Your home insurance renewal arrives and the price has gone up. You still have time to compare. Gather quotes through more than one route, use the same sums insured and excess for each, then weigh cover and service alongside the premium. Here is a practical way to do it.
Comparing home insurance providers
Step 1: Read the renewal notice
For an annual home policy, your insurer or broker must send a renewal notice at least 20 working days before the renewal date. Under the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act 2019, the renewal information includes the premiums paid under that contract in the previous five years, where available, and claims paid in that period. Use it to see how your price and claims history have changed.
Central Bank rules introduced in July 2022 prohibit price walking: a second or later renewal price cannot be higher than the equivalent first-renewal price solely because you stayed with the provider. That is not a promise that your premium will stay flat. Rebuild costs, claims history and other pricing factors may change, and new-customer discounts can still exist. Comparing remains worthwhile.
Step 2: Update your figures before requesting quotes
If you compare using out-of-date figures, you may be assessing the wrong level of cover. Recheck the rebuild cost using the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) calculator if your house fits its standard estate-type assumptions. Review your contents sum and note valuable items that may need to be listed separately. Tell insurers about relevant changes to the property or its use.
Step 3: Gather quotes from more than one route
You can approach insurers directly, use a broker who compares a panel, or try a comparison website. Each route may show a different selection of insurers, so using more than one gives you a fuller view of the market.
Step 4: Line up the quotes
Use the same buildings and contents sums insured, comparable excesses and the same optional benefits. Then examine the cover itself.
Each policy’s Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) summarises key cover and exclusions. Read the IPIDs side by side for differences in valuables limits, accidental damage and unoccupancy conditions. Read the full wording and schedule before choosing a policy.
Step 5: Switch cleanly, or stay
If you switch at renewal, arrange the new policy to start as the old cover ends, and tell the current provider not to renew it. If an automatic renewal arrangement exists, you have the right to stop that future renewal at any time during the policy, free of charge. This differs from cancelling a policy that is already in force, which may have separate terms. Ask for confirmation in writing.
If a no-claims discount applies, ask your current provider for evidence and check the new insurer will recognise it. Tell your mortgage lender about the new buildings policy if required.
AA Ireland offers home insurance alongside car, travel and pet cover. Each is a separate policy with its own terms.
Understanding essential home insurance coverage
If you have a mortgage, the comparison has two starting points. Mortgage protection is a life policy designed to repay the loan if a covered borrower dies. Section 126 of the Consumer Credit Act 1995 generally requires lenders to make sure suitable cover is in place, subject to exemptions. Buildings insurance protects the structure against insured events. It is not a general legal requirement, but a lender usually makes it a condition of the mortgage.
Some mortgage protection policies may offer optional specified illness or conversion features. These differ by provider and are separate from your buildings policy. Ask a regulated financial adviser if you need help deciding whether they suit you.
For buildings insurance, set the sum insured to a realistic full rebuild cost rather than the market price. If you insure for too little, an under-insurance clause may reduce a partial claim as well as a total-loss claim. Our home insurance requirements guide explains the distinction between the main types of cover.
Evaluating provider quality and service
Service is harder to compare than price, but you can ask practical questions:
- How do I report a claim, including outside office hours?
- Who handles the claim if I buy through a broker?
- Does the insurer arrange contractors, or do I arrange repairs?
- Can I access documents, make changes and download proof of cover online?
- When can I speak to someone if I need help?
Independent reviews can help, especially recent accounts from people who made a claim. Read across a range of experiences and check whether the reviews concern home insurance.
If you have a complaint, start with the provider’s complaints process. If it remains unresolved after its final response, you may be able to bring it to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO), whose service is free.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice do I get before my home insurance renews?
For an annual policy, the renewal notice must generally arrive at least 20 working days before renewal. It should also include the previous five years’ premiums paid under the contract, where available, and claims paid during that period.
Can I stop my home insurance renewing automatically?
Yes. You can stop an automatic renewal arrangement during the policy without a charge for doing so. That prevents a future automatic renewal; it is different from ending your current policy early. Make sure replacement cover starts when the old policy ends if you switch.
Will I lose my no-claims discount if I switch insurer?
A new provider may recognise eligible claim-free years, but check its rules before switching. Ask the current provider for proof and confirm that the discount appears on the new quote.
When you shop around, add AA Home Insurance to the quotes you compare.
