BUILDINGS INSURANCE

Saga is a member of the Flood Re insurance scheme, which was developed by the government and insurance industry aimed at helping households that have the highest risk of flooding. It allows the insurer to pass the flood risk part of your buildings insurance onto Flood Re, making insurance more widely available to those homes that have a high risk of flooding. For more information and to find out if you are eligible, please visit our Flood Re page.

Buildings insurance from Saga covers trace, access and repair of a water or oil leak that is causing damage to your home, even when the cause is wear and tear.

Saga’s buildings insurance policies will cover you as long as it has been agreed in advance for locating the source of water or oil damage including the reinstatement of any wall, flooring or ceiling removed or damaged during the search and the repair of any leaking water or oil pipes.

You're insured against water damage caused by leaking or overflowing domestic drains, water or heating installations, kitchen appliances and fixed domestic water installations.

You can find more details in the buildings insurance policy details.

It depends what has caused the damage and what is in your buildings insurance policy documentation. A roof can be damaged by storms, falling debris or just by gradual wear and tear, so if roof damage is caused by sudden action from a storm or a fallen tree, then you’re likely to be covered. But if the damage is a result of wear and tear, you will not be covered.

Saga Plus and Saga Select policies cover loss or damage caused by falling trees, branches, lampposts, telegraph poles, electricity pylons, poles or overhead cables, to the insured amount.

You can find more details in the buildings insurance policy details.

The majority of buildings insurance policies will cover your property against subsidence as standard if it hasn’t been affected by subsidence in the past. Saga buildings insurance policies cover your property for subsidence, ground heave of the site on which the building stands, or landslip.

If your property has been subject to subsidence before, you will need to provide all the details of previous subsidence and whether issues have been fixed to the insurance provider when you are looking for buildings insurance cover. The insurance quote you get will depend on the answers to these questions, and your premium may be higher as a result of previous subsidence issues.

At Saga we will usually ask for a copy of a surveyor's or structural engineer's report to confirm previous subsidence issues have been fully repaired before we can proceed with your quote.

If your home has a history of subsidence and you'd like to see if we can insure you, please call us on 0800 015 0521

Buildings insurance should usually start when you become legally responsible for a property, rather than when you move into the property. When you exchange contracts (in Scotland this is known as "conclusion of missives"), you need to make sure you have cover in place. Mortgage lenders will typically insist you have cover in place from this date until your mortgage is paid off. If you are buying a property without a mortgage, it is still important to have good buildings insurance cover in place from the date you become the legal owner.

Please note that this is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. If you are in any doubts, ask your solicitor who will be able to advise you when your buildings insurance should start.