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When was my house built?
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Want to know when your home was built? If you’re looking for home insurance, it’s something you might want to find out…
- Why do home insurers need to know the age of your property?
- Where can I find out when my house was built?
- What to look out for to estimate the age of your house.
Does age matter?
Insurers ask you for this information because the age of your property might change the amount you pay for your annual premium. For example, older builds are likely to have been built using different materials than what we use now, meaning the cost of repairing the building could be higher. This is because the repair may need specialist techniques and materials which could be harder to come by.
It’s not all doom and gloom for older-property dwellers though; it can work in your favour, too. For example, a Georgian or Victorian-era house is less likely to be built on a floodplain, due to space being less competitive back then. ‘New-builds’ on the other hand, are more pressed for space, so often end up getting built on less desirable land, sometimes on floodplains. In this example, a newer home may cost more to insure than an older one.
When was my house built?
If you own the property, you should be able to find this information in your property’s ‘title register’. This ‘deed’ (as it’s more commonly known) is your proof of ownership of the property, but also tells you which year the first owner bought it off the developers.
If you don’t own the property or you can’t find the title deeds, you might want to contact HM Land Registry. This is the national register for most owned land in England and Wales. All you need is the property’s address. Remember, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own land register.
It’s not always possible to find out the exact date your property was built, especially if it’s a particularly old house. The records may be patchy if the building is older than 50 years, but you’ll be able to find out the first time the property was sold, which is a good starting point.
What year was my house built?
How to estimate the age of your house
So there we have it! When it comes to your home, age really does matter. So, make sure you provide the correct information to your insurer when you set up your home insurance.
Failing to give the correct age of the property could affect your premium, or our ability to pay out on a claim… and nobody wants to find out they’re not insured because they provided the wrong details.