Buildings Insurance

Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance is designed to cover the cost of repairing the structural parts of your home should the unexpected happen.

It covers things like the roof, walls and windows, as well as permanent fixtures like fitted kitchens and bathrooms.

Our policies are flexible so you only pay for the cover you need, and you can choose whether a monthly or annual policy suits you best.

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Buildings Insurance

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Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance is designed to cover the cost of repairing the structural parts of your home should the unexpected happen.

It covers things like the roof, walls and windows, as well as permanent fixtures like fitted kitchens and bathrooms.

Our policies are flexible so you only pay for the cover you need, and you can choose whether a monthly or annual policy suits you best.

What is Buildings Insurance and what does it cover?

Buildings Insurance policies are used to cover your property in case the structure is damaged. This means that if the structure of your home is damaged, having a Buildings Insurance policy in place can cover the costs to repair or rebuild it afterwards, excluding the cost of the land it’s on.

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So, is Buildings Insurance the same as Home Insurance?

Home Insurance is a general term that can be applied to any policy that covers your home - including Buildings, Buildings & Contents, and Contents Insurance policies.

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What is Buildings & Contents Insurance?

Buildings & Contents Insurance is a policy that combines both buildings insurance and contents insurance. With this type of policy you can get cover for both the structural parts of your home, and the stuff in it.

What is covered by Buildings Insurance?

Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance policy offers £1 million buildings cover and gives you the option to add on Accidental Damage Cover, Legal Expenses Cover & Home Emergency Cover if you need it.

Our Buildings Insurance policies are designed to cover your home if it's damaged by fire, vandalism, subsidence, storms, floods, and leaks of water or oil. It also covers alternative accommodation if your home becomes uninhabitable following an insured event.

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So, does Buildings Insurance cover leaks?

Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance can cover loss or damage to a building that is caused by household leaks from pipes or appliances in your home, for both water or oil.

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What about subsidence? Does Buildings Insurance cover subsidence?

An Urban Jungle Buildings Insurance policy can cover damage to your home as a result of subsidence, as long as the home hasn’t experienced subsidence before. Most insurance providers, including Urban Jungle, require your home to have no known subsidence history before insuring it because subsidence can lead to extensive repairs.

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And is flooring covered under Buildings Insurance?

Permanently fitted flooring is part of a building's structure, so an Urban Jungle's Buildings Insurance policy can cover flooring that is permanently fitted in your home.

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What is not covered by Buildings Insurance?

It’s important to know what’s not covered by Buildings Insurance in your home. So to help out, here are some of the more common features that aren’t included in our cover: wear and tear, mechanical or electrical faults, and loss or damage when your home isn't occupied for over 30 consecutive days.



For the full details of what can and can’t be covered by Urban Jungle Buildings Insurance, you can read the full wording in this sample policy document.

The contents of your home also won’t be covered with a Buildings Insurance policy - your contents are the stuff in your home, like phones, clothes, jewellery or even your sofa. If you’re looking for a policy that covers both the structure of your home and your contents, you can check out our Buildings & Contents Insurance.

Who is Buildings Insurance for?

Buildings Insurance is for anyone who needs to cover their building and its permanent fixtures.

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Who pays for Buildings Insurance - Landlord or Tenant?

If you’re renting a property, you don’t usually need to get Buildings Insurance - that’s your landlord’s responsibility. Instead, if you’re renting and want to make sure your things are insured, you might want to take out Contents Insurance.

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Do you need Buildings Insurance for a leasehold flat?

If you have a leasehold flat, it’s often the case that your freeholder will take care of the Buildings Insurance for the property. It’s quite common for them to include the cost of this insurance through the service charge - but it’s always worth checking your lease or with the freeholder themselves to make sure.

If you own a share of the freehold, Buildings Insurance could be your responsibility to arrange. You can talk to other residents in your building who own a share in order to get a Buildings Insurance policy that suits you all and makes sure the flats are insured equally.

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Do you need Buildings Insurance as the freeholder?

If you’re the freeholder of a property, it is usually your responsibility to organise freeholder Buildings Insurance. If the residents have established a right to manage company, however, it can be down to the leaseholders to arrange cover instead.

When should you get Buildings Insurance?

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If you’re buying a home and you’re taking out a mortgage, there are some conditions you might need to meet. Do you need Buildings Insurance for your mortgage? You generally will need Buildings Insurance for mortgage requirements, so getting a policy is often part of the process of buying a home. If you’re in doubt, it’s a good idea to ask your mortgage provider.

It can be confusing when to get Buildings Insurance when buying a house, especially if the previous owner already has a policy in place. As the buyer, you might need to have a Buildings Insurance policy before contracts are exchanged - this is the point where you often commit to buying the property.

