New extension build-Insurance ..?

C_Mababejive

This is just a general question and doesnt relate to any current personal situation.

If a person was having an extension built, how can you be sure that it would be finished to the right building standards? Can you buy an insurance policy to cover the new extension? At what point does your household insurer assume responsibility for the completed extension? Must you tell them before you start to build?

This whole area seems fraught with danger. It seems to me that if your unlucky, a builder could come, complete your extension and if it started to fall to bits you could do almost nothing about it save for trying to take court action. And then what will he do? wind his company up and start a new one ?

buglawton

Some home insurance companies charge an extra premium while the builders are in for a large job, and may want confirmation that the builder has a sufficient level of public liability insurance.

Some just won't insure you.

Some will cover but want full disclosure about the project.

I chose Tesco home insurance for the duration of my extension project as they straightforwardly covered.

Davesnave

buglawton wrote: »

Some home insurance companies charge an extra premium while the builders are in for a large job, and may want confirmation that the builder has a sufficient level of public liability insurance.

Some just won't insure you.

Some will cover but want full disclosure about the project.

I chose Tesco home insurance for the duration of my extension project as they straightforwardly covered.

This is my experience, apart from the Tesco part, because my property needs a more specialised insurer, like NFU.

Some people don't know or bother to disclose, but they will run into problems if there's a need to claim.


To make sure your hypothetical extension meets building standards, you appoint a building control officer or a clerk of works, or both. You might also avail yourself of the mountain of material on-line which details practices and relates them to the various Building Regulations. I did this when converting a garage in order to select the best method of insulating the revised structure.