What is home insurance and why do I need it?
Making sure you have the right cover, can help you save money on your home insurance
A home is usually the most expensive thing we’ll ever buy. And the things we have in it can be important to us, too. While home insurance isn’t a legal requirement, it's something the vast majority of homeowners wouldn’t do without. After all, there’s no place quite like home.
We offer 3 different levels of home insurance – Essentials, Home and Home Plus. Our Essentials and Home policies provide plenty of cover for the things that matter the most. Our Home Plus policy offers a higher level of cover for added peace of mind.
Compare our Essentials, Home and Home Plus cover to see what's included and choose the right option for you and your home.
Compare our Essentials, Home and Home Plus cover to see what's included and choose the right option for you and your home.
What does LV= home insurance cover?
- Unlimited cover to rebuild your home*
Get up to £500,000 towards rebuilding costs with our Essentials policy, up to £1m towards rebuilding costs with our Home policy, or *unlimited with Home Plus only. - Flexible contents cover
Because we know one size doesn't fit all. Not sure how much stuff in your house is worth? No worries, we can work out the value of your contents for you. - Accidental damage cover
With our Home and Home Plus policies, your underground cables, pipes and drains will be covered along with breakage and damage to fixtures and fittings (like windows, toilets and baths). We’ll also cover your mirrors and home entertainment equipment. You'll just need to pay your excess. - Working from home
We'll cover your business equipment, such as laptops and PCs, for up to £5k on Essentials, £15k on Home or up to your contents limit on Home Plus if you work from home. -
Only one excess to pay
If you're claiming under a combined buildings and contents policy. - Lock replacement
Keys lost or stolen? We’ll replace your locks so you’re safe and sound in a flash (£750 limit applied to Essentials, up to your contents limit on Home or Home Plus).
Why choose LV= home insurance to cover your buildings and contents?
- 24/7 UK emergency helpline, if you need help in a hurry
- 5% discount when you buy home insurance online (excludes home emergency and home legal expenses)
- 12-month guarantee on all repairs when you use our recommended repairers
- Choose from our 3 levels of home cover: Essentials, Home or Home Plus
- We've been given the prestigious Defaqto 5 Star Rating for our Home and Home Plus insurance
Compare our Essentials, Home and Home Plus policies
Just select the level of cover when you get your quote – here's how they compare:
| What we'll cover | Essentials | Home | Home Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cost to rebuild your home | £500,000 | £1 million | Unlimited |
| Alternative accommodation if repairs to your home following a claim mean you can't stay there | £30,000 | £75,000 | £100,000 |
| Trace and access if there's a leak in your property | No cover | £5,000 | £10,000 |
| 12-month warranty on all repairs when you use our recommended repairer service | Included | Included | Included |
| Accidental damage cover in case fixtures and fittings like your windows, toilets or baths get damaged | Optional |
Included | Included |
| Enhanced accidental damage for buildings | Optional | Optional | Included |
| Personal belongings away from home | Optional | Optional | Included |
| Bicycles away from home | Optional | Optional | Included |
| Locks and keys replacement | £750 | Included | Included |
| Contents of your home | £15k - £50k | £25k - £100k | Up to £150k |
| Accidental damage cover for your TVs, DVD players, games consoles and computers | Optional |
Included | Included |
| Enhanced accidental damage cover for contents | Optional | Optional | Included |
| Plants in the garden | No cover | £2,500 | £10,000 |
| Digital downloads cover if you need to replace your online music, movie and book collection | Included | Included | Included |
| Business equipment - including if you work from home | £5,000 | £15,000 | Included |
Wherever you live, we have different types of home insurance cover options to suit you.
Buildings insurance
Looking for just buildings insurance? We've got you covered. You can get a buildings only policy with us, and you can tailor it to suit you.
Contents insurance
Living in a flat? No worries, we can cover just your contents, plus you can tailor your cover with some great optional extras.
Tenants insurance
Living in rented accommodation? It's time to think about contents cover. Our tenants insurance covers your clothes, keys and prized possessions.
Landlord insurance
Are you a landlord? We can help you there! So, whether you rent out a single residence or have a full property portfolio, we have you covered.
Types of home insurance explained
Here are a few key points to help you choose the right cover for your home
What's the difference between contents and buildings insurance?
-
Home insurance usually covers two aspects of your property – the structure itself (known as buildings insurance) and the things in it (known as contents insurance).
A good way to remember the difference is to think about this scenario: imagine tipping your house upside down. Anything that hits the ceiling would be classed as contents. Furniture, jewellery, electronics, furnishings and everything in between. When it comes to insuring your contents, it’s best to have a good idea of how much everything is worth before you start your quote. To do this, just head to our contents calculator to work out what’s what.
As for everything else – structural walls, floors, roofing, fitted units and so on – these elements would come under buildings cover.
Is there any benefit to buying a combined buildings and contents policy?
- Some things work better together, and having both buildings and contents cover with one insurer can make life so much easier. Having both products with us means that if you need to claim, you only have to deal with one company which can speed up the process, plus there’s only one excess to pay. After all, there's no need to make things more complicated.
What is accidental damage cover?
