Home insurance during kitchen refit

[rllrsk8]

Anyone know who will give us home insurance at a reasonable price when we don't have a kitchen but will be fitting one in the next couple of months?

For background info, last year we started an extension, with the agreement that the builder would build the shell and we would manage the rest ourselves. The builder received his final payment in June. The last "big" thing we have to finish is fitting the kitchen. (There's other things that need doing but we don't have the time or the money to do them yet - eg ensuite bathroom is just a cupboard for now).

We had to get specialist home insurance during the project due to the extent of the works at a cost of around £600 for the year. I'd like to move back onto a more reasonably priced "standard" policy but every company I've spoken to have said no because they wouldn't consider the work complete. Honestly it will be years before I'd say we have completely finished, but I don't see the works we're doing now as anything different to any other home owner really - decorating, building a patio etc.

The insurer who insured us through the build will continue to insure us but still want £550 on their standard policy. I do appreciate that insurance costs have gone up over the last year but this is still double what we were paying before the extension.

Maybe you think well what's a few hundred pounds when you've just had an extension but after we started the extension we found out I was pregnant after trying for several years and now I'm on maternity pay which doesn't stretch so far.

Could you just continue on this expensive policy until the kitchen is in and then cancel and get a partial refund and take a new standard policy out elsewhere?

We used Towergate Insurance in a similar situation although it worked out more expensive than you're currently paying - house was unoccupied though which adds to the premium as higher risk.

If you can get a very basic kitchen set up in then it'll count as a normal house so you can access normal insurance?

Towergate did us a quote for 3 months at a time, so that would get you to the point where the kitchen is in and you could get normal insurance?

Until all the building work is finished and signed off then you actually still have to declare that you're having building work done.
Even if all the major bits are done.
I can send you link to company who would cover.
But no you don't be able to get 'standard' house insurance until it's all signed off. Even if it's all pretty much finished.

@Reallybadidea I was wondering that but want sure if you can cancel a policy part way through - maybe if we pay monthly rather than annually - I will ask them, thanks

@RidingMyBike we do have a basic kitchen set up - a freestanding sink unit from IKEA with a washing machine under, and a section of base units and worktop from the old kitchen with appliances on (plug in induction hob, air fryer etc), but the insurers I've spoken to have said nope it doesn't count unfortunately. I asked what they would do if someone they insured fitted a kitchen during the policy and they said that's different as they are an existing customer.

I've found out The Post Office will insure us and it specifically states that kitchen and bathroom refits are ok and don't count as building work for them, but they also want over £500.

@RidingMyBike Thankyou, that's really useful to know, will give them a call!

Thanks @purpleme12 - who would you say needs to sign it off? The builder has finished. Building regs?

Building control officers from council.
I believe that's right

Jumping on this to ask a question about building regs sign off and house insurance.
Does it actually say in a house insurance schedule about building regs sign off? A builder I know was worried about a barn not being signed off so wouldn't have insurance (one of his clients). But I personally know one person living in a barn conversion that's he's converted without building regs,did have planning. I have asked him about insurance, he says he's got it.(he's not got a warranty either because he wasn't borrowing money, barn will be passed on to family). He's not a builder far from it, got trades in.
I know they ask about the house being looked after or good state of repair but I've never seen anything about building regs. This is also like a log burner not signed off that gets churned over on FB log burner sites.

I don't believe it specifically mentions about 'being signed off' in the policy wording.
But then it can't mention every situation.
For example if customer is having building work so we've put yes to that question on the policy.
Customer calls to say building work finished. We ask is it signed off yet? They say no. So we say you need to call us back when it's signed off then we can change it to no building work on the policy.
Same for new customer. If new customer comes saying I've had all building work done there's just little bits that need doing and it's not been signed off yet then we have to treat it as if there's still building work going on.
But don't forget some people will just not tell you things.
So if you don't know then obviously it's a moot point really as you don't know.
But why were they not signed off in your case?
In your examples mentioned above I'm not saying it's a straight no they're not insured (don't have enough info)

We've had a freestanding kitchen for 2 years... It is very temporary looking but hadn't been part of a renovation. It is in no way uninsurable

It sounds like that's something you wouldn't have had to get signed off for? Sounds like it wasn't structural?
(Fair enough if I'm wrong)
But if it's not structural and you didn't have to have it signed off then no there won't be any worries and it being insured anyway

#won't be any worries about it being insured anyway

The first example (builder client) I think they haven't had it signed off because it would result in council tax. They rent out their main house next door, live abroad.

Second example don't think the owner could not be bothered, external major works, new roof, not trusses, windows & doors. Inside kitchen, bathrooms fitted and walls to divide, electric and plumbing.No footings or extension to main building. I think he sees building regs as a extra tax.

I think in these cases where it sounds like the people aren't planning on getting them signed off then we would refer to underwriter to explain the situation. Get their approval, see if it makes a difference to price or not etc. But I work in non-standard insurance so we insure lots of things others might not.
So it wouldn't necessarily be a no.

Also it come up time and time again about houses with extension not signed off when coming to sell.
So if building regs all need to be signed off these houses are not legally insured 🤷.

If we were told this, we'd probably refer it to underwriter again. So not saying uninsurable but if we were made aware we'd have to get their approval/make them aware.
I suspect though that in these cases people just don't bother telling the insurance company a lot of the time.
I know what you mean, I know it happens but we rarely have people calling us up saying this.
So I think people just don't say

If you had your house completely rebuilt but the footprint was no different do you have tell the insurance company? Can I ask why you have to tell them? I'd never heard of this before, we have an old house that needs huge amounts doing to it in the future but just repairs not extending in any way whatsoever.

You have to tell them about any structural or external work.
Because it can affect the risk of the policy.
(Depending on what's being done)
Off top of my head eg higher risk of theft of workmen coming in, if work being done to roof higher risk of storm damage .
There are other examples but that's just off top of my head.
Whenever work is being carried out the risk to the policy is assessed on an individual basis. They will ask questions about the building work

Thank you

Yes, you can cancel your house insurance partway through and get a refund for some of it. Had to be the case if you sell the house!

But it isn't pro rata per month, there's an initial cooling off period (we actually benefitted from this as completed sale within a fortnight of policy renewing so got an almost total refund!), then they'll charge an admin fee and an amount for number of months you've had cover for. So you get to about 9 or 10 months in and no refund really available.

I got a policy from this company:

https://www.renovationplan.co.uk/?utm_term=renovation%20plan&utm_campaign=Renovation+Plan+-+Brand+Protection&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=8388181493&hsa_cam=10876460811&hsa_grp=110081894154&hsa_ad=546389368257&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-337846354548&hsa_kw=renovation%20plan&hsa_mt=p&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQiAjMKqBhCgARIsAPDgWlxrz_zbxg8xc6VnisLjP5eENo6mA96cQMrU8DcdMgsASkuTocxf07gaArR6EALw_wcB

You can cancel part way, and extend on a monthly basis as required.

Unfortunately wherever you go it will be expensive.

Lots of different scenarios being discussed but just want to add that in our case we absolutely will have building regs sign off - the building inspector only has one more visit to make which as at completion - eg after the kitchen is fitted. I don't know how or why anyone would want to get round building regs - without a certificate for major work you can't really sell the property easily.

None of the insurers we've spoken with have asked for or mentioned building regs specifically. I think we will try one of the suggested companies we can go with on a month by month basis until the kitchen is done and then try again. Thanks all for input.

Thanks @ClematisBlue49 will give them a try!