Home insurance and coronavirus (COVID-19)

Under normal circumstances, the standard period for which your property can be left unoccupied with full cover is 30 or 60 days. If you are unsure which period applies to you, please view your policy documents in your online account.

As restrictions are eased, the flexibility we have offered around the unoccupancy period during lockdown will be withdrawn, effective from 1 August 2020, so we would encourage you to make every effort to return to your home, provided Government guidelines and local restrictions allow.

The return to standard terms and conditions means that commencing from the 1 August 2020, any periods of unoccupancy exceeding the standard limits of your policy will result in cover being restricted as detailed in your policy wording.

You would need to have Personal Possessions cover included in your home insurance policy for your belongings to be covered outside of your usual address. You can check whether you have this cover included by checking your policy documents in your Swift Space. If you don’t have this cover and wish to add it, you can also do so in your online account.

No, our home insurance policies do not provide cover for the costs of cleaning a property.

Yes, if your property becomes uninhabitable due to loss or damage covered under your policy, we will continue to provide Alternative Accommodation cover.

No, you don’t need to let us know. We don’t ask for your occupation or employment status when you take out a home insurance policy with us.

We do not need to be made aware of any secondary occupations that you have taken up during this period. If this involves working from home, then you are automatically covered for office work only. Please refer to our FAQ in relation to working from home for more information.

If you continue to work in your secondary occupation or this becomes your primary occupation after the Coronavirus restrictions are lifted, you should inform us to ensure policy information is kept up to date.

We understand that it may be difficult to cover your monthly payments if your income has been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. If you have a Swiftcover home insurance policy please contact us on 0330 024 6427. Please note it may take us longer to answer your call than usual.

No, if you are wishing to conduct voluntary work for a temporary period to support the Coronavirus crisis, there is no requirement for you to inform us, and we will continue to provide cover in accordance with normal terms and conditions.

Yes - our home insurance policies automatically cover you to carry out office work from home. You do not need to contact us or update your policy.

If you have contents insurance, this includes cover for any office equipment you own and use from home, up to the limit specified on your policy. If you need to check this, you can view the details in your policy documents in your Swift Space.

If your employer has given you equipment to work from home, this would usually be covered under their insurance, so you do not need to add this to your policy.

You can purchase accidental damage cover as an optional extra with Swiftcover home insurance policies. You can check if you have this cover included by viewing your policy documents in your Swift Space. If you don’t have this cover included and want to add it, you can also do this in your online account.

We’re sorry to hear this. We will be as flexible we can when your circumstances change suddenly and unexpectedly. Please contact us.

Cover for bicycles is not included as part of our standard policies. You can check to see if you have this cover included by checking your policy documents in your Swift Space. If you don’t have this cover and want to find out more information or want to add it, you can also do so in your online account.

If your guest has their own home insurance policy, this may cover their possessions away from home while they are temporarily staying at your property. There may be a limit to the cover provided, so they should check their policy wording. If your guest cannot obtain cover via their own home insurance provider, then we will consider cover under the “Visitors personal effects” section of your policy. Cover will be subject to the limits provided.

The number of fire claims we receive annually is relatively minor compared to the total number of general home claims. We tend to see an increase in these during the summer months, as people enjoy barbeques and fire pits outside.

However, we have seen a slight increase in fire related claims in recent months involving incidents in our customers’ or their neighbours’ gardens. Examples of these include: fires caused by barbeques, cigarettes that have not been put out properly and bonfires which have escalated unexpectedly.

We advise customers to be extremely vigilant when it comes to fire safety, including to:

1. Never leave a bonfire, barbeque, chiminea or anything else with a live flame unattended for any period of time. Keep them a safe distance from buildings and other structures and keep a bucket of water or sand nearby.
2. Be aware of the amount of electronics you are using – most of us are depending more on, or are purchasing new electronics during this time. Always follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions and don’t overload power sockets.
3. Improve electrical safety around the home for example:
• Only buy appliances from reputable sellers
• Turn appliances off at the plug when not in use
• Check smoke alarms on a regular basis and at least once a month
• Act promptly in response to any product recall notices

We have reviewed our home insurance policies throughout lockdown and adjusted our approach with our customers in mind. For example, if you have been unable to return home due to lockdown, you’re still covered – even if the amount of time your property has been left unattended exceeds your policy limit. We offer flexible cancellation policies and financial support for vulnerable policyholders who may be struggling to pay their bills, such as flexible repayment options. Please contact us if you are finding it hard to make your payments, so we can discuss the options available to you.

Our core products include a number of benefits as standard, such as cover for usual office equipment for those working from home. We also offer three levels of cover, so you can choose your policy depending on your needs.

We’ve stopped providing quotes or selling new business home insurance policies over the phone. This is so our teams can prioritise serving existing customers. If you’d like to get a quote or purchase a new policy, please go to our home insurance page.

As part of our response to coronavirus, we’ve had to reduce our opening ours across our customer service and claims teams. This may mean that some of the opening hours listed in your insurance documents are now incorrect. For the latest opening hours across our different teams, please check our contact us page. We’ll keep this page updated regularly.

We’re experiencing very high call volumes at the moment. We’ve updated our opening hours, please check our contact us page for the latest information.

No

Yes – you can still make a claim as per usual by contacting us.

The safety of our customers and our contractors is our highest priority. All our contractors follow Government and Public Health England guidelines to keep both you and themselves as safe as possible. If you’re self-isolating with suspected symptoms of coronavirus, or you’re considered to be in a vulnerable group, please tell the call handler.

If someone in your house is self-isolating and it is not an emergency then we will rearrange for an engineer to attend after the recommended self-isolation period is over.

What if it’s an emergency?

We still have some options where we may be able to help. Our call handlers will talk you through what's possible. Every situation is different so please talk to us about your situation and we’ll be able to advise you.

Yes, unless you have been notified otherwise, we’ll be with you as planned.

As always, our top priority is the safety of our customers and contractors, so if someone in your house is self-isolating and you have a home emergency, please tell us and we will be able to look into possible options for you. If it isn’t an emergency, then we’ll rearrange for an appointment after the recommended self-isolation period is over.

Please refer to your policy wording to see the list of home emergencies that are covered. You can find your policy wording in your Swift Space.

So we can ensure help is prioritised to those who need it most, here's a few guidelines to help identify someone as vulnerable:

• There is a health issue that requires the problem to be fixed quickly
• Families with disabled children
• Disabled customers
• Families with children under 2 years of age

If you’re unsure whether you’re categorised as “vulnerable”, please get in touch with us. We understand that there are many different factors that influence the vulnerability of our customers.

Yes, our contractors have continued to get hold of spare parts during the crisis as key merchants and suppliers remain open. We monitor the situation all the time to ensure that we can continue to get important parts to help you.