Buildings & Contents Home Insurance

Accidental Damage Cover is an optional extra that protects you against unexpected damage to your buildings and/or contents, like spilling paint on a carpet, drilling through a pipe, or dropping a television. It is available for an additional premium. Without accidental damage cover, you would need to pay for these repairs yourself.

It is not necessary to purchase this optional extra in order to purchase a Home Insurance Policy. 

Home Emergency Assistance provides a 24/7 repair service if you experience an emergency at home such as a burst pipe, boiler breakdown, or electrical failure. A qualified tradesperson will be sent to secure your home and prevent further damage.

Cover is available for up to €260 (plus VAT) per incident with 3 call-outs per year (Aviva) or up to €300 (including VAT) per incident with 4 call-outs per year (Allianz). No excess is payable.

This cover is underwritten by MAPFRE ASISTENCIA Compania Internacional De Seguros Y Reaseguros, S.A., trading as MAWDY. 

The excess is the amount you pay towards a claim before your insurer covers the rest. Your Home Insurance Policy has a standard excess which is set out in your policy documents. You can choose to increase your excess, which reduces your premium, but make sure you can afford the excess amount if you need to make a claim. No excess applies to Home Emergency Assistance claims. 

The reinstatement value is the cost of completely rebuilding your home from scratch including any outbuildings, permanent fixtures and fittings (such as kitchens, bathrooms, and fitted wardrobes), demolition, materials, labour, professional fees, and site clearance.

This is not the same as the market value of your home, and is sometimes also called the rebuilding cost. You should insure your home for its full reinstatement value, as underinsurance (insuring for less than the full value) could result in a reduced payout if you claim (this is called the average clause).

Use the SCSI House Rebuild Calculator at scsi.ie for an estimate, or consult a chartered surveyor.

Landlord's Insurance covers both the building and any contents you provide in the rental property. It is designed for landlords who own the full property.

Landlord's Contents Insurance covers only the contents like furniture, appliances, and household goods, and is designed for situations where the building is already insured separately, such as apartments in managed developments.

Both include Public and Personal Liability Cover up to €3 million.

Visit our Landlord's Insurance and  Landlord's Contents Insurance pages for full details. 

Yes, both Aviva and Allianz include cover for flood, storm, and related water damage as standard. There may be some cases where flood cover is excluded but this will be stated in your policy documents. 

Please refer to our policy booklets for full cover details and terms and conditions that apply. Discounts, cover limits, and terms and conditions are dependent on your insurer and those applicable to you will be outlined in your policy documents.

If you own your home, your mortgage lender will almost certainly require Buildings Insurance. Contents Insurance is not mandatory but is strongly recommended. Without it, you would need to replace all your belongings at your own cost if they were damaged or stolen. Most homeowners choose combined Buildings and Contents Cover for full protection. Buildings-Only Cover is available with Allianz by calling us on 0818 22 22 22. 

Your rebuild cost includes outbuildings, permanent fixtures and fittings, demolition, materials, labour, professional fees, and site clearance. Your market value is simply what your home would sell for which can be a very different figure to the rebuild cost. Always insure your home for the rebuild cost, not the market value. 

Under-insurance happens when your sum insured is less than the actual cost of rebuilding your home or replacing your contents. If you are under-insured, your claim payout could be reduced proportionally. Make sure your home is insured for its full rebuild cost and your contents for their full replacement value.