Your house isn't just any old building. It’s also your home.

When it comes to protecting your home, buildings insurance is a must-have.

Prepare for the unexpected with a buildings insurance policy to provide cover for unforeseen damage, from a leak in your central heating system to a broken window in a storm.

Buildings insurance is the part of your home insurance that's for your actual property – rather than your belongings.

It covers the structure of your house and includes things like windows and doors, walls and the roof, as well as permanent fittings like your built-in bathroom and fitted kitchen.

Most mortgage providers will insist that you have buildings insurance as part of the terms of the mortgage agreement.

With our buildings insurance, the fabric of your home is in good hands. You can be covered from loss or damage caused by things like fire, flood, lightning – even an earthquake – to malicious damage and vandalism.

Here are just some of the things you'll get as standard:

• Buildings Cover – up to £1 million sum insured as standard
• Accidental damage cover – for your pipes and wires, your locks, and any damage done in the search for a leak – plus, for even more protection, you can add our optional Enhanced Accidental Damage Cover for an additional cost.
• Trace and access – we'll find and fix any water or oil leak from your home appliances or installations
• No claims discount – get a discount on your next year's premiums if you don’t make a claim

There are some things that our buildings insurance doesn’t cover, including but not limited to:

• Gradual deterioration and maintenance – this includes general wear and tear, depreciation, and the effects of things like mould or damp that arise from normal use.
• Reduction in market value. 
• Existing or deliberate loss or damage. 
• Deception – any loss or damage caused by deception unless the only deception is gaining entry to your home. 

Have a look in our policy document for a full list of what's covered by our buildings insurance – and what's not. Cover limits, exclusions and excesses may apply.

Contents insurance covers the items that you have inside your home – not the property itself – that’s buildings insurance. 

It’s important to remember that buildings insurance and contents insurance policies are different. While one protects your house against damage, the other protects the things that you have in your home that aren’t part of the building

Contents insurance may include your:

• Jewellery 
• Clothes
• Electrical goods 
• Furniture

There are a few different factors that can affect the price of your buildings insurance policy. These include:

• The area where you live – if you live in an area that experiences extreme weather or floods frequently, you may be considered more likely to claim.
• The materials your house is made of – if your home is made from not particularly robust materials, your premium may be higher.
• Your security – if you have added security features to your property, you may find that your premiums are less.
• The type of home – if you have a large house with multiple bedrooms, it could cost more to rebuild. Similarly, if you have a very hi-tech or listed house  it may require expensive or non-standard materials to repair. An old house may also cause higher premiums.
• The number of claims you’ve made – if your number of claims increases the cost of your premiums might too.

Sainsbury’s Home insurance is arranged and administered by Sainsbury’s Money and is underwritten by a carefully selected range of insurers.