Review: Halifax Home Insurance
By
Ronny Lavie
Summary
Halifax is one of the UK’s most well-known banks – you have probably seen their ‘giving extra’ ads. In addition to banking and mortgage services, they also offer insurance – including home, car, travel and life insurance.
Click here to find out if Halifax made it into our Top 10 Home Insurance.
Overview of insurance cover provided by Halifax Home Insurance
Halifax have two Home Insurance products – Home Insurance and Home Insurance Ultimate. Within these there are two types of cover – buildings insurance and contents insurance.
Home Insurance buildings cover includes:
- Buildings sum insured - blanket cover of £500,000, with the option to increase to £1,000,000
- Alternative accommodation cover for up to 20% of buildings sum insured
- Damage to the property from floods, fires, smoke, explosions, storm, lighting, earthquakes, theft or attempted theft, malicious damage or vandalism and water leaks from domestic appliances or fixed domestic water installations
- Loss or theft of keys and emergency access cover
- Water damage caused by burst pipes
- Accidental damage to fixed ceramic hobs, sanitary wares and fixed glass covered as standard
- A £50 excess applies (£1,000 for subsidence)
- Accidental damage and home emergency is available for an additional cost
Home Insurance contents cover includes:
- Contents sum insured - blanket cover of £75,000, with the option to increase to £100,000
- Televisions, video and audio installations, computer equipment, fixed glass in furniture, mirrors, glass in shelves and freestanding ceramic hobs covered as standard
- Damage to contents from theft, attempted theft, malicious damage or vandalism
- Alternative accommodation cover for up to 20% of the contents limit in the policy schedule or £20,000 (whichever is greater)
- Contents in outbuildings up to £5,000
- A £50 excess applies
- Accidental damage cover, home emergency, legal expenses, pedal cycle cover, freezer contents cover (up to £250) and cover for personal belongings outside of the home is available for an additional cost
Home Insurance Ultimate buildings insurance cover includes:
- Buildings sum insured - unlimited
- Alternative accommodation cover up to £30,000
- Damage to the property from floods, fires, smoke, explosions, storm, lighting, earthquakes, theft or attempted theft, malicious damage or vandalism and water and oil leaks from domestic appliances or fixed domestic installations
- Loss or theft of keys and emergency access cover
- Water damage caused by burst pipes
- Accidental damage to services, as well as fixed ceramic hobs, sanitary wares and fixed glass covered as standard
- Property owner liability up to £2,000,000
- Legal expenses up to £50,000
- A £100 excess applies (£1,000 for subsidence)
- Accidental damage is available for an additional cost
Home Insurance Ultimate contents insurance cover includes:
- Contents sum insured - unlimited
- Televisions, video and audio installations, computer equipment, fixed glass in furniture, mirrors, glass in shelves and freestanding ceramic hobs covered as standard
- Damage to contents from fire, malicious damage or vandalism, storm or flood, subsidence or heave, theft or attempted theft and water or oil leaks from any fixed domestic installation
- Loss of money up to £500 and financial loss due to fraud involving cash, debit cards and credit cards
- Business furniture and equipment within the home up to £5,000
- Employer liability up to £10,000,000 and tenant liability up to £10,000
- Legal expenses up to £50,000
- Alternative accommodation cover up to £20,000
- Contents in outbuildings up to £5,000
- A £100 excess applies
- Accidental damage cover, freezer contents cover (up to £500) and cover for personal belongings outside of the home is available for an additional cost
Further benefits of Halifax Home Insurance include:
- No interest on monthly direct debit payments
- £50 cashback when you buy combined Home Options buildings and contents insurance, can be swapped for an Amazon tablet; a night at a hotel for two or a NOW TV and 6 month Sky cinema pass
- A 10% discount for Halifax online banking customers
Click here to find out if Halifax made it into our Top 10 Home Insurance.
How much does home insurance with Halifax Insurance cost?
Home Insurance premiums are affected by many different factors, such as the type and level of cover you choose, your postcode, the value of your contents and whether you opt to take out optional extra cover.
However, with no interest on monthly payments and either cash back or an Amazon tablet; a night at a hotel for two or a NOW TV and 6 month Sky cinema pass plus a 10% discount for existing Halifax online banking customers, Halifax try to keep their prices competitive.
What do Halifax Home Insurance reviews from customer say?
On reviews.co.uk Halifax Insurance has 4.04 out of 5 stars with 80% of customers saying they'd recommend the service.
On reviewcentre.com, things are less favourable – Halifax Home Insurance was given 1.3 out of 5 stars and only 11% of the 167 reviewers said they would recommend it. The company’s claim process and renewal premiums were the main reasons given for the bad reviews.
What do Halifax Home Insurance reviews by the experts say?
Which? – the financial comparison site – gave Halifax Home Insurance an overall score of 61%, made up of a 58% customer score, 64% for Halifax’s buildings policy and 63% for their contents policy. This places Halifax Home Insurance 21th out of 33 home insurance companies reviewed by Which?.
Defaqto – the independent financial services rating body – awarded Halifax Home Insurance Standard and Ultimate policies 5 out of 5 stars rating, making them ‘excellent products with a comprehensive range of features and benefits’. Halifax’s Home Insurance cover received 4 out of 5 stars, making it ‘a product with a good level of features and benefits’.
