Home insurance – frequently asked questions

• View the answer to a question below or ask your question on our help page

How do I choose between Basics and Plus?

It’s important that you select the right level of cover to meet your needs. The main differences between Basics and Plus are as follows:

• Valuables cover limits: with Basics, you can claim up to £1,000 for a single article and up to £10,000 for your total valuables. Plus covers you for up to £12,000 for a single article and up to £24,000 for your total valuables
• Accidental Damage: while Basics does not include any Accidental Damage cover, Plus includes limited Accidental Damage cover as standard
• Optional extras: there is a wider selection of optional extras available on Plus than Basics

View the home insurance overview to compare the main features of Basics and Plus or download the policy booklet for detailed information about the benefits and exclusions

How do I make a claim on my home insurance policy?

If you need to make a claim on a Basics or Plus policy, please call the relevant phone number below:

• Basics or Plus claims: 0845 602 7263*
• Home Assistance (Plus optional extra): 0845 602 5653*
• Family Legal Protection (Plus optional extra): 0845 602 5535*
• Identity Theft cover (Plus optional extra): 0870 164 8214**

If you bought any other type of home insurance policy through Northern Rock, please visit the existing customers page for more details about making a claim

* Lines open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year ** Lines open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays)

Am I covered for accidental damage?

The following general rules will help you to identify whether you have any Accidental Damage cover:

• Basics: does not include any Accidental Damage cover
• Plus: includes limited Accidental Damage cover as standard; you may also have selected full Accidental Damage cover as an optional extra on your Plus policy

If you are unsure, please check your policy schedule which will specify whether you have Basics or Plus and whether you selected any optional extras

You can also check the policy booklet to see what is covered within your policy

Do you give a no-claims discount on home insurance?

Yes. Your no claims discount is applied to your automatically generated quote, as follows:

• Buildings cover: up to 30% discount, depending on length of no claims period
• Contents cover: up to 35% discount, depending on length of no claims period

How do I work out how much my buildings and contents are worth?

Although your premium is based on details like the area you live in, the size of your property and your home security, we offer generous cover limits as standard with both Basics and Plus:

• Buildings cover limit: up to £1 million rebuild value
• Contents cover limit: up to £100,000 to replace your contents “new for old"

These cover limits are designed to ensure that while you only pay for the cover you need, you don’t need to worry about being under-insured in the event that you need to make a claim

What should I do if I want to make any changes to my policy?

If you’d like to make any changes, you just need to give us a call and we’ll update your policy for you:

• Basics or Plus: call our UK-based contact centre on 0845 900 4127^*

If you bought any other type of home insurance policy through Northern Rock, please visit the existing customers page for more details about making a change to your policy

* Monday to Friday 8am – 9pm, excluding bank hols / Saturday 9am – 2pm

Can I pay for my home insurance in instalments?

Yes. You can choose to pay for your home insurance policy in one of two ways:

• Monthly instalments: one payment by credit or debit card, then 11 monthly payments by direct debit, which will include a charge of 8% on the annual premium (18.6% equivalent APR)
• One annual payment: pay your premium in full by credit or debit card

All quoted premiums include Insurance Premium Tax which is charged at the applicable rate

How do I renew my home insurance?

Renewing your insurance is easy:

• If you pay by monthly instalments we will contact you to inform you of any changes to your monthly direct debit and will automatically renew your policy to save you the hassle
• If you pay annually we will contact you with details of your new insurance premium a few weeks before your renewal is due – you can then call us to renew your policy

If you have any questions about your renewal documents, please call our UK-based contact centre on 0845 900 4127*

* Monday to Friday 8am – 9pm, excluding bank hols / Saturday 9am – 2pm

Home insurance is arranged through Northern Rock plc and underwritten by AXA Insurance UK plc. Northern Rock plc and AXA Insurance UK plc are both authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.