-
Accidental damage cover is there for things like spillages, stains and DIY mishaps. Like a lot of home insurance cover it helps save you money and hassle in the long run when the unexpected happens or something doesn't go to plan.
It'll give you peace of mind knowing you're covered for unexpected damage to your home and belongings.
For more information, see our accidental damage cover article.
What is liability cover?
- Liability insurance covers you if you're held responsible for injury to a person or damage to property as the owner or occupier of your home. For example, our buildings insurance covers you as the owner of the home for claims such as a tile falling off your roof and injuring a visitor.
Our contents insurance covers you and your family as the occupiers of the property for things like a visitor tripping over a loose rug. LV= contents insurance also includes personal liability cover for claims such as accidentally poking someone in the eye with your umbrella.
How do I get an LV= home insurance quote?
Step 1
Before you get a quote, make sure you have your personal details, claims history, and details about your property and belongings to hand.
For a complete list of what we need, see our guide to getting a home insurance quote.
Step 2
Calculate your sum insured, which is the amount it would cost to replace your home's contents. Our handy home contents insurance calculator can help you work this out.
Step 3
Once you've collected all the information we need, you’re ready to start your quote.
It should only take a few minutes to get going. Phew!
What factors affect my LV= home insurance price?
The cheapest home insurance isn’t always the best option. Lots of things can influence the price you pay, here’s what we take into account…
There are 8 main factors that affect the home insurance price we're able to quote you.
- The materials used to build your home: The way your property has been built and the materials used can affect your premium.
- Where you live: If your home is in an area prone to flooding, you may be more likely to make a claim.
- Your home security: Security features on your property might mean your home insurance costs less
- The type of building you live in: The more rooms and bedrooms your property has, the higher the cost is likely to be to rebuild your home or replace your belongings.
- Government initiatives: Changes introduced by the government can sometimes affect your home insurance price. For example, the Flood Re scheme, introduced in 2016, is designed to help people living in flood-risk areas.
- Cost of repair and labour: It’s getting more expensive to fix or replace hi-tech items in the home, which can increase the cost of home insurance.
- Number of claims being made: If the number of claims increases due to events like severe weather, the cost to insure your home could go up.
- Severe weather: We assess the likelihood of severe weather events happening in the future and how many customers may be affected.
How much is home insurance?
To understand these factors better, read our guide on how we work out the cost of home insurance.
LV= Home Insurance Optional Extras
Legal expenses cover
For £30 or less - By adding this cover to your home insurance policy, you can rest assured that you have up to £100,000 in legal fees and expenses to help you get things sorted.
Home emergency cover
For £50 or less - This additional cover means that we’ll organise and pay for an approved tradesman to provide emergency assistance and repairs costing up to £1,000 per emergency with no excess - from heating to roofing and even pest infestation.
Enhanced accidental damage cover
Our enhanced accidental damage cover gives you peace of mind that we’ll help you get things sorted. If you have one of our Home Plus policies, you already have this as standard.
Personal belongings cover away from home
Extended personal belongings cover protects items worth up to £2,000 per item (Home Plus policies have this as standard with a limit of £5,000) when you’re away from home. Any item worth more than this will need to be specified.
Cycle cover away from home
Whether it’s for you or your family, this additional cover protects your bikes and cycling gear for up to £1,000 per item - anything worth more will need to be specified on the policy. This cover comes as standard with our Home Plus policies.
Take a look at our LV= GI home customer reviews
Thanks to all our customers who have rated us ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot!
Awards & RECOGNITION
Home insurance you can trust
- Given the prestigious Defaqto 5 Star Rating for our Home and Home Plus insurance
LV= Home insurance rated 4.6 out of 5 based on 440 customer reviews independently verified by Feefo
Correct as of 26 May 2026.
Combine your car and home insurance on one policy
Combined insurance, umbrella insurance, car and home combined cover... whatever you call it, simply put it's having your car and home insurance in one place. Sound good? Great, we'll combine your car and home insurance on one easy-to-manage policy, so that's one less piece of paperwork.
Why choose LV= Multi Cover insurance?
Less time
Our simple quote process covers your home and up to 6 cars under one roof. It's more efficient, less time-consuming and easier to manage.
Less hassle
Get a quote for your home and cars, even if some of the cover isn’t needed until later in the year. The cover you don’t need straight away will be automatically included when you do.
To find out more about how it works, visit our LV= Multi Cover Insurance page.
What do our customers think of LV= home insurance?
Our expert claims team is here to help when you need us most. In 2025, we supported customers with 50,000 home claims, helping them get back on their feet after accidental damage, home emergencies, escape of water, storms and theft.
More about LV= house insurance
LV= home insurance FAQs
Looking for something else? Perhaps these links can help
All set? Great. Let's start your quote
We’re planning some changes to our business structure.
Please be aware, we plan to transfer the insurance business of Liverpool Victoria Insurance Company Limited ("LVIC") to Allianz Insurance plc. Subject to court approval, from 1 January 2027 this policy will be underwritten by Allianz Insurance plc instead of LVIC. Both companies are part of the Allianz UK group. These changes won’t otherwise affect your cover or policy (e.g. car, home, travel), how we support you, or the service we continue to provide. You can find out more information about the transfer at www.allianz.co.uk/transfer.


