Non-Standard Home Insurance
Protect Your Home With Our Non-Standard Home Insurance Cover Options
Insurance for unique properties, unusual constructions and homes that don't fit standard insurance models
Non-Standard House Insurance Quotes at Advance
Non-standard home insurance is cover for a house that a mainstream insurer will not accept on an ordinary policy, whether because of how it is built, its age, a listing, the way it is used, or its claims history. Put simply, it is home insurance for a property that falls outside the usual mould, arranged through insurers who price each home on its own merits rather than an automated model.
At Advance Insurance, we understand that non-standard properties are unique homes requiring extensive insurance knowledge.
We can look at many property types varying in construction and age, including non-standard properties that require extensive understanding. Whether you own a converted barn, listed building, timber-framed property, or home with flood risk or subsidence history, we have access to insurers who understand the specific requirements of these properties.
Our household insurance team recognises that owning a non-standard property often means embracing unique architecture, innovative construction methods, or preserving historical character. That’s why we work hard to find insurance solutions that helps protect both your investment and your home.
What Makes a Property Non-Standard?
A home is treated as non-standard when something about it sits outside the criteria a mainstream insurer will quote on automatically. Usually, it is one or more of the following.
- Construction: anything other than brick or stone walls under a tiled or slate roof, including non-standard builds, unusual cladding, flat or green roofs, and prefabricated or modular homes.
- Age: older and period homes built with traditional materials that cost more to repair like for like.
- Listing: a Grade I, Grade II* or Grade II listing, or a home in a conservation area, where repairs must meet conservation rules.
- Use: homes that are let, run as a holiday let, used for a business, or partly commercial.
- Occupancy: properties left unoccupied for long periods, holiday homes, or second homes.
- Claims and risk history: a history of flooding, subsidence, heave, or previous claims, or a location exposed to flood, coastal erosion, or mining.
Because these features do not fit a standard model, unusual properties do need special cover rather than an off-the-shelf policy.
What Cover We Can Arrange For Non-Standard Homes
Properties built with alternative materials or methods require insurance understanding. We can arrange cover for homes that standard insurers often reject or overcharge, recognising that different doesn’t automatically mean dangerous. Our network of insurers can provide cover for:
- Timber-Framed Properties: Both modern engineered timber frames and traditional oak-framed buildings
- Steel-Framed Construction: Including modern modular homes and converted commercial buildings
- Non-Standard Roofing: Flat roofs, green roofs, solar tiles, and other alternatives to standard tiles or slate
- Unusual Cladding: Including timber cladding, metal panels, and other non-brick exteriors
- Converted Buildings: Former barns, churches, schools, warehouses, and other commercial conversions
- Pre-Fabricated Homes: Including post-war prefabs, modern modular builds, and kit homes
We specialise in finding cover for properties that face location-based or historical challenges. Rather than applying blanket exclusions, our insurers assess each property individually, considering mitigation measures and improvements:
- Flood Risk Areas: Properties in flood zones or with previous flood claims, considering defence improvements
- Subsidence History: Homes with previous subsidence, heave, or landslip issues that have been properly addressed
- Coastal Properties: Homes facing erosion risk or extreme weather exposure
- Mining Areas: Properties in former mining regions with potential ground stability concerns
- Conservation Areas: Homes with planning restrictions affecting repair and maintenance options
Listed buildings and heritage properties require insurance that understands conservation requirements and traditional construction methods. We arrange cover that recognises:
- Grade I and II Listed Buildings: Understanding like-for-like repair requirements
- Conservation Area Properties: Accounting for planning restrictions on repairs
- Period Features: Protecting original fixtures, fittings, and architectural details
- Traditional
Non-Standard Property Types We Cover
Each of these property types has its own page with cover detail specific to it. If your home fits one of them, start there.
- Converted property insurance for barns, chapels, and other buildings turned into homes.
- Prefab home insurance for post-war prefabs and modern kit homes.
- Steel framed house insurance for construction built on a steel skeleton.
- Timber frame home insurance for engineered and traditional oak-framed homes.
- Thatched property insurance for cottages and homes under a thatched roof.
- Listed building insurance for protected Grade I, Grade II* and Grade II homes.
Why Non-Standard Properties Need Insurance
Non-standard properties aren’t just homes built differently – they represent construction approaches that standard insurance models struggle to assess. Each type of non-standard construction presents unique characteristics that require individual evaluation rather than computer-generated risk assessment. Our insurers understand these differences and price cover appropriately.
Listed properties and those in conservation areas face additional insurance complexities beyond standard homes. Planning restrictions mean repairs must meet strict conservation requirements, often requiring craftspeople and traditional materials that cost significantly more than standard building work. Our insurers understand these requirements and ensure cover reflects the true cost of maintaining heritage properties properly.
Properties in flood-risk areas or with previous subsidence issues often face limited insurance options from standard providers. Many mainstream insurers apply blanket exclusions or excessive premiums without considering individual circumstances or mitigation measures. Our insurers assess each property individually, considering flood protection measures, underpinning work, and ongoing monitoring rather than applying automatic exclusions.
