There are around 500,000 listed buildings in the UK of which approximately 90% are allocated the Grade II listing by English Heritage. The Grade II listing is normally allocated because the building is in some way of architectural or cultural interest. Sometimes the whole building is listed but often in it is just a particular feature or even an outbuilding such as a barn.
As the owner of a listed building you will be expected to re-instate the property to its pre damage condition following a full or partial loss, which can have significant financial implications so it is important to be confident that you have suitable insurance to cope with such an eventuality. There are two very important things for you to do in order to minimise the risk of a protracted re-instatement process.
Most important of all is to ensure that the buildings cover you have arranged is sufficient to cover the costs of a worst case scenario (a total loss). The buildings sum insured should be the full re building cost, including demolition, removal of debris and architects fee. Be wary of simply using the market value or a mortgage valuation as they rarely a true representation of the re building cost. There is no real substitution for a professional valuation carried out by a suitably qualified surveyor.
Once this has been done your next decision should be select an appropriate insurer of your home.The so called High Net Worth Insurers are often better placed to assist with such re-instatement than the standard home insurance providers you might see advertised on the internet or the television for a number of reasons.
Firstly, the majority of their clients will live in a distinctive home, even if it is not a listed building, and so they are sympathetic to the particular needs of a non standard home owner. For standard insurers this type of loss is an unusual occurrence and their call centre staff do not necessarily understand the need for such a claim to be treaty differently.
Secondly, specialist listed building insurance on a high value home policy will mean that you will be able to utilise the necessary specialist building skills labour, normally of your choice, rather than the contractor a standard home insurer would want to use, usually because they have negotiated a special rate on a volume basis.
Finally, the chances are that you have also furnished your home with contents that are unique and distinct to you, including high value items of furniture, pictures, etc, and these generally need specialist insurance as well.
This is, of course, just a brief overview of what should be a thoughtful and bespoke insurance decision by you. I would be delighted to discuss the specific desires and needs for your particular circumstances and provide, without obligation, home insurance quotations for you to consider.
