Our free online home insurance calculator is the easiest way to estimate the value of your home insurance needs to ensure you have the right level of cover. Whether you have a policy to protect both your property and your possessions, or purely buildings cover, simply fill in the relevant fields on the calculator tool below.
What our home insurance calculator can tell you
Our home insurance calculator can help you to determine how much home insurance cover you need. IT will calculate
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Buildings Cover: The full rebuild cost for your home from scratch. This is not the same as the market value, which does not look at current building costs, or the value of the land your home is built on. Check your latest mortgage valuation or use a RICS rebuild calculator for accuracy.
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Contents Cover: The level of cover needed to replace all of your belongings from new, including any separate high-value items
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Your overall recommended home insurance coverage: We show you the total recommended value, as well as a 5-year projection to show how your coverage needs increase over time
You can also download a full summary of this information for your records, which can be a helpful prompt when you speak to one of our advisers for a bespoke quote.
How this calculator works
There are two primary parts to our home insurance calculator, designed to give you a comprehensive view of your protection needs.
Buildings cover
The full rebuild cost of your home: This is calculated as your internal floor area multiplied by a cost-per-square-metre figure based on your property type. These figures include UK averages from BCIS data for demolition, site clearance, professional fees (architect, surveyor), and construction costs.
Please note: Actual costs vary by region, age, and specification of the property
Contents cover
The total ‘new for old’ replacement cost of your personal belongings: This calculator uses the cost to buy everything again as new, not what you paid or what it's worth second-hand.
High-value items
High value single items added to your contents total: Most policies have a ‘single article limit’ (typically £1,500-£2000). Any items that you own that are this value or above must be specified individually.
Please note: This affects your premium and may require valuations for accuracy
Index-linking
While many home insurance calculators won’t include this element, we’ve included it to provide a helpful 5 year projection of your coverage needs over time. Most policies increase your sum insured each year to keep pace with rising costs. Buildings cover is typically linked to the BCIS House Rebuilding Cost Index (currently around 3–4% per year). Contents cover is usually linked to RPI (Retail Price Index) or CPI (Consumer Price Index)
Please note: These figures are estimates and not all insurers may use the same costing index. Always check with your insurer or broker to make sure you have adequate cover.
Why use this calculator?
There are multiple reasons why it’s important to have the correct amount of insurance cover for your precise needs. For example:
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Underinsurance - Underinsuring your buildings or contents could be catastrophic, particularly in the case of needing to fully rebuild your property
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Overinsurance - While it’s important to have enough cover, to keep your outgoings affordable, it’s also important not to pay for insurance that you don’t need. For example, if you’ll never need ‘unlimited’ cover, the higher premiums won’t be worth paying for
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Preparation - while it’s best to get a bespoke calculation before you arrange your home insurance, having these estimated figures ready can help a broker or insurer help you much more quickly
Get bespoke home insurance quotes and advice today
Coverage calculation examples
Here are some example home insurance cover calculations for different lifestyles:
First-Time Buyer in a standard semi-detached house
This user has recently purchased a standard 3-bedroom semi-detached home. They need to meet the minimum building cover requirements for their mortgage and protect their new furniture and tech.
|
Category |
Input Amount |
Logic |
|
Building Rebuild Cost |
£225,000 |
Professional estimate for a standard brick-built home |
|
General Contents |
£35,000 |
Furniture, appliances, and clothing for a 3-bed home |
|
High-Value Items |
£2,500 |
Engagement ring and a high-spec MacBook |
|
Outbuildings/Garden |
£1,500 |
Garden furniture and a standard wooden shed |
|
Total Coverage Recommended |
£264,000 |
High-value period townhouse
This scenario represents a homeowner with an older, period property and several high-value personal collections. They require higher limits for individual items and a more robust rebuild estimate due to non-standard construction materials.
|
Category |
Input Amount |
Logic |
|
Building Rebuild Cost |
£550,000 |
Higher cost for period features and lime-mortar work |
|
General Contents |
£80,000 |
High-end furniture, designer clothes, and kitchen tech |
|
High-Value Items |
£15,000 |
Fine art collection and bespoke watches |
|
Outbuildings/Garden |
£10,000 |
Summer house and expensive landscaping/tools |
|
Total Coverage Recommended |
£655,000 |
Example claim payouts based on level of excess
This table shows how the level of excess (the amount you pay towards a claim) you opt for can impact your final claim amount. This assumes that the total excess is a combination of both essential excess and any voluntary excess you choose to pay on top.
For these examples, the claim is for a stolen high-end camera worth £3,500.
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Policy Type |
Total Claim Value |
Total Excess |
Final Payout Amount |
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Low Excess Plan |
£3,500 |
£100 |
£3,400 |
|
Standard Plan |
£3,500 |
£250 |
£3,250 |
|
High Excess Plan |
£3,500 |
£500 |
£3,000 |
Factors that affect the cost of home insurance premiums
The price of your premium will depend on many factors beyond just the total value of your home, such as:
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Your postcode: Areas with higher risks of flooding or crime typically see higher premiums
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Property age and construction type: Older homes or those with non-standard construction (like thatched roofs) typically cost more to insure
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Property security: Having five-lever mortice deadlocks and/or an approved alarm system can lower your costs
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Claims history: If you’ve claimed multiple times on any insurance policy, this can increase your premium
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Your excess: This is how much you pay when making a claim. You can often arrange insurance without any excess, but this means paying higher premiums each month. Choosing a higher voluntary excess can reduce the cost of your premium, it’s all about finding the right balance of short term vs long term affordability
What to do after running your calculations
Our home insurance calculator is a great starting point for research, but the next step is getting a tailored quote that is specific to your circumstances. Because every home is unique, expert advice can ensure you aren't leaving any gaps in your cover.
Why choose Money Helpdesk?
A Money Helpdesk we search the whole market to ensure we can find you the best cover for your needs at a price point that’s affordable. Our expert advisers can often find exclusive deals that won’t be available on comparison sites.
We’re highly rated on leading review websites for our transparency and service, so get started now to access your tailored home insurance quote.
FAQs
No. The rebuild cost is usually lower than the market value because it doesn't include the value of the land your house sits on.