Your options for over 50s home insurance

Choosing home insurance when you are over 50 can bring more choice than ever, with a number of companies specialising in cover for this age group. With almost two in five people in the UK aged 50 and over - roughly 22 million people - insurers are keen to meet their needs. But whether you go with a specialist over 50s company or a general insurer, it’s still about choosing cover that suits you.

Buildings insurance may no longer be a requirement of your lender if you’ve cleared your mortgage, but it’s still generally a good idea to protect against damage to the property itself. Meanwhile, contents insurance protects against the financial loss of a lifetime of cherished belongings.

Some insurers consider over 50s to be a lower risk for home insurance, partly because claims tend to be smaller than average. That could be because more experience as a homeowner means you are better at maintaining your property and handling minor repairs yourself. So you could pay less for your home insurance, but it’s still a good idea to compare policies to find the right cover at the right price.

What are the benefits of over 50s home insurance?

Over 50s home insurance helps make sure that if something unexpected happens to your home or belongings, you can get repairs done and replace what you need without a big financial shock.

Ever found yourself lying awake during a storm, listening to the wind batter the windows and hoping everything holds up until morning? You’re not alone. Bad weather is taking a real toll on homes across the UK.

In a recent nine-month period, damage caused by storms, heavy rain and frozen pipes led to £936 million in claims. That’s £143 million more than the same period the year before. In fact, bad weather claims account for just over a fifth of all home insurance payouts, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

While you’re not legally required to have home insurance in the UK, mortgage lenders usually won’t approve a mortgage unless you have at least buildings insurance in place. Even if you own your home outright, having both buildings and contents insurance is a smart way to protect yourself against unforeseen costs.

Some providers specialising in over 50s insurance offer extra benefits tailored to your needs, such as:

  • Longer periods where your home can be unoccupied if you take extended holidays.

  • Cover for medical equipment you might have on loan.

  • Protection for a carer’s personal belongings.

  • Cover for plants, lawns, shrubs and other garden contents - important if you have nurtured your garden over many years.

What does over 50s home insurance cover?

As with other age groups, when you buy over 50s home insurance you’ll need to decide whether you want buildings cover, contents cover, or both.

Buildings insurance protects the physical structure of your home, including the roof, walls, doors, windows and any permanent fixtures or fittings. Depending on the insurer and policy, it typically covers:

  • Damage to your home’s structure: Covers things like walls, roof, windows, and permanent fixtures if they’re damaged by fire, flooding, theft or storms.

  • Subsidence and land movement: Includes cover for subsidence, heave of land and landslip, which can cause serious structural problems.

  • Alternative accommodation: Pays for somewhere else to live if your home is temporarily uninhabitable due to damage covered by your policy.

  • Replacement locks and keys: Covers the cost of replacing locks on external doors if your keys are lost or stolen, plus alarm systems inside the home.

Contents insurance covers your personal belongings against damage, theft or loss. Depending on the insurer and policy, it typically covers:

  • New-for-old replacements: If something can’t be repaired, many policies will replace it with a brand-new equivalent, whether it’s your sofa, TV or shed contents.

  • Working from home?: Cover often includes office kit like computers, printers and photocopiers – ideal if you're remote working.

  • Cash in the house: Some policies even protect cash kept at home, if it’s lost or stolen.

  • Things in the garden: Garden furniture, tools, lawnmowers… these are often covered too, not just indoor items.

  • Lost keys: Many policies include lock and key replacement if yours are lost or stolen.

  • Freezer fail?: If a power cut ruins your frozen food, you may be able to claim for the contents.

  • New-for-old replacements: If something can’t be repaired, many policies will replace it with a brand-new equivalent, whether it’s your sofa, TV or shed contents.

If you want to keep things simple, a single policy that combines both buildings and contents insurance is a great way to get all your cover wrapped up in one go, under one easy-to-manage policy.

Plus, there are optional extras you might want to add:

  • Home emergency cover: Covers urgent callouts for things like boiler breakdowns or plumbing issues.