What An Underwriter Looks At Instead
Where a mainstream insurer sees a postcode and a construction type it cannot score and simply declines, a underwriter reads the property. They look at the actual materials and how the home was built, the standard of any repairs or improvements, flood defences or underpinning that have been carried out, the maintenance history, how the property is used and occupied, and any surveys or reports you can provide. That is why an insurer who offers custom policies can cover a home a comparison site turns away, and why the same property can attract very different terms depending on who assesses it.
How the Survey and Rebuild Cost Assessment Differs
On a standard home, an insurer estimates the rebuild cost from a simple calculator based on floor area and a modern build rate. A non-standard property does not fit that shortcut. The rebuild figure has to reflect the real cost of putting the specific building back using the right materials and trades, which for older or unusual homes can be well above a modern equivalent.
For that reason an insurer may ask for a professional reinstatement survey rather than relying on an online estimate, particularly for listed, converted, or high-value homes. Getting this figure right matters: set it too low and a claim can be scaled back under the average clause. We can factor a proper rebuild assessment into the cover we arrange so the sum insured stands up when it is needed.
Standard and Optional Benefits
Your non-standard home insurance policy typically includes these protections:
- Full Buildings Cover: Fire damage, storm and flood damage, subsidence, burst pipes, criminal damage
- Contents Protection: Personal belongings, furniture, electrical items, and household goods
- Public Liability: Protection up to £2 million for injury or damage claims
- Property Owner’s Liability: Cover for your legal responsibilities as property owner
- Emergency Access: Costs for emergency services accessing your property
- Debris Removal: Safe removal and disposal of damaged materials
- Professional Fees: Architects’ and surveyors’ fees for approved repairs
- Accidental Damage: Available if requested for buildings and/or contents
Tailor your policy with additional protection options:
- Legal Protection: Legal expense cover for disputes, employment issues, and personal injury claims
- Home Emergency: 24/7 helpline with emergency tradesperson callout for urgent repairs
- Personal Possessions: Cover for items taken outside the home
- Specified High-Value Items: Increased single-item limits for jewellery, art, and collectibles
- Garden Cover: Enhanced protection for landscaping, plants, and garden structures
If you let your non-standard property, we can arrange:
- Landlords Legal Protection: Cover for tenant disputes and eviction proceedings
- Loss of Rent: Up to 20% of rebuild value if property becomes unrentable
- Unoccupied Property Cover: Three levels of protection during vacant periods
- Landlords Contents: Protection for furnished let properties
- Malicious Damage by Tenants: Cover for deliberate damage
How to Get Cover: What Happens When You Get in Touch
Arranging cover for a non-standard home is a conversation, not a form that rejects you. When you get in touch, here is how it works.
- You tell us about the property. The address, roughly when and how it was built, the wall and roof construction, any listing or conservation status, and how the home is used and occupied.
- You flag the history. Any past flooding, subsidence, or claims, and the work done since, plus flood defences, underpinning, or fire precautions already in place.
- We find a policy. We work to find cover that suits your needs.
- We explain the terms. We talk through what is covered, what each insurer needs, and any survey or reinstatement valuation that would help, so you can decide with the full picture.
Having the rebuild figure, any survey reports, and the claims history to hand makes the whole process quicker.
Get Your Non-Standard Home Insurance Quote
Protecting your non-standard property requires knowledge and access to insurers who understand unique homes. At Advance Insurance, we combine decades of experience with access to markets to find you cover at cost-effective rates.
Whether you’re buying your first non-standard property, struggling with mainstream insurer rejections, or simply reviewing your current cover, our team is ready to help. We’ll take time to understand your property’s specific characteristics and find insurance that can properly protects your distinctive home.
Get your non-standard home insurance quote or contact our experienced team for dedicated advice on protecting your unique property.
Non-Standard Home Insurance: Frequently Asked Questions
Standard insurers typically use automated risk assessment models designed for conventional properties. Non-standard construction types, unusual materials, or properties with flood risk or subsidence history don’t fit these models, leading to automatic rejections rather than individual assessment. We work with insurers who evaluate each property on its own merits, considering mitigation measures and maintenance standards.
Non-standard properties include timber-framed buildings, steel-framed construction, thatched roofs, flat roofs, non-standard cladding, converted buildings (barns, churches, commercial), properties with previous flood claims, homes with subsidence history, listed buildings, and properties in conservation areas. Each requires individual assessment based on specific characteristics rather than blanket categorisation.
We can often arrange cover quickly, though some insurers may want to review property details, inspection reports, or fire prevention measures before providing final quotes. Our relationships with insurers help streamline this process. We understand that you might need cover urgently for property purchases or renewal deadlines, and we work efficiently to meet your timeframes.
isn’t a legal requirement, but protecting your home is important if something goes wrong. If, however, you’re applying for a mortgage to buy your property, it’s likely the lender will ask for household insurance as a condition for taking out the mortgage. Given the unique nature and often higher rebuild costs of non-standard properties, insurance is particularly important for protecting your investment.
You can, but the mainstream comparison sites tend to be where non-standard homes get declined in the first place, because they run on the same automated criteria. It is usually more productive to have a broker compare the insurers for you. We know which companies will look at your type of property and can put your home in front of the ones most likely to offer suitable, custom cover.
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