High Value Home Insurance

The amount of home insurance you need depends on several factors, including the value of your property, the cost to rebuild it, and the value of your personal belongings.

For many high-value or listed properties, £1 million may not be enough to cover the cost. Rebuild costs, not market value, determine how much insurance you need, and these can be significantly higher for luxury homes, period buildings, or properties with specialist materials. A professional rebuild assessment helps ensure you’re adequately protected and not exposed to financial risk in the event of a major loss.

It’s essential to ensure your policy includes enough to rebuild your home at today’s prices and adequately covers your contents. Consulting with one of our insurance brokers at Enness can help you determine the right level of cover for your needs.

Being underinsured means your policy limit doesn’t fully cover the cost to rebuild or replace your home and contents. In the event of a claim, insurers may apply the “average clause,” reducing your payout proportionally.

For high-value homes with complex structures or unique materials, underinsurance can lead to substantial out-of-pocket costs. Specialist advice helps ensure your cover reflects your property's true value.

For example, if you insure for £1m but your reinstatement value is £2m, the provider will say you are 50% underinsured and only pay out 50% of your claim. Therefore, having the correct advice is crucial. Our providers do not apply these rules, so we ensure the sum insured is correct.

High-value home insurance policies offer flexible underwriting, higher limits, and tailored cover for unique risks, something standard online insurers typically can’t provide. Specialist providers consider rebuild costs, heritage features, security requirements, and valuable contents to create a bespoke policy. Comparison-site policies are often templated, leaving gaps in cover for luxury or complex homes.

Our providers know that each property is different and will ensure the cover in place is tailored specifically to that property, rather than a generic sum. Our policies are also called 'all-risk' coverage rather than peril-based, meaning your home is protected to the highest standard. Direct online providers also offer a suite of 'add-on' benefits, but our policies often include them as standard.

Yes. Many high-net-worth insurance providers offer policies that cover multiple properties under a single comprehensive package, including second homes, holiday residences, and international properties. This approach simplifies management and ensures each property has appropriate, tailored protection.

The claims process for high-value home insurance is typically more flexible and personal than standard policies. You’ll work directly with a specialist claims team or broker who manages the process, documents losses, and negotiates with the insurer on your behalf. Providing detailed information, photos, valuations, and reports helps ensure a smooth and fair outcome.

Online providers will have a generic claims helpline for you to begin the claims process, which usually involves lengthy hold times and speaking to a different person every time. We will be your dedicated point of contact and walk you through the whole process. We'll provide guidance and advice on what's needed; for example, the provider may require evidence such as a police report or request that a loss assessor visit the property.

Yes. Enness acts as a specialist broker, sourcing bespoke high-value home insurance for buy-to-let and holiday properties, including luxury or listed homes. These properties often face unique risks such as extended vacancy periods, guest liability, and fluctuating rental use.

As your broker, we work with leading insurers to secure tailored policies that comprehensively protect your investment, covering both the building and valuable contents, whether rented short-term or long-term.

The rebuild value of a high-value property reflects the cost of reconstructing the home from scratch rather than its market purchase price. This includes materials, specialist craftsmanship, demolition costs, professional fees, and compliance with current building regulations.

For prime and period properties, listed homes, or architect-designed residences, rebuild costs can differ significantly from headline property values due to bespoke features and specialist restoration requirements. Because of this, insurers often recommend professional reinstatement valuations to ensure the property is insured accurately.

Ensuring the correct rebuild value is essential to avoid underinsurance, which could reduce claim payouts in the event of major damage or loss. Specialist brokers can help arrange appropriate valuations and structure cover that reflects the true replacement cost of complex or high-value homes.