  • Accidental damage cover: For those “oops” moments, like spilling coffee on your sofa or cracking a window.

  • Family legal protection: Helps cover legal costs if you have disputes over things like faulty goods or neighbour issues.

  • Personal possessions cover: Extends protection to valuable items you take outside the home, like phones, jewellery and laptops.

Remember, cover details can vary a lot depending on the insurer and the level of cover you pick. Comparing policies is the best way to make sure you get the protection that suits your home and lifestyle.

What isn’t covered?

No insurance can cover absolutely everything, so it’s really important to check the exclusions in your policy. While over 50s buildings and contents insurance protects against lots of risks, there are some common things it won’t typically cover, including:

  • General wear and tear or gradual deterioration of your home or belongings.

  • Damage caused by cleaning, renovating, repairing or restoring items.

  • Problems caused by wet rot, dry rot, frost, vermin or woodworm.

  • Damage to fences, gates, or hedges from storms (often excluded from buildings cover).

  • Issues resulting from poor workmanship or design faults.

  • Any damage or events that happened before your policy started or situations you already knew about, like a flood warning for your area.

  • Loss, damage, or liability caused deliberately or through criminal actions by you or anyone living with you.

  • Damage caused by domestic animals, such as chewing, scratching, tearing or fouling.

Always take time to read your full policy documents carefully to understand exactly what’s included and excluded. That way, you avoid any surprises if you ever need to make a claim.

How much does home insurance cost?

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the average price paid in July-Sept 2025 for combined buildings and contents cover was £384 for the year. That’s £15 less compared to the same period in 2024. (Source: ABI - Year-to-date property insurance payouts hit record £4.6 billion.)

How much buildings and contents insurance will cost for you depends on a few key factors, including where you live, your claims history, and the level of cover you choose.

Here’s what could influence the cost of your combined policy:

  • Where you live: Areas with higher crime rates, flood risk or a history of claims can push premiums up.

  • The type of property: Listed buildings, flats with shared access, or homes in high-risk zones may be pricier to insure.

  • Security features: Having burglar alarms, secure locks or CCTV can sometimes help lower your premium.

  • The rebuild cost of your home and the value of your belongings: More valuable homes or possessions usually mean higher costs.

  • Your claims history: Claims made in the past can increase your premium.

  • Optional extras: Adding accidental damage cover, home emergency support, or protection for possessions away from home can add to the price.

  • Who lives in your home: Factors like your age, household members and whether you rent or own may also affect the cost.

  • Your excess: Picking a higher voluntary excess – the amount you agree to pay yourself if you make a claim, on top of any fixed excess – can help bring down the cost of your premium.

Remember, it’s always worth shopping around when your renewal comes up. Even small differences in cover or excess can make a big difference to the premium.

Typical home insurance claim costs

Before you choose a home insurance policy, it helps to know what real‑world claims actually look like. Some issues – like a burst pipe – can cost far more to put right than people might expect, while others are more common but less expensive.

To give you a clearer picture, we’ve pulled together typical claim costs published by UK loss adjustment companies. These figures show the kinds of repairs and replacements homeowners most often claim for, and what they usually cost to fix.

Home insurance claim costs

Claim type

Typical cost/payout

Notes

Water damage

£1,000 - £3,000 for minor leaks, and £5,000 - £10,000 for burst pipes

The most common home insurance claim in the UK

Accidental damage

£615 average payout

Includes DIY mishaps, spills and breakages

Fire damage

£5,284 average payout

Often linked to cooking accidents

Theft/burglary

£3,896 average burglary cost

Claims tend to spike between September and November

Weather-related damage

£6,235 average cost

Annual total: £573 million, including storms (£133m) and flooding (£286m)

Sources:

Typical claim for burst pipes: Independent Loss Adjusters: What is The Average Insurance Payout for Water Damage in The UK? Date accessed: 13 February 2026.

Average home insurance payouts: Property Claims Loss Assessors: What Are the Most Common Types of Home Insurance Claims in the UK? Date accessed: 13 February 2026.

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