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Coronavirus and your home insurance

Home insurance payment deferral

Our insurance provider, Aviva, has introduced a payment deferral process for first direct Home Insurance customers.

You can request to defer your monthly payment and spread it evenly over the remaining term of your policy.

You can apply up to 3 times to defer a maximum of 3 months’ payments.

Find out how payment deferrals work and how to apply Opens an overlay [Will show a security message first].

Home insurance FAQs

Do I need to let you know that I’m working from home?

There’s no need to let us know if you're now working from home, spending more time at home or have a loved one living with you. We appreciate that living circumstances will have changed for many people during this lockdown period as we all try to stay safe at home.

Will I be charged if I want to make changes to my policy?

We don’t charge for making changes to your policy. So if you wanted, for example, to remove personal belongings cover or add home emergency cover during the lockdown period, your premium may change but there would be no additional charges.

I’m stranded overseas and my property in the UK is unoccupied. Am I still covered?

Don’t worry. Our insurer, Aviva, has temporarily extended your cover so your UK home can now remain unoccupied for up to 90 days. There’s no charge for this extra cover and Aviva will continue to review this extension in line with FCO and government advice.

My children are home from school. I’m worried about accidental damage. Will I be covered?

Provided you’ve selected accidental damage as an add on to your buildings or contents cover, you will be covered for accidental damage - whether your children are at home or at school. If you don’t have this cover in place already you can add it at any time. There’s no admin fee to change your policy but your premium may increase. Please refer to your policy schedule to find out what cover you have on your policy.

What happens if a fire or other event destroys my home while I’m self-isolating? Can I get alternative accommodation?

In the unfortunate event of your home becoming uninhabitable due to any cause that your policy covers whilst you’re in self-isolation, Aviva would manage the situation based on your individual circumstances in accordance with their normal claims process. This may involve providing solutions to make your home habitable or providing suitable alternative accommodation.

Members of my family are now working from home yet my policy states no business use. Could this affect my insurance?

Office equipment is not ordinarily covered by your home insurance policy. However, as more customers are now working from home, Aviva are now treating home office equipment as ‘contents’ so that it’s covered under your home policy for any valid claim. All other policy conditions and terms will remain unchanged.