Planning home improvements? Don’t forget to check your home insurance
September 9, 2026If it’s more than a lick of paint and you are planning significant building works at home – such as an extension, loft conversion or major renovations – you may want to review your insurance arrangements. Home insurance during building work is an important consideration because significant alterations can affect the risks associated with your property and the cover you need.
Before any work starts, check your policy and contact your insurance provider to find out how your existing cover may be affected, and review your home insurance again once the work is complete.
Do I need to tell my insurer about building work?
When you are planning major renovations, the removal of load-bearing walls, an extension, loft conversion or other structural alterations, check your policy and contact your insurer before work begins. Your insurance provider can confirm whether your existing cover will continue and whether any additional conditions or restrictions will apply.
Bear in mind, of course, that any impact on your home insurance during building work may vary according to your insurer’s particular policies – the nature and timing of the notification required may differ from policy to policy.
Why can building work affect my home insurance?
When you bring the builders in for major works, you may also be bringing in additional risks – to name but a few:
- scaffolding may be temporarily in place;
- contractors are likely to be in and out of your home;
- the security of your home may be compromised;
- the building works themselves may cause structural damage to your home;
- there may be additional exposure to inclement weather; and
- you may need to vacate the property so that it is not occupied while the works are in progress.
Because of the potentially wide range of additional risks, you should not assume that your existing home insurance automatically provides appropriate cover. Renovation insurance may be required.
Does a loft conversion or extension affect home insurance?
Building work and home insurance may be impacted both during the work in progress and once the project is complete.
The additional risks that are associated with major building works have already been mentioned.
Once the work is complete, you may want to review your current insurance again. The description of the building may have changed, along with its size and possibly the number of rooms. The works may also affect the property’s rebuild cost – an important consideration when reviewing your buildings insurance.
What should I check with my insurer before building work starts?
Here is a brief checklist of what you might want to check before any building work starts:
- does your existing home insurance continue to provide the cover you need;
- will your insurer impose any restrictions or additional conditions on the cover;
- is specialist renovation insurance required;
- are additional security arrangements or occupancy conditions required;
- does your insurer require details of the contractors or further information about the project; and
- does your insurer need further updates if the planned work changes or takes longer than expected?
You may also want to check that your contractors have appropriate insurance for the work they are undertaking, such as public liability insurance, and ask for evidence of cover where appropriate.
What should I do with my home insurance when the work is finished?
If structural alterations have been made, check whether your insurer needs to be notified once the work is complete. This will help ensure that the information held about your property remains accurate and that your cover continues to meet your needs.
For your own peace of mind, you may want to ensure that the property details in your insurance documents remain accurate, that your buildings sum insured remains sufficient to cover potential reconstruction costs, and that your level of cover is still appropriate.
When should I review my home insurance for building work?
To help reduce the risk of having insufficient or inappropriate home insurance during building work, consider your insurance arrangements as part of the initial planning for the project. It is generally better to do this during the planning stage rather than waiting until work is already underway.
If you would like to discuss how home improvements could affect your insurance arrangements, please contact the team here at Alan Blunden.
Further reading: Having some building work done? Inform your home insurance provider.
This article provides general information only and does not constitute insurance or legal advice. Home insurance cover, terms, conditions, limits and exclusions vary between insurers and policies. Please check your policy documentation and contact your insurer or insurance adviser before starting significant building work to ensure you understand how your cover may be affected.