When building work changes how insurers see the risk
Home insurance tends to work best when a house behaves like a house. Once renovation work starts, that assumption can wobble a bit. The joke is that insurers love neat, finished properties and get nervous around exposed joists and half-finished kitchens. There’s some truth in that.
From an insurer’s point of view, renovation usually means a higher chance of claims. Tools get left around. Walls are opened up. Pipes are moved. Trades come and go. Even sensible projects can increase the risk of fire, escape of water, theft, or accidental damage.
Why standard policies often have limits
Many standard home insurance policies include wording that restricts cover when “structural alterations” or “major works” are underway. That doesn’t always mean cover disappears overnight, but it does mean certain events may be excluded.
Common pressure points include damage caused directly by the work, theft where doors or windows have been removed, and losses linked to unoccupied periods. If the house is being lived in, insurers usually look more kindly on it. Empty properties raise eyebrows.
What counts as renovation in insurance terms
Insurers don’t all draw the line in the same place. Painting a bedroom or replacing a bathroom suite rarely triggers special conditions. Structural work often does.
Projects that usually attract extra scrutiny include:
- Extensions or loft conversions involving structural changes
- Removal of load-bearing walls
- Rewiring, replumbing, or major heating changes
- Roof works that expose the property to the weather
- Work that requires building control approval
It’s not about the value of the project alone. It’s about how much the work changes the risk profile of the property while it’s underway.
Living in the property versus moving out
This is one of the biggest dividing lines. If you’re living in the house during the work, many insurers will continue cover with conditions. Those conditions might include keeping the property secure at the end of each day or limiting how long parts of the house are left open.
If the property is empty for extended periods, standard cover often becomes restricted. Escape of water and theft are the usual casualties. Some policies reduce cover after thirty days, others sooner. It depends on the wording, not the sales blurb.
Tools, materials, and who insures what
A common misunderstanding is assuming the homeowner’s policy covers everything on site. It usually doesn’t. Contractors are normally responsible for their own tools and equipment, insured under their business policies.
Building materials delivered to site can be trickier. Some home policies include limited cover for materials intended for permanent fitting, but often only if they’re stored securely. Bricks stacked on the drive and copper piping left indoors overnight can be treated very differently.
The role of contractors and their insurance
Insurers expect contractors to carry their own public liability insurance. That covers damage or injury they cause through their work. It doesn’t replace home insurance, but it does affect how claims are handled when something goes wrong.
If you’re acting as your own project manager, insurers may ask more questions. Professional builders, written contracts, and staged work tend to reduce uncertainty from an underwriting point of view.
When specialist renovation insurance comes into play
For larger projects, a specialist renovation or self-build policy is often used. These policies are designed to cover a property through different stages of work, including periods when it’s partially completed or unoccupied.
They usually combine elements of buildings cover with site-specific risks, sometimes including public liability for the homeowner. They aren’t always necessary, but once a project reaches a certain scale, standard home insurance can start to feel like the wrong tool for the job.
Things insurers typically want disclosed
Insurers don’t expect daily updates, but they do expect to be told about material changes. Failing to disclose significant work can create problems at claim stage.
Details that are commonly asked about include:
- The nature and cost of the work
- How long the project is expected to last
- Whether the property will be occupied
- Who is carrying out the work
- Any changes to security during the build
It’s rarely about catching people out. It’s about making sure the risk being insured matches reality on the ground.
Security and common sense still matter
Even with the right cover in place, insurers expect reasonable care. Temporary doors, boarded windows, locked skips, and sensible storage all make a difference. If a loss happens and basic precautions were ignored, questions tend to follow.