2017 RANKING & REVIEWS
TOP RANKING BEST BUILDINGS AND CONTENTS INSURANCE COMPARISON SITES
Finding the Best Buildings and Contents Insurance Comparison Sites
Whether you are a homeowner, renter, or landlord, finding quality home insurance is crucial to protecting what is important to you. One of the most effective ways to find the best building insurance or contents insurance is to compare a wide range of policies and providers. This time consuming process can be made easier with a quality comparison site.
The best buildings and contents insurance comparison sites allow customers to view a large number of insurance options based on their individual needs. Each site offers a slightly different service, and some may be more detailed than others.
Award Emblem: Top 6 Sites to Compare Buildings and Contents Insurance
Customers who are looking for a quick estimate of what they can expect to pay for insurance may be better served by less detailed comparison sites.
However, customers who are looking to insure a particular property quickly may want to spend the extra time filling out a more detailed questionnaire.
When faced with an insurance purchase, many customers find themselves asking questions like:
- What kind of coverage is best for me?
- How is one comparison site different from another?
- How can I find the best insurance quotes quickly?
To answer these questions and more, the AdvisoryHQ team has compiled a list of the best insurance comparison sites in the business. Users can judge which site suits their needs best.
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AdvisoryHQ’s List of the Top 6 Buildings and Contents Insurance Comparison Sites
List is sorted alphabetically (click any of the comparison site names below to go directly to the detailed review section for that comparison site):
Top 6 Buildings and Contents Insurance Comparison Sites | Brief Comparison & Ranking
Building and Content Insurance Sites | Level of Detail | Results Display | Includes Landlord Option |
| Canstar | Low detail | Table | Yes |
| Comparethemarket.com™ | High detail | Chart | Yes, under business insurance |
| Confused.com | Low to medium detail | Table | Yes |
| Gocompare.com | High detail | Table | Yes, under business insurance |
| MoneySuperMarket.com | Low detail | Table with sidebar | Yes |
| uSwitch | Medium detail | List | No |
What Is Buildings and Contents Insurance?
Buildings and contents insurance are both types of home insurance. Together, they are designed to jointly cover a home and its contents in the event that either are damaged. Many companies offer both of these insurances as individual policies, but it is also very common for contents and building insurance to be combined in this way.
Building Insurance Details
The best building insurance will cover the cost of repairs in the event that a building sustains serious damage. Insurance of this nature will only cover the property if the circumstances of the damage were beyond the control of the homeowner. This includes events like:
- Storm damage
- Flood damage
- Major fire damage
- Explosive damage
- Damage from water or bust pipes
- Subsidence
Contents Insurance Details
Contents insurance covers all of the personal effects and items within a house that are not part of the building. Items are covered under similar circumstances as those covered by building insurance, but also usually include theft. This applies to items like furniture or appliances. Some policies offer different levels of coverage for different price levels.
For example, some policies will cover the cost of new appliances, regardless of the quality of those destroyed. Other policies might be cheaper but will only cover the actual value of the lost possessions.
Both contents insurance and building insurance quotes are often provided through insurance companies either online or over the phone. However, contents or building insurance quote comparison sites can present quotes and help customers choose the best building insurance or content insurance provider.
Purpose of Contents and Building Insurance
Primarily, buildings and contents insurance is designed to protect a homeowner from loss in the event that either their belongings or home are severely damaged by uncontrollable events.
However, many mortgage companies will insist or require that a mortgaged property be covered, at the very least, by the cheapest building insurance. This is because an insurance policy like this can cover the loan in the event that a building is destroyed and protect the company from loss.
Image Source: Pixabay
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Buildings and Contents Insurance for Rental Properties
Bundled contents and building insurance is a great idea for someone who both owns and occupies the covered property. This allows them to cover the entirety of their property with one policy.
However, those who own rental properties occupied by tenants might be better served by a landlord building insurance policy that only covers the building itself. Likewise, renters may be better served by a lone contents insurance policy so that they do not pay extra to cover a building that they do not own.
