Alternative Accommodation Insurance

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What is Alternative Accommodation Insurance?

If unfortunately you can no longer live in your home, for example after a flood, or the plumbing in your entire house, has gone awry. You could get temporarily re-homed while your house is being repaired–or while it’s in a state where we think you can no longer live there.

How do I know I have alternative accommodation insurance?

It’s important to check how much you’re covered for alternative accommodation in your home insurance policy. Cover can vary depending on whether you have buildings insurance, contents insurance or both.

If you have a buildings policy with us your alternative accommodation cover is up to £75,000.

If you have a contents policy with us; you would be covered under alternative accommodation for up to £10,000. This cover aims to insure the cost of putting your belongings into storage. It would also cover any shortfall in re-homing you and your family but your building insurer (or landlord) should look to cover the main cost of this.

If you have a combined home insurance policy, so both buildings and contents insurance with esure, you could be covered up to £75,000 for alternative accommodation, plus any money towards your belongings going into storage.

I have a large family, how does alternative accommodation insurance help me?

When your house is not habitable following an insured incident, we'll assess the requirements and determine the type and size of the property that will be sufficient for the period. This policy does not operate a like for like guarantee and instead provides an adequate alternative for the required period

I have pets- what happens to them if I need alternative accommodation?

Our alternative accommodation insurance aims to cover your pets too. So their kennel and cattery fees could also be covered, if you can’t take them with you to your temporary new home.

What types of events could make my home uninhabitable?

Believe it or not there can be quite a few situations that might leave you looking for temporary accommodation, while things in your home get sorted.

Of course the amount of cover you get for these situations differs between insurance companies, and is also dependent on the level and type of policy you have.

Below is a summary of the events we aim to cover, should you need alternative accommodation.

• Flood
• Fire, and smoke damage
• Any severe damage caused by criminals entering your home
• Subsidence
• Severe structural damage that may have been caused by a storm
• Burst water pipes, and severe leaks

For a full list of the types of events where you could make an alternative accommodation claim please read our policy booklet.

I may only need alternative accommodation for a couple of weeks do I really need to move into another house or flat?

• In some cases, especially if you live on your own, moving into a new house or flat might not be the most practical solution–especially if you only need alternative accommodation for a couple of days or even weeks.
• In these situations we may consider putting you up in a bed and breakfast, or hotel. But this is done on a case by case basis and where you do stay would have to be chosen or accepted by esure.
• Please note if you choose to stay anywhere without informing esure, you won’t be able to claim back the money you spent on your accommodation. All costs have to be agreed and accepted by us before you book to stay anywhere.

What else is included when I buy Home Insurance from esure?

Our Buildings Insurance also includes:

• Unlimited buildings cover - even if you need to rebuild you whole house, we'll cover it
• Cover for locks and keys - up to £1,000 to cover keys that are lost or stolen, or installing new locks on external doors
• Property owner’s liability cover - up to £2 million as standard

Our Contents Insurance also includes:

• New for old contents cover - we'll replace all covered items as new
• Garden cover - up to £2,000, tools, plants or machinery
• Freezer and fridge cover - up to £1,000 to cover spoiled food

Restrictions may apply, please refer to our policy booklet.

Other Optional Extras you can get with your Home Insurance

As well as Home Emergency cover we have other great Optional Extras for your Home Insurance that can help enhance your cover: