Compare Barclays Home Insurance Quotes Against The Market

Barclays is one of the most famous banking institutions in the world. For decades, they offered highly popular, comprehensive home insurance policies to millions of their UK banking and mortgage customers.

However, if you are currently looking to buy a new Barclays home insurance policy, it is vital to know that Barclays no longer sells home insurance. In late 2023, Aviva (who had been underwriting Barclays policies behind the scenes for 18 years) officially purchased the entire Barclays home insurance portfolio. All 350,000 existing Barclays home insurance customers were seamlessly migrated over to Aviva. Today, Barclays focuses its insurance offerings entirely on life insurance, travel cover, and tech/gadget insurance.

Because you can no longer buy a policy from Barclays, the best approach is to compare the wider UK market to find a policy that matches the high level of cover you would expect from a premium high-street bank.

You can get independent advice and a personalised quotes comparison from one of our expert advisers below:

What type of home insurance do they provide?

Because Barclays has exited the new home insurance market, they do not currently offer "Bronze, Silver, or Gold" tiers for new customers. Instead, here is what you need to know about your options moving forward:

The Aviva Transition (For Existing Customers)

If you held a Barclays Home Insurance or Barclays Premium Home Insurance policy prior to the buyout, your policy is now fully owned and managed by Aviva.

• Seamless Cover: Your cover limits, including the "Unlimited" rebuild cover that was a staple of the Barclays Premium tier, were generally honoured and migrated over to Aviva's equivalent tier (often Aviva Signature).

• Digital Management: Former Barclays customers must now manage their policies, make changes, and log claims via the MyAviva app or online portal, rather than through their Barclays banking app.

Alternatives for New Customers

If you are buying a house (or remortgaging with Barclays) and want premium, bank-level cover, our advisers can help you find equivalent policies on the open market. We look for policies that mirror Barclays' old high-end features, such as:

• Unlimited Buildings Cover: Preventing the risk of under-insurance.

• High Alternative Accommodation Limits: Up to £100,000 if your home becomes uninhabitable.

• Full Accidental Damage & Legal Expenses: Essential add-ons that come as standard on top-tier market policies.

Tech & Gadget Insurance (Still Available)

While Barclays no longer insures the physical bricks and mortar of your home, they do still sell standalone Tech Insurance. This is designed to protect your mobile phones, laptops, and tablets against accidental damage, loss, and theft, providing a 24-month warranty on repairs.

How your premiums are calculated

If you were migrated to Aviva, or if you are now shopping the open market because Barclays no longer offers quotes, your new premiums will be calculated based on standard industry risk factors:

• Location Risk: Insurers heavily weigh the crime rate, flood risk, and history of subsidence in your specific postcode.

• Property Size: Larger homes cost more to rebuild and furnish, naturally attracting a higher base premium.

• Claims History: Your No Claims Discount (NCD) remains the most effective way to lower your annual insurance costs.

• Market Adjustments: Many former Barclays customers saw changes to their premiums upon their first renewal under Aviva, as their risk profiles were aligned with Aviva's direct-market pricing algorithms.

Pros and cons

Here are the pros and cons regarding the Barclays/Aviva transition and having to source your own independent cover:

Pros:

• Aviva Upgrades: Former Barclays customers are now backed directly by Aviva, meaning access to the highly-rated MyAviva app and one of the most robust, well-funded claims networks in the UK.

• No Action Needed: The 2023 migration was entirely automatic, ensuring nobody was left without continuous cover during the handover.

• Market Freedom: Because Barclays no longer offers new home insurance, it forces you to shop around the wider market, which very often results in finding a cheaper, more comprehensive premium anyway.

Cons:

• No Loyalty Perks: If you are a loyal Barclays current account or mortgage customer, you can no longer get a multi-product discount or banking reward by bundling your home insurance directly with them.

• Brand Confusion: Many customers still search for Barclays home insurance online, only to find third-party intermediaries or outdated information.

• Pricing Changes: Upon renewal under the Aviva brand, some former Barclays customers experienced premium adjustments that were higher than they were accustomed to under the old Barclays pricing model.

Customer reviews

Because Barclays no longer operates in the home insurance space, you will need to look at Aviva's customer reviews to see how your migrated policy is currently being handled.

• Trustpilot (Aviva): Aviva consistently holds an Excellent rating on Trustpilot. Customers frequently praise their seamless digital experience and the efficiency of their UK-based claims process.

• The Transition Experience: During the 2023 buyout, the transition was widely praised in the financial press for being smooth. However, a small minority of customers found the switch confusing, particularly those who were used to ringing their dedicated Barclays Premier banking line for insurance queries.

• Defaqto: The equivalent Aviva policies that replaced the top-tier Barclays cover hold maximum 5 Star Ratings, assuring you that the quality of your coverage has not dropped.

How to get a home insurance quote

You cannot buy a home insurance policy from the Barclays website or their banking app.

Relying on a single bank for your insurance usually limits your options anyway. Consulting with an independent insurance broker gives you an overview of the entire market, ensuring you get the right cover at the right price, with all the premium features you expect.

At Money Helpdesk, our home insurance experts have access to a massive panel of top-tier underwriters. If you are looking to arrange robust cover for your property, get in touch and we will present you with your best options.