Listed Building Insurance
Owners of Grade I and Grade II listed properties face a unique range of risks, calling for specialist insurance to ensure period features, listed status and value are understood adequately protected.
If you own a period, heritage or historical home that is Grade I or II listed, it’s essential you have appropriate insurance.
A listed property is one that is of special historical, cultural or architectural importance, which, in the event of damage, requires specialist repairs in keeping with the building’s historical character and age. With many years’ experience arranging cover for listed buildings, we can provide high quality cover with a specialist insurer to meet your individual needs.
Quality cover that provides specialist services
For example, your home may require specialist or period materials, which may increase the rebuild cost. Modern features, such as double glazing or window locks may not be appropriate. Our cover provides access to a specialist surveyor, who can apply for the required consents and liaise with advisory or regulatory bodies. The surveyor can also recommend contractors with the necessary expertise and experience, who understand your building’s heritage and architectural features, and who work with traditional building methods. This will ensure your property retains its listed status and value.
What your cover includes:
- All grades of listed buildings
- Renovation, repair or conversion
- Repairing and replacing non-standard materials
- Labour costs for skilled craftsmen
- Alternative accommodation if you need to vacate the property
- Fire, flood or storm damage
- Burglary and theft
- Accidental damage
- Optional home emergency
- How are listed buildings graded?All listed buildings are graded according to their importance. In England and Wales the grades are I, II* and II. Around 2.5% of listed buildings are Grade I and 5.5% are Grade II*, which means they are particularly important. The rest are Grade II, which means they are of special architectural or historical interest.
- Why do listed properties need specialist cover?Those who own a listed property are obliged to keep it as close as possible to its original state. If you are repairing or rebuilding your listed property, this will involve restoration, which means you may need to source traditional building materials and use the services of specialist tradespeople, craftsmen and professionals, such as architects and surveyors. This can be expensive and, for this reason, your listed property requires special ‘listed building’ cover.
- What kind of listed buildings insurance do I need?You can have buildings or contents insurance, or a joint policy that covers both. Buildings insurance covers the structure, including walls, roof, windows, pipes and fixtures. It protects you against unforeseen incidents, but it doesn’t cover routine maintenance and anything relating to wear and tear. Contents insurance covers furniture, clothes, electric and electronic items and other personal belongings. If you have high worth items, such as artwork, sculpture or jewellery, you will need to take out additional cover.
- Is listed building insurance more expensive?Yes, it can be. Repairing or restoring your property may involve the use of traditional or non-standard building materials and the services of specialist tradespeople, craftsmen and professionals, such as architects and surveyors, with knowledge of historical homes, architectural features and conservation areas. Repairs may be subject to rules and need to be in keeping with the architectural style of the property, and you may require specific stonework or bricks. All this can be expensive, which means insurance premiums tend to be slightly higher than that of standard or modern properties.
- Does cover include the thatched roof?Many listed properties have thatched roofs, and this will affect the insurance premium, as a thatched roof can be a fire hazard and is also expensive to repair if damaged by the weather. Generally speaking, thatches require replacing every 10 - 15 years. You will need specialist insurance to cover your thatched roof. Please seek advice from PIB Insurance Brokers.
- How do you calculate a property’s ‘rebuild value’?The ‘rebuild’ value’ is the amount it will cost to rebuild your listed property if it is destroyed by a catastrophic event, such as a fire. If this involves using non-standard materials or the property has special architectural features, the rebuild cost is likely to be higher than its market value. (Unlike standard homes, where the rebuild value is less than market value.) It’s important to insure your home for the correct amount: if you are underinsured, the insurer may not pay the full cost of repair or rebuild, or even cancel the policy on the grounds you’ve misrepresented the risk. We can put you in touch with a professional surveyor who can accurately assess the rebuild cost, ensuring you are adequately insured.
- Can you insure listed buildings undergoing repair, renovation or conversion?Yes. However, for those listed buildings undergoing repair, renovation or conversion, we will require specific details to ensure we provide adequate insurance. Please talk to us about your requirements and be prepared to provide full details, so that we can prepare a suitable quotation. An appropriate rebuild cost is essential, which can be provided by a professionally qualified surveyor. We can help you to arrange this.
- Why am I legally obliged to ‘build back as before’?When purchasing a listed property, it’s important to understand that any unauthorised work carried out on the property by previous owners is now your responsibility. The conservation officer may rule that you need to reinstate as per the original, in which case you will need to ‘build back as before’. This may involve the use of non-standard materials. It’s important to follow the requests of the conservation officer to the letter.
- What types of traditional building techniques were used?Older listed properties could be built from a range of natural materials, including stone, earth, brick and wood and utilise vapour-permeable lime mortars, renders and washes. Traditional methods and materials are often more complex than and incompatible with modern materials. For example, modern buildings use impermeable materials, such as damp-proof membranes, cement renders and synthetic paints that form a barrier preventing moisture from entering the building. Traditional breathable solid walls work in a different way, using vapour-permeable materials that allow moisture to pass through them. It's important to carry out repairs and restoration using materials and methods that are appropriate to the age and style of the building.