Written by Mark Langshaw Reviewed by Lee Trett
11 August 2026
Full rewrite to bring page up to date
26 April 2024
First Published
If you hold a property insurance policy, quote, or renewal schedule bearing the RSA name (Royal & Sun Alliance), you are dealing with one of the oldest and largest insurance institutions in the UK. Dating back to the Sun Fire Office (1710) and Royal Insurance (1845), RSA was formed via the 1996 merger of Sun Alliance and Royal Insurance.
Today, Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Ltd is a core subsidiary of Intact Financial Corporation. RSA has undergone a major strategic transformation: RSA exited the direct retail home insurance market (transferring its direct "MORE THAN" home renewal rights to Admiral Group) and transitioned its affinity partnership accounts (such as Nationwide) to alternative providers like Aviva. RSA and its commercial partner NIG have unified their operations under the brand Intact Insurance.
For personal property and housing risks, RSA (trading as Intact Insurance) operates primarily as a wholesale underwriter, supplying Tenants Contents Insurance, broker-intermediated schemes, and commercial property owner protection.
You can get independent advice and a personalised home insurance quotes comparison of top-tier active property policies (including how RSA/Intact capacity rates compare to the wider open market) from one of our expert advisers below:
Get home insurance quotes and advice today!
You can use our expert advisers to compare home insurance deals from RSA with products from other providers across the market.
They will round up personalised quotes from RSA and alternative providers and offer bespoke advice on which one to choose.
To get started, fill in our quick online form below and one of our expert home insurance advisers with be in touch today!
What type of property insurance do they provide?
Following its operational restructure, RSA/Intact Insurance focuses on specialised property sectors rather than mass-market direct household sales:
RSA / Intact Insurance Property Framework
|
Property Line |
Target Risk & Applicant Profile |
Core Coverage Features |
|
Tenants Contents Insurance |
Private renters, social housing tenants, and housing association residents. |
Flexible sums insured, no compulsory excess options on select schemes, tenant liability cover for landlord fixtures. |
|
Broker-Intermediated Home Cover |
Standard and non-standard homes placed via licensed independent insurance brokers. |
High blanket rebuild limits, optional accidental damage, trace and access leak investigation allowances. |
|
Commercial Property Owners |
Multi-tenanted commercial blocks, offices, retail units, and industrial estates. |
Property owner's liability, commercial loss of rent over 12–36 months, glass replacement, and outbuilding protection. |
|
Legacy Affinity Home Insurance |
Existing policies managed during transition periods (e.g., historical bank and building society schemes). |
Full structural buildings cover up to £1,000,000 and standard contents replacement. |
How RSA / Intact Insurance calculates premiums
Risk modeling and pricing for RSA/Intact Insurance schemes rely on institutional underwriting infrastructure:
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Intact Financial Corp Capital Modeling: Risk algorithms evaluate postcodes against national flood plain registers, land elevation maps, historical subsidence data, and regional crime indexes.
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Wholesale Broker Pricing: Policies placed through independent brokers utilise Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems on major broker software platforms (such as Acturis, Open GI, and CDL), passing automated underwriting efficiency down to the broker.
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Flexible Tenant Payment Channels: For Tenants Contents schemes, RSA collaborates with housing associations and local councils to allow weekly or monthly premium collections without credit checks or APR surcharges.
Pros and cons
Here is a quick look at the pros and cons of holding property cover underwritten by RSA / Intact Insurance:
Pros:
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Institutional Financial Strength: Backed by Intact Financial Corporation, offering global balance sheet security and institutional solvency.
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300+ Years Insurance Heritage: Built on centuries of UK property claims expertise.
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Accessible Tenants Protection: Flexible tenants contents schemes engineered for housing association and private rental tenants.
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Strong Broker Distribution: Trusted capacity partner across major independent commercial and specialist broking networks.
Cons:
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Exited Direct Retail Market: You can no longer purchase direct home insurance directly from RSA or MORE THAN (direct home renewals migrated to Admiral).
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Affinity Scheme Transfers: Legacy bank and building society affinity accounts (such as Nationwide) have migrated to alternative insurers like Aviva at renewal.
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Rebranding Complexity: Transition to the Intact Insurance brand can cause confusion for policyholders reviewing legacy documentation.
Customer service and claims handling
Administration and emergency claims handling depend on the specific channel through which your policy was arranged:
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Existing Direct / Legacy Claims: If you hold an existing RSA home policy or need to report a claim for an event that occurred during an active RSA policy period, claims are handled directly by RSA’s dedicated UK technical claims handlers.
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Tenants Contents Claims: Administered via dedicated tenant claims helplines or through your participating housing provider / scheme administrator.
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Broker & Commercial Lines: Modifications and claims for commercial property or broker-placed schemes are managed through your independent broker or via Intact Insurance UK’s claims desks.
Sourcing a quote against the market
Because RSA no longer sells standard personal home insurance directly to retail consumers, securing RSA/Intact property cover requires using an authorised independent insurance broker or participating in a specialised tenant contents scheme.
However, whether you are a tenant looking for contents cover, a landlord insuring a rental portfolio, or a homeowner seeking open-market alternatives, running a cross-market comparison is always recommended. Comparing alternative direct underwriters and specialist brokers ensures you secure the lowest voluntary excesses and the best overall value for your postcode.
At Money Helpdesk, our independent property specialists can handle this cross-market search for you. Get in touch today, and we will compare your choices to help you find the ideal protection for your home or investment property.
Yes. Following Intact Financial Corporation's acquisition of RSA, the business rebranded its trading name to Intact Insurance across the UK and Europe.
No. RSA exited the direct UK personal lines home insurance market. Direct "MORE THAN" home insurance operations and renewal rights were acquired by Admiral Group.
Existing RSA policies remain fully active until their scheduled expiration date. At renewal, affinity partners (such as Nationwide) migrate policyholders to new insurance partners (e.g., Aviva), while direct policies transition under Admiral's framework. Any claims for events occurring while insured under RSA continue to be handled by RSA.