Over 50s Home Insurance

Getting older does not necessarily mean higher home insurance costs. In fact, some insurers may lower the cost of your protection, as older residents tend to make fewer and lower cost claims. However, age is just one factor that determines the cost of a home insurance policy. The only way to understand the true cost is to get a quote or speak to a potential home insurance provider.

We use our expertise and research into the needs of older people and have selected LV= as the home insurance provider because we recognise their products and customer service as suitable for our customers.

LV= can insure you if you have:

● Not made more than two household claims within the last five years

● No unspent criminal convictions (excluding motoring convictions)

● Not made a claim for Escape Of Water or Theft from the home within the last 12 month (1 year)

LV= can't insure you if the property:

● Is occupied by tenants

● Has previously been flooded or is currently under a flood warning

● Has suffered from, or is showing any signs of, subsidence, landslip or heave

● Isn't built of brick, stone or concrete and roofed with slate, tiles, metal, asphalt

● Isn't in a good state of structural repair

● Is a mobile home

● Isn't self-contained

● Is unfurnished

● Is unoccupied

● Is a listed building or protected by a preservation order

LV= can’t cover your property if it’s a listed building or protected by a preservation order.

No. If you live in rented accommodation or own a leasehold property your landlord or freeholder should have buildings insurance and you only need contents insurance.

If you own your freehold property it is advised that you have both. Almost all mortgage lenders will require you to take out buildings insurance as part of the conditions of the mortgage contract. Building insurance will cover the rebuild cost of your home should the worst happen.

Yes. When you apply for home insurance, you’ll be asked to confirm that the property to be insured is built of brick, stone or concrete and that roof is made of slate, tile, metal or asphalt.

Yes. LV= home Insurance or contents insurance will pay 50% of the cost to replace any undamaged item, if it forms part of a matching set. For example, if your sofa is water damaged and unrepairable, they’ll replace that, as well as give you 50% of the cost towards a matching armchair.

You can add these to your cover online or over the telephone when you get a quote or later should your needs change. The LV= team will be happy to discuss the options with you so that you can decide what additional cover you need.

Defaqto are a UK leading independent financial information business, and they have given Home Gold Insurance a 5 Star Rating.

Some people find that their home insurance costs are lower after retirement. As we get older, we may have perfected our DIY skills or can better notice minor issues before they become more problematic. Because of this, some home insurance providers may see you as a lower-risk homeowner. This may reduce your insurance costs as a result. However, this is only one factor that goes into determining the cost of your policy. The best way to understand the true cost is to get a home insurance quote.

Older properties might be more expensive to insure, depending on their age and whether they’re a Listed Building. If your home is Listed, then traditional Home Insurance won't cover the property and you’ll need to consult a specialist. Even if an older property isn't listed, it may be more likely to need repairs. These can sometimes need expensive specialist care or materials that are harder to procure, which is a reason why insurance prices might be higher.

In many cases, it can cost more to insure an empty house. This is because there’s a greater risk of a break-in or damage occurring that goes unspotted, such as a leak. If you need to insure an empty house, you should speak to your insurer. At Age UK Trading, if you choose Home Insurance provided by LV=, it can cover a home that’s empty for up to 60 days. However, some providers only allow cover for a home that’s empty for no more than 30-60 days, depending on their terms and conditions. If you fail to tell a provider a home is empty for a long period of time, then you risk invalidating your insurance.

You won’t need to take out buildings insurance if you live in a retirement home. This will be taken care of by the company who owns the building. You may want to consider contents insurance for your personal belongings, however. What cover is right for you will depend on the kind of retirement home you plan on moving to. If staff members or other residents can access your room or flat, this may require specialist cover. Through Age UK Trading, our provider can only offer protection to those living in retirement accommodation that is self-contained and cannot be accessed by others.

Mobility scooters can be added to your home insurance, though will need to be added as a Personal Belonging. This will cover your scooter while you’re away from home also. Class 3 mobility scooters are not covered because they can also be used on the road and must be registered with DVLA.

Your boiler will be covered against certain insured perils such as a storm or fire destroying your boiler, but you won’t be covered for general maintenance issues. The Home Emergency Optional Cover can provide cover for emergencies such as failure of your main heating system providing it has been serviced within the last 3 years. There won’t be any cover for warm air, solar or under floor heating systems.

Buildings insurance will typically cover pipes which you’re legally responsible for. It’s worth considering how much Trace and Access cover you would like to take out, since it can be complex to find the source of any damage.

Home insurance will cover roof leaks provided you have maintained your roof and any damage is caused by an accident such as vehicular impact or weather damage and not by neglect and lack of upkeep. For more information check out our guide on home insurance and roof leaks.

As a rule of thumb, subsidence is likely to be covered if it’s not an existing issue. For more detail, check out our article on selling a house with subsidence, which includes some guidance around recognising and dealing with subsidence, as well as the insurance implications.

Mobile phones are covered under Personal Belongings cover, which is an Optional Cover.

Provided you make repairs and preparations as needed you can expect your home insurance to cover you for storm damage. If the storm damage is made worse because maintenance wasn’t kept up or because preparations weren’t taken despite foreknowledge of a storm, you may find that your claim is less effective. Check out our guide on how to keep you and your home safe during a storm.

Accidental damage will cover you for damage caused to your buildings and belongings by an accident that was caused by you, your guests or your family. For example, a pan fire. Depending on the excess that you need to pay in the event of a claim, accidental damage cover could be worth getting for increased protection.

Home emergency covers disruptive emergencies such as a failure of your boiler or water system.

How long a home insurance claim will take depends on the nature of a claim. If the repairs needed are costly this can take more time than a relatively minor claim for one specified item. For a full answer to this question, check out our article which looks at how home insurance claims work.

You can generally claim any time after your policy start date, which will be noted on your policy documents. For a more complete response to this question, check out our article which looks at home insurance claims in more detail.

You can pay by debit and credit card or by monthly or annual direct debit at no extra charge. If you need to speak about other ways to pay, please contact the team at LV=. They can offer a secure line for you to type in your details using your phone keypad.

'Admin fees' can include adjustment fees, cancellation fees and duplicate document fees.

Policies purchased through Age UK Trading are provided by LV= who do not charge any admin fees for home insurance policy amendments, cancellations, or duplicate documents.

Auto-renewal can offer you peace of mind that your insurance will remain in place when it comes to your renewal.

When you give your consent to auto-renew your policy, LV= will issue your renewal documents, which will include details of your cover and any associated costs, and inform you that the policy will auto-renew without any need for you to make contact and confirm.

The consent will remain in force unless you change it, which you can do at any time, or if the policy is cancelled.

You'll automatically have an account if you saved a quote or if you chose to sign up after buying a policy. Visit lv.com/ageco/login  to log in to your account or set up a new one.

Your saved home insurance quotes are valid until the cover start date. You'll still be able to view them in your account after that point, but you won't be able to buy them. Simply start a new quote if your old one’s no longer valid.

When you saved your quote, you should have received an email from LV= with details of your quote and how to access it again. If the email isn't in your inbox, please check your spam or junk folders in case it's in there. If you still can't find it, you can re-set your password in My Account by clicking the ‘I’ve forgotten my password’ link.

Understanding our customers and their needs has always informed the products we sell and who we work with to provide them. By choosing LV=, we are working with a partner that shares our values and dedication to customers enjoying their later life.

LV= is a leading insurance business offering a range of general insurance products. They are proud to be one of the UK’s largest personal lines insurers. Throughout their 180 year history, they have put people and customers at the heart of everything they do.