What affects the price of your home insurance?
Your home insurance price explained
It's a common question but not one that's easy to answer. Insurers consider a wide variety of factors relating to you, your home, and the wider world around you, to offer the best price possible on your home insurance.
Where you live
One of the first things insurers will look at is your individual postcode. We can gain a lot of information just from this.
We'll look at crime rates - for example, if an area has a higher-than-average burglary rate, your premium may be higher.
Your circumstances
Insurers ask a lot of questions about you when pricing your policy, as these details affect how likely you may be to make a claim. For example, your premium may be affected by the amount of time you spend away from your home.
Claims
Insurers will also look at your claims history. People with fewer or no claims can expect to get a cheaper price for their home insurance.
However, it isn't just your own claims that can affect prices. If the nature or number of claims we settle increases due to outside influences, such as severe weather, this can also increase premiums.
Your property
The type of building you live in can affect the cost of your home insurance - like whether you live in a terrace, semi-detached or detached house. The way your home has been built and the materials used can also affect your premium.
Typically, larger homes will also have more possessions and higher repair costs. The same could be said for properties that are older, as things may start to go wrong - from leaks to faulty wiring - and it can be costly to repair or rebuild, which could impact your insurance premium.
Severe Weather
Long periods of cold weather or rain can cause damage to homes and increase the number of insurance claims for things like burst pipes or damage to roofs with wind.
Fraud
Dishonest people who commit insurance fraud can drive up premiums for innocent parties. It's said that insurance fraud can cost honest policyholders up to £50.
Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)
It's a government-introduced tax on insurance policies including car, home, travel, and pet, which every insurance provider has to charge.
Still need help?
Whether you're an existing customer or you're looking to take out a new policy with 1st Central, you can find lots of useful information on our Help & Support page.
Answers to important questions
How do I make a home insurance claim?
We want to take the stress out of making a claim on your home insurance. That's why we've made it possible for you to register your claim online via Your Account.
If you'd rather speak to us about a new claim, just give our team a call 24/7 on 0333 043 2034. Call us as soon as possible after the incident to tell us what's happened, even if you're not sure you want to make a claim.
Am I covered for accidental damage in my home?
Your buildings insurance will automatically include cover for damage to underground drains, pipes, cables and tanks, breakages to sanitary fittings, glass in windows and doors. For an additional cost, you can add Full Accidental Damage Cover, which includes damage related to unintentional and unforeseen incidents like a foot through the ceiling.
Your contents insurance also includes some automatic cover for accidental damage to mirrors, fixed glass in furniture, pictures, ornaments, plate-glass tops to furniture and ceramic in hobs as standard. For an additional cost, you can add Full Accidental Damage Cover, which includes damage caused by tobacco burns and water overflowing from sinks or spillages on carpets.
Please see your policy documents for more detail on the cover limits and terms or call us on 0333 043 2001 to discuss further.
How do I cancel my home insurance policy?
You have the right to cancel your home insurance policy at any time, by calling us on 0333 043 2001
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If you cancel your policy within 14 days of purchase, a full refund of the premium will be provided, provided that no claim has been made. If you choose to cancel within the first 14 days and pay by instalments, we won’t refund any credit finance charges.
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If you cancel your policy 14 days or more after purchase, you'll have to pay for the time you were covered and any cancellation fees. This will only be applicable from the time you contact us or later. We may not refund any premium if you have made a claim, if the instalment payments are not up to date, or if fraud has been committed.
If you cancel you may also be subject to fees.
If you cancel your policy before it starts, you won’t need to pay any fees, and if your payment has already been collected, we can arrange a full refund for you.
How can I access my home insurance documents?
Your documents are kept safe and sound in Your Account so you can access them whenever you like. Log in using your email address, your password wil be your policy number, and you can change this once you've logged in.
If you have forgotten your password or don't remember setting up an account when you bought your policy, please click on the 'I've forgotten my details' link.
What are your home insurance fees and charges?
Our fees and charges for making a change or for cancelling your policy are in the table below:
Cancellation fees
- Cancelling your policy before it starts, or within 14 days of its start date - £0
- After 14 days of the policy start date - £35
- If we have to cancel your policy – see ‘Cancelling this policy’ for more information - £35
Fees for making a change
- If we have to make a change because you gave us incorrect information - £25
- If you make a change on the phone - £25
We don’t charge an arrangement fee at new business or renewal.
If you cancel your policy within 14 days of purchase, a full refund of the premium will be provided, provided that no claim has been made. If you choose to cancel within the first 14 days and pay by installments, we won't refund any credit finance charges.
If you cancel your policy 14 days or more after purchase, you'll have to pay for the time you were covered and any cancellations fees. This will only be applicable from the time you contact us or later. We may not refund any premium if you have made a claim, if the instalment payments are not up to date, or if fraud has been comitted.