Platinum one. The standard contents policy gets you up to £50,000 of cover for your possessions, while the Platinum level extends this up to £150,000. With the standard buildings policy, you get alternative accommodation cover up to £30,000 (Platinum is £100,000) and it covers garages and outbuildings. In Finder's 2020 customer satisfaction survey, Admiral achieved 3 out of 5 stars.

• Clear access to policy documents and policy information.
• You can tailor your policy to suit your own requirements with a range of optional extras including increased bicycle cover.

• Claims service is not open 24/7.
• Limited cover on Admiral's basic buildings and contents policies.

Go to site Read review

MoreThan home insurance

• Info
• Pros and cons

You can choose from Primary or Upgraded home cover (buildings, contents or combined) from MORE THAN. With buildings, one of the key differences is alternative accommodation cover (£30,000 for basic vs £100,000 for Upgraded). With contents, the Upgraded policy adds cover for possessions when a member of the family is away from home (for students, for example), and up to £2,000 of cover for garden contents, such as barbecues. The claims hotline is not 24/7. MORE THAN is part of the RSA Group.

• More Than's different cover options suit different requirements.
• More Than's home insurance policies can be enhanced with extra protection.

• Accidental cover is not included as standard.
• You will have to pay an admin fee if you decide to amend your policy.

Go to site Read review

Aviva home insurance

• Info
• Pros and cons

The largest general insurer in the UK was joint second in our 2020 customer survey, with a great 4-star satisfaction rating and 78% of customers happy to recommend it. Aviva offers a home insurance package of buildings and contents, but you can buy them separately, too. The cover is 5-star rated by the policy analyst Defaqto. Buildings cover includes alternative accommodation up to £80,000; contents when away from home up to £5,000; and items in the garden up to £1,500. Damage to a garage and outbuildings, and their contents, is included.

• Aviva's home insurance policies can be enhanced with extra protection.
• 15% discount for buying home insurance online.

• Accidental damage is only included in the highest level of cover.

How to find the best home insurance cover

1. Figure out the value of what you’re insuring. There are various calculators to help you estimate the rebuild cost of your property, for example, the free BCIS calculator which is backed by the Association of British Insurers. You’ll need this rebuild figure before you apply for buildings cover. For contents, policies typically have an upper “per item” limit so you’ll need to state if you have particularly valuable items to ensure they’re covered. Remember to take into account anything you want covered when away from home. Are you taking your laptop out of the house for work? Will members of the family be away at university? Some policies include this as standard.
2. Decide what add-ons you want. Do you want accidental damage cover or home emergency cover? These are typically bolted on.
3. Don’t double up. If you already have legal expenses insurance – for example, through your bank account or as a standalone policy – you don’t want to pay for it again in your home insurance. Or you might not want it at all.
4. Compare policies and get a range of quotes. Check for exclusions and that you are comparing like with like, for example, that the excess is the same on deals you’re comparing. Don’t forget that you can adjust your excess too.
5. It’s not just about price. You can see what customers think of their insurer in our satisfaction score league table at the end of this page.

Our 2022 home insurance customer satisfaction league table

We asked policyholders to rate their satisfaction with their insurance company, and whether they’d recommend it to a friend. We’ve shown both for each brand in the table below. Our independent survey of 1,448 insurance customers was carried out in December 2021.

