DIY and building work – do you need to tell your insurer?
DIY and home improvements can brighten up a room and give a new sense of purpose to your living space, and may even help to increase the value of your home. But before you start knocking down walls, it’s worth checking about the insurance implications and what you need to tell your home insurer.
Building work
If you’re carrying out substantial building work, you certainly need to inform your insurer before you begin. Your builder should have their own cover, and it’s worth checking they have liability cover, especially in the event of damage to a neighbour’s property. You should also check on your own insurance cover, especially if you’re having renovations or alterations done. It’s essential you’re insured for such mishaps as a wall collapsing, a fire breaking out or building equipment stolen, and you’ll need specialist insurance if you can’t live in your home for more than 30 days.
Generally, cosmetic changes such as kitchen or bathroom refits don’t matter unless they’re substantial, it all depends on the size of the job. Insurers want to know about work that could alter the value of your home, compromise your home security or damage valuables.
DIY
A standard policy tends not to provide protection if something goes wrong, so it’s always worth checking on the level of cover you have in place if you’re about to carry out a DIY or redecoration project. Remember, watching a YouTube tutorial won’t necessarily make you into an expert. Sometimes it’s better to hire a qualified tradesperson with liability insurance in place.
It's always a good idea to take out accidental damage cover. Although this will cost a little extra, it may be cheaper than paying for costly repairs if something goes wrong, for example if you put your foot through the ceiling or burst a water pipe while hanging a picture. You could also look at taking out home emergency cover.
Informing your insurer
If you are altering the structure of your home, it may change its value and the sum you have insured, so you must inform your insurer. They may re-evaluate, resulting in higher insurance costs and possibly charge an admin fee for changing your policy. However, it’s very important to have adequate cover in place rather than finding out at a later date that you’ve invalidated cover. On the other hand, if you’re making your home more secure, with a new security system or better locks, it could reduce your insurance costs.
Jobs you should inform your insurer about
- Extending a room
- Adding a conservatory
- Carrying out a loft conversion
- Replacing a roof
- Installing double-glazing
- Adding a porch
- Erecting a summerhouse
- Having a pool installed
- New kitchen or bathroom
- New flooring
- Rewiring
Jobs you don’t need to inform your insurer about
- Replacing carpets
- Putting up shelves
- Re-tiling a bathroom
- Wallpapering
- Painting
- Paving and gardening
Please note that these lists are non-exhaustive. If you are unsure whether to inform your insurer, please contact us.
Talk to TMD
If you’re having work done to your house, it’s always a good idea to check you have appropriate insurance in place. We would advise looking at contents insurance to protect your personal possessions, accidental damage to protect you if something goes wrong and legal cover, ensuring you’re legally protected, especially in the event of a civil dispute. In the case of a major rebuild or renovation, we’d definitely advise having your home re-evaluated to make sure you have adequate rebuild costs in place.
To find out more and make sure you’re adequately insured, call TMD on 01992 703 000 or email insurance@mcdonaghs.co.uk
Our business is your protection.