If you don’t have a mortgage for the home that you own, a Buildings Insurance policy is not a legal requirement - but you may want to get cover in case something unexpected happens to your property and it needs repairing or rebuilding.

What types of property does Buildings Insurance cover?

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Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance policy is designed to cover houses. This can include detached, semi-detached and terraced homes.

Our Buildings Insurance policy does not provide cover for flats. This applies to just one flat within a whole building, and if you want to insure the entire building itself. It also does not cover a house turned into flats.

If you have bought a new-build house, insurance might be on your mind. An Urban Jungle Buildings Insurance policy could cover new build homes once any building work has been completed and you have moved in. The policy is not designed to cover unoccupied homes, so if there’s still some work going on and you’re not living there yet, you could arrange to have your policy begin once you move in.

Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance policy is designed to cover houses. This can include detached, semi-detached and terraced homes.

Our Buildings Insurance policy does not provide cover for flats. This applies to just one flat within a whole building, and if you want to insure the entire building itself. It also does not cover a house turned into flats.

If you have bought a new-build house, insurance might be on your mind. An Urban Jungle Buildings Insurance policy could cover new build homes once any building work has been completed and you have moved in. The policy is not designed to cover unoccupied homes, so if there’s still some work going on and you’re not living there yet, you could arrange to have your policy begin once you move in.

A house with orange doors and windows.

What does Buildings Insurance cost?

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Buildings Insurance costs are based on how likely something is to go wrong at your property and how much cover it would need. When you choose the level of cover you need, it should be based on the rebuild value of the property - not on the price you paid for it or it would be sold for. The average annual building insurance cost in the UK in 2022 was £225 according to ABI.

If you’re wondering how to calculate Buildings Insurance rebuild costs and if your home is made of brick, stone or concrete, you can either hire a chartered surveyor to give you an assessment of the rebuild cost, or use the Building Cost Information Service’s house rebuilding cost calculator.

Customise your cover

Get the best Buildings Insurance for you by adding and removing any cover you like from Urban Jungle’s policies.

Accidental Damage Cover

Having Accidental Damage Buildings Insurance covers you if there is unexpected and unintentional damage to your building. An example could be if you put your foot through the attic roof. For more information you can read ‘What is Accidental Cover on home insurance?’.

Legal Expenses Cover

If you’re involved in a legal dispute, this covers you with advice and representation you need - including free access to a legal helpline. For example, you can be covered for legal costs due to employment disputes, disputes with neighbours, or identity theft.

Home Emergency Cover

Home Emergency cover is designed for unexpected events. If there needs to be immediate action to prevent further damage to your home or to make it possible for you to stay there, our Home Emergency add-on could cover it. It could include the costs to call out a contractor, and their charges for any work they do or materials they use.

Why choose us?

We’re here to make insurance smart and simple. We know you’ve got a million and one things you’d rather be doing, so we’re here to make insurance simple so you can get back on with your life.

Clear, fair prices

Unlike some other insurance providers, we don’t charge interest on your Urban Jungle Insurance policy if you pay monthly.

Covered in minutes

We want to make things as quick and easy as possible, no baffling questions, just a few simple details – we won’t ask how flat your roof is!

Tweak your package

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Design your Buildings Insurance policy to suit you. Add the coverage you need, take off what you don’t and make changes whenever you need online for free.

Here’s how it works

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Give us a few details

Just a few quick and easy questions about your current setup. No unnecessary questions from us.

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Customise your package

Create a policy to suit your needs, like adding Home Emergency Cover. Never pay for cover you don’t need.

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Relax. You’re covered

You’re all set! Need to make a change? Update your policy or cancel online for free 24/7.

Get covered

You might be wondering...

What is Buildings Insurance for listed buildings?

Listed buildings insurance works the same was as other buildings insurance - it’s designed to cover the structure of a listed building. Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance is not designed to cover listed buildings, so they can’t be cover with this policy.

Does Buildings Insurance cover unoccupied buildings?

Buildings Insurance policies are typically designed to cover homes that are occupied. Because of this, your policy will typically only cover your building for a short period of time if it is left unoccupied. If you plan to leave it unoccupied for an extended period of time, you may need to take out a more specialised policy.

Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance will provide cover if the property is not left unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days.

More FAQs

Here when you need us

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Need a hand or got a question? No problem. Our team of experts are here to help on live chat or by phone. Or take a look at our FAQs.

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Not quite right? Find the policy that’s right for you.

Urban Jungle’s Buildings Insurance policy is underwritten by Wakam Insurance Company.