Overall satisfaction	Customers who’d recommend	Issuer	Review
★★★★★	85%		The supermarket chain that also does banking and insurance was praised for its affordable cover, in our survey. Tesco Bank Customers found the brand easy to deal with, too.	View deals
★★★★★	82%		Direct Line has 3 levels of home insurance cover to choose from, including its Select Premier policy, which features unlimited contents and building cover. Customers in our survey praised “efficient” and “helpful” service.	View deals
★★★★★	80%		Saga is a specialist insurer catering to the over-50s market, offering 2 levels of home insurance cover, Select and Plus. Customers praised the brand for being reliable and fast. One cited her “no quibble payout”.	View deals
★★★★★	80%		With 2 levels of cover – Home and Home Plus – and a flexible approach to contents insurance, LV= is a strong option for home insurance. LV= customers praised the brand’s good communication, including during claims. Premiums were “reasonable”, too.	View deals
★★★★★	76%		Aviva is the largest insurer in the UK. It offers cover for buildings, contents or both, with a string of optional add-ons. Customers found the company trustworthy and service generally good.	View deals
★★★★★	79%		AXA has 3 levels of home insurance cover – HomeSmart, HomeSure and HomeSafe. The benefits offered differ with each level. Customers were generally positive, praising the fast service, but a few felt their premiums were expensive.	View deals
★★★★★	77%		Admiral has 3 levels of home insurance, and buildings and contents can be separate or combined. The standard cover is fairly limited, but Gold and Platinum are very comprehensive. Customers praised “easy” and “reliable” service and good value when using the MultiCover option (home plus car insurance, which gets you a discount).	View deals
★★★★★	75%		Churchill’s home insurance has 2 levels – standard and Home Plus, which includes accidental damage in both buildings and contents. Customers generally found prices and service good, though a few felt renewal premiums were high.	View deals
★★★★★	73%		More Than offers 2 levels of cover – Primary and Upgraded – for both buildings and contents. has several options when it comes to home insurance. Boiler cover is extra. Many customers mentioned good prices and value for money.	View deals
★★★★★	78%		Endsleigh was originally known for its specialist cover for students, having been founded by the National Union of Students in 1965. It offers buildings and contents cover to homeowners, renters and students alike, through its partners. Customers cited “fair” prices and good service.	View deals
★★★★★	75%		HomeProtect’s specialist home insurance is available to homeowners, holiday homeowners, landlords, tenants and students and policies are underwritten by AXA. Customers in our survey generally praised the value for money and good service, with just a few negative comments about both.	View deals
★★★★★	75%		Popular high-street bank Halifax offers buildings and contents cover together or separately. And there are 3 cover levels. It also offers renters insurance with a good range of benefits. Customers find Halifax to be reliable and helpful, but a few were less happy about the cost of their renewal premium.	View deals
★★★★★	74%		Policy Expert offers 2 levels of home insurance and says it aims to keep prices down by insuring low-risk people. Customers were generally happy with the price and service, including the claims process, but a few were less happy with the service.	View deals
★★★★★	69%		A relative newcomer to the home insurance market, Urban Jungle is a modern take on insurance aimed at a younger audience, and particularly renters. Urban Jungle’s customers liked the “reliable” service and the rolling contract for renters.	View deals
★★★★★	67%		Swinton offers 3 levels of home cover, from Essential to Premier, and you can get buildings and contents together or separately. You can also add optional extras to your policy. Customers were mostly positive, but a few cited issues with service.	View deals
★★★★★	67%		Age Co (formerly Age UK) is an over-50s specialist, but offers cover to customers of all ages. It only has one level of home insurance cover, but it’s a decent one. You can get buildings, contents or a combined policy. Customers were generally happy and liked the helplines offered by Age Co’s service.	View deals
★★★★★	65%		Getsafe is a fintech upstart offering contents insurance. Types of cover extras include accidental damage, personal possessions and home emergency. Customers were generally positive but there were a few niggles.	View deals

Customer satisfaction ratings methodology

In December 2021, we ran a customer satisfaction survey on insurance providers. 1,448 people replied and told us their thoughts on their insurance provider in each of five categories (car, travel, pet, home and life).

The survey asked respondents how satisfied they were with their current insurance company (on a scale from one to five, and also whether they would recommend the brand to a friend or not). We turned the results into star ratings and shortlisted the top-performing brands for our awards. When there was a draw, we used the recommendation score (that is, the percentage of customers who said they would recommend the brand to a friend) as a tie-breaker.

Full details of our star ratings for this sector are on the insurance ratings methodology page.

Bottom line

When you’re looking at home insurance policies, the devil can really be in the detail. Policies differ widely so it’s worth checking what you’ll get for your money. Beyond that, it’s worth knowing about the customer service, especially when it comes to making a claim. Our customer satisfaction scores, in the table above, show you what existing customers think of the provider. If the worst happens, you’ll want to be dealing with a company that treats customers well.

Frequently asked questions

• What's usually excluded from buildings insurance?

  Insurers have different exclusions but some policies won’t cover storm damage to gates and fences, or damage caused by pests, or by poor maintenance or negligence. And if you’re having building work done, you need to tell your insurer.

• Is it worth buying buildings and contents together?

  It’s certainly worth getting quotes for a combined policy if you need to get both, as some insurers will offer you a discount for this.

• Can I cancel a home insurance policy?

  There is a 14-day cooling-off period after you buy your policy and you can cancel in that time, but your insurer might charge you a small fee for this. The fee should only cover the cost of the service you’ve received. After 14 days, terms can vary but you’re unlikely to get the whole premium back.