Your options for over 60s home insurance

Choosing home insurance when you are over 60 can bring more choice than ever, with a number of companies specialising in cover for older homeowners. But whether you go with a company specialising in insurance for more mature people, or a general insurer, it’s still about choosing cover that suits you.

Buildings insurance may no longer be a requirement of your lender if you’ve cleared your mortgage, but it’s still generally a good idea to protect against damage to the property itself. Meanwhile, contents insurance protects against the financial loss of a lifetime of cherished belongings.

Some insurers consider over 60s (and indeed people over 50 in general) to be a lower risk for home insurance, partly because claims tend to be smaller than average. That could be because more experience as a homeowner means you are better at maintaining your property and handling minor repairs yourself. So you could pay less for your home insurance, but it’s still a good idea to compare policies to find the right cover at the right price.

What are the benefits of over 60s home insurance?

Over 60s home insurance helps make sure that if something unexpected happens to your home or belongings, you can get repairs done and replace what you need without a big financial shock.

While you’re not legally required to have home insurance in the UK, mortgage lenders usually require you to have buildings insurance in place. Even if you own your home outright, having both buildings and contents insurance is a smart way to protect yourself against unforeseen costs.

Some providers specialising in over 60s insurance offer extra benefits tailored to your needs, such as:

  • Longer periods where your home can be unoccupied if you take extended holidays.

  • Cover for medical equipment you might have on loan.

  • Protection for a carer’s personal belongings.

  • Cover for plants, lawns, shrubs and other garden contents - important if you have nurtured your garden over many years.

What does over 60s home insurance cover?

As with other age groups, when you buy over 60s home insurance you’ll need to decide whether you want buildings cover, contents cover, or both.

Buildings insurance protects the physical structure of your home, including the roof, walls, doors, windows and any permanent fixtures or fittings. Depending on the insurer and policy, it typically covers:

  • Damage to your home’s structure: Covers things like walls, roof, windows, and permanent fixtures if they’re damaged by fire, flooding, theft or storms.

  • Subsidence and land movement: Includes cover for subsidence, heave of land and landslip, which can cause serious structural problems.

  • Alternative accommodation: Pays for somewhere else to live if your home is temporarily uninhabitable due to damage covered by your policy.

  • Replacement locks and keys: Covers the cost of replacing locks on external doors if your keys are lost or stolen, plus alarm systems inside the home.

Contents insurance covers your personal belongings against damage, theft or loss. Depending on the insurer and policy, it typically covers:

  • New-for-old replacements: If something can’t be repaired, many policies will replace it with a brand-new equivalent, whether it’s your sofa, TV or shed contents.

  • Working from home?: Cover often includes office kit like computers, printers and photocopiers – ideal if you're remote working.

  • Cash in the house: Some policies even protect cash kept at home, if it’s lost or stolen.

  • Things in the garden: Garden furniture, tools, lawnmowers… these are often covered too, not just indoor items.

  • Lost keys: Many policies include lock and key replacement if yours are lost or stolen.

  • Freezer fail?: If a power cut ruins your frozen food, you may be able to claim for the contents.

  • New-for-old replacements: If something can’t be repaired, many policies will replace it with a brand-new equivalent, whether it’s your sofa, TV or shed contents.

If you want to keep things simple, a single policy that combines both buildings and contents insurance is a great way to get all your cover wrapped up in one go, under one easy-to-manage policy.

Plus, there are optional extras you might want to add:

  • Home emergency cover: Covers urgent callouts for things like boiler breakdowns or plumbing issues.

  • Accidental damage cover: For those “oops” moments, like spilling coffee on your sofa or cracking a window.

  • Family legal protection: Helps cover legal costs if you have disputes over things like faulty goods or neighbour issues like border disputes.

  • Personal possessions cover: Extends protection to valuable items you take outside the home, like phones, jewellery and laptops.

Remember, cover details can vary a lot depending on the insurer and the level of cover you pick. Comparing policies is the best way to make sure you get the protection that suits your home and lifestyle.

What isn’t covered?

No insurance can cover absolutely everything, so it’s really important to check the exclusions in your policy. While over 60s buildings and contents insurance protects against lots of risks, there are some common things they usually won’t cover, including:

  • General wear and tear or gradual deterioration of your home or belongings.

  • Damage caused by cleaning, renovating, altering, repairing or restoring items.

  • Problems caused by wet rot, dry rot, frost, vermin or woodworm.

  • Damage to fences, gates, or hedges from storms (often excluded from buildings cover).

  • Issues resulting from poor workmanship or design faults.

  • Any damage or events that happened before your policy started or situations you already knew about, like a flood warning for your area.

  • Loss, damage, or liability caused deliberately or through criminal actions by you or anyone living with you.

  • Damage caused by domestic animals, such as chewing, scratching, tearing, or fouling.

Always take time to read your full policy documents carefully to understand exactly what’s included and excluded. That way, you avoid any surprises if you ever need to make a claim.

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Answering your questions about over 60s home insurance

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Page updated on 12th November 2025, Reviewed by Richard Groom