About Thatched Property Insurance

Group

Dedicated claims team

Our dedicated claims professionals are all trained and experienced in managing property insurance claims and are available from Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Chat

Specialist property service team

Thatched properties require specialist insurance which is why we have a specialist property team who know their stuff.

Direct Debit

Spread the cost

You can spread the cost of your insurance over monthly direct debit instalments.

Options

Optional extras

We know that not everyone’s needs are the same so you can choose to add additional covers that are applicable to you.

Features of Thatched Property Insurance

Standard cover

Buildings and property owners' liability

Our thatched property insurance policy includes building and property owners’ liability. This protects you against subsidence, debris removal costs and architect and surveyor's fees.

Fire cover

One of the biggest concerns with regards to thatched housing is fire damage. This is why it is included as standard on our policies as an optional extra.

Storm and flood cover

We include storm and flood cover as standard so that you can rest assured that should mother nature strike, you are protected.

Contents cover

We will also provide cover for your contents, this includes accidental damage to audio-visual equipment and computers.

Additional cover

Pedal cycle cover

On our policies we can provide cover for pedal cycles should you need to do so.

Valuables and personal effects cover

You can choose to add valuables and personal effects to your policy to extend your contents cover.

Accidental damage cover

Accidental damage to your building and contents can also be included as an optional extra.

Thatched Property Insurance FAQs

Question

What is thatched roof insurance?

Answer

Thatched roof insurance is a specialist insurance policy designed for properties with a complete or partial thatched home. The policy will also cover the entire property so you don’t need a separate policy for that.

Question

What types of thatch do you cover?

Answer

We cover reed, water straw and straw. Please speak to an adviser if you believe your roofing falls outside one of these categories.

Question

How much does thatched property insurance cost?

Answer

Like with most insurance, the cost of a thatched property insurance policies varies depending on things like size and age of the home, value of building and contents and what kind of cover you require so it's very tricky to provide an estimate. If you'd like a quote just call our team on the number above with the details of your thatched home.

Question

How does a thatch roof affect the rest of my building insurance?

Answer

You receive all the standard coverage you would expect when insuring your home with our thatched roof policy. There are some considerations brought about by the 'non-standard' roofing like fireplaces/guards but our experienced advisers can go through all these details with you.

Question

Can you cover the contents of my thatched property?

Answer

All standard policy features are included in this policy. Buildings and contents insurance is included as well as many optional extras to help tailor your cover to fit your requirements.

Question

Can you provide insurance for properties which are both unoccupied and thatched?

Answer

We offer unoccupied property insurance, but you will need to speak with our team to get your cover in place. Everybody’s circumstance are different so we will assess your situation and provide you with the best possible solution.

Question

My thatched property is listed, can you still cover me?

Answer

We would be happy to arrange appropriate cover for your listed building as well as any other non-standard considerations for protecting your property.

Question

Can you provide landlord insurance for thatched properties?

Answer

You will need to speak with our team to get your cover in place, everybody’s circumstance are different so we will assess your situation and provide you with the best possible solution.

Question

What’s wrong with just having standard home insurance?

Answer

A thatched roof building faces a higher risk of fire than a standard tile roof. This highlights the main difference between the two and the reason it needs a specialist policy. There is usually a different set of exclusions that go along with a thatched policy too, this is because the extra fire risk means insurers require you to have fire precautions and agree to keep the roof maintained to a minimum standard.

Question

What must I know to get a quote?

Answer

You will need to know answers the some or all of the following for a broker or insurer to be able to offer a quote.

  • The thatch depth - Is it less than a metre, between 1 and 2 or more than 2?

  • The type of thatch material

  • The height of chimney above the ridge - Less than or more than 1.8 metre

  • The distance from nearest fire station

  • Whether the property has open fires - It is possible to insure for a property with open fires but if you don't use the fire place you can have a 'solid fuel warranty. This states that no solid fuel is burnt on the property.

Question

What about the rest of my house?

Answer

Home insurance has two main features aside from the thatched roof insurance. One is to cover the building and the other is to cover the things inside – ‘Buildings’ and ‘Contents’ insurance.

Buildings insurance includes the permanent structure including outbuildings, outside walls, garden including hedges and trees etc. During a quote you will be asked for the ‘re-build’ cost of your home. If your home was destroyed in an insurable event such as a fire, the claim should be able to cover you for the removal of the debris, planning of the new property and materials and labour to re-build. This being so it is vital you are not ‘under-insured’ for less than what all this would cost.

Everything inside your home that is not part of the building itself is covered under the contents insurance:

A great way to understand the difference between your ‘contents’ and your ‘building’ would be to (hypothetically of course) tip your house the wrong way up. Anything that would end up on the ceiling/floor is considered contents. This would mean furniture and decorations are contents but the walls, ceiling and kitchen cabinets come under buildings insurance. Be sure to make yourself aware of what is and isn’t covered in the contents insurance and also if anything should be insured separately.

Question

What are the requirements?

Answer
  • The thatched roof must have been inspected by a thatcher within the last 10 years

  • Chimneys must be swept annually

  • No naked flames or tools producing flames be present in the attic or loft space

  • Two fire extinguishers must be fitted inside the property

  • Roof must be treated with fire retardant

  • The electrics in the property must have been inspected within the last 10 years.

Property types

A thatched roof policy will still cover the rest of your home in just the same way as any normal home insurance policy. Even if there are other non-standard features to your property such as:

  • Listed property

  • Let property

  • Unoccupied

  • Holiday Home

  • Second Home

Thatch types

You will need to inform the insurer at the quote stage which of the following your property has.

  • Water Reed

  • Devon Reed

  • Combed Wheat

  • Norfolk Reed

  • Long Straw

 

Question

How can I pay for my premium?

Answer

You can pay by credit card or monthly direct debit.

Question

Where can I find full details of my policy?

Answer

We have provided a summary of the key features of the policy, above. For details of the terms and conditions applicable, please refer to the insurance product information document and policy wording, which are available during the quotation process.

Question

Are there any exclusions?

Answer

We have provided a summary of the key features of the policy, above. For details of the terms and conditions applicable, please refer to the Insurance Product Information Document and policy wording, which are available during the quotation process.

How do I make a claim?

When you need to make a claim, we’ll guide you through the process and get your claim settled as quickly as possible.

1.

Find your insurance documents

and make sure you have all your information at hand, including your policy number

2.

Call the claims team

on 0330 102 6062 and explain exactly what happened

3.

Provide photos if requested

to help us understand what happened as quickly as we can

Relaxed Person Making Claim