Building Work Planned? Why Does Your Insurer Need to Know?
Planning Home Improvements? Don’t Forget to Update Your Insurance
Home improvement projects are exciting. Whether you’re modernising a kitchen, converting a loft, or extending your living space, renovations represent progress, investment and long-term plans for your property.
But while designs are approved and builders booked, one crucial step is often missed, informing your insurer before work begins.
Many homeowners assume their buildings and contents insurance will remain unaffected during renovations. After all, the home is still occupied and insured. However, construction work can significantly change how insurers view risk.
Why building work changes your insurance risk
Renovations don’t just improve a property, they temporarily increase exposure to damage and loss. Even relatively small projects can introduce conditions standard home insurance policies aren’t designed to cover.
During building work, insurers recognise that:
Parts of the property may be open or structurally altered
Security measures can be compromised
Contractors and third parties are regularly on site
Tools and materials may attract theft
Fire, flood and accidental damage risks increase
Insurance policies are priced and structured around “normal living conditions”. Renovations move a property outside that definition.
What could happen if you don’t notify your insurer
Failing to declare building work can lead to complications when you need your policy most.
Potential consequences include:
Claims being reduced or rejected
Damage connected to the works being excluded
Theft claims being declined due to altered security
Liability issues becoming unclear if contractors are involved
These issues are frustrating at renewal, but discovering them during a claim can be financially damaging.
The good news: solutions are usually straightforward
Not every renovation requires specialist insurance or complex changes.
In many cases, notifying your insurer early allows them to:
Note the works on the policy
Adjust sums insured where needed
Apply temporary conditions during the build
Confirm whether additional cover is required
For larger structural projects, more tailored arrangements may be appropriate, but these can usually be organised in advance with the right guidance.
Timing matters more than anything else
Insurance changes must be agreed before work starts.
Not part way through, not once the project is finished, and certainly not after something goes wrong.
Insurance cannot be applied retrospectively, no matter how reasonable the circumstances may seem.
Speak to Performance Direct before work begins
If you’re planning renovations, extensions or structural changes, it’s always best to talk to Performance Direct first.
A brief conversation before the builders arrive can help ensure your cover remains valid, appropriate and ready to protect your home throughout the project, and beyond.