Image Source: Pixabay
Insurance for rental properties can work differently than owner-occupied properties, and some insurance companies may choose not to offer landlord building insurance. However, those that do often carry policies of this nature under their commercial building insurance division.
Commercial building insurance for landlords often covers more than just the insured building. Some policies will provide coverage when tenants fail to pay rent or when the property is left in bad condition by a renter.
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AdvisoryHQ’s Selection Methodology
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Please click here “AdvisoryHQ’s Ranking Methodologies” for a detailed review of AdvisoryHQ’s selection methodologies for ranking top rated credit cards, financial accounts, firms, products, and services.
Detailed Review – Top Ranking Buildings and Contents Insurance Comparison Sites
Below, please find the detailed review of each site on our list of the best buildings and contents insurance comparison sites. We have highlighted some of the factors that allowed these contents insurance and building insurance comparison sites to score so highly in our selection ranking.
Canstar Review
Canstar is an Australianbased content and building insurance comparison site. Because this company is based in Australia, they are only able to compare building and contents insurance for properties in Australia.
Canstar allows customers to compare building and contents insurance either individually or in a bundled policy. This site also offers options to compare landlord building insurance policies.
Details
What this site offers is very simple, and it can offer contents and building insurance policy comparisons based on only four pieces of inputted data:
- Type of desired coverage (i.e., bundled or unbundled)
- Age of the policy holder
- Location of the property
- Estimated cost to replace the building, contents, or both
Results are displayed in a table that shows customers what kind of features and coverage are offered by each company. Customers can choose to see results only from companies that offer contents or building insurance quote links or companies that do not. Next to each company, a link to either the website or an online quote generator is included.
Customers also have the option to search for policies based on any of the displayed features or coverage. Customers can also search based on more detailed inclusions for the best building and contents insurance policies or the company’s Canstar rating.
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Comparethemarket.com™ Review
Comparethemarket.com™ is an insurance comparison site based in the United Kingdom that offers building and contents insurance policy options for UK properties. Customers can choose to compare building insurance, contents insurance, or bundled options.
This site also offers a separate comparison generator for landlord building insurance quotes. This kind of coverage can be found with the commercial building insurance options.
Details
comparethemarket.com™ is the most detailed contents or building insurance comparison site included in this review. It requires customers to fill out a questionnaire with in-depth information.
Customers must answer questions in a number of categories, including:
- Type of desired coverage
- Property security
- Property features and condition
- Property location
- Employment information
- Information about how the property will be used
- The value and type of contents to be insured
Customers must also provide basic contact information and preferred contact methods. They are then presented with the option of being directly contacted by the insurance providers with the cheapest building insurance or contents options.
Once the customer has filled out the questionnaire, they are presented with contents insurance and building insurance quote options that best fit their needs ranked by price.
These contents or building insurance quotes are displayed in a chart that shows each policy’s general features. Customers are able to select specific coverage features and search for the best building and contents insurance policy for their specific needs. Customers can select their favorite policies for a chance to learn more about that option and link directly to the insurance company’s website.
Confused.com Review
Confused.com is another U.K.-based company that issues building and contents insurance policy suggestions only for properties located in the U.K. This site offers customers individual or combined buildings and contents insurance and landlord building insurance quotes.
This site is not a great option for customers who are looking for theoretical contents or building insurance quote estimates. This is because this website requires a valid, detailed address in order to complete the questionnaire.
Details
This contents or building insurance comparison site offers a medium level of detail. The questionnaire process takes approximately 8 minutes to complete.
Customers must enter general information regarding the property to be insured. These questions cover topics like:
- The type of desired coverage
- The state of the property
- The property type
- Estimated value of property and contents
- Personal contact and employment information
Customers must also answer questions concerning the security features present on the property. The site takes into account the types of locks present on the property, the types of exterior doors, the presence of an alarm system, and other general security questions. All of this information is used to judge the risk that a claim will be made on the property. Properties with higher risk generally cost more to insure.
Results for this site are displayed in a table that lists options from the cheapest building insurance to the most expensive. It also shows general information about the coverage and features offered by each content and building insurance quote. Next to each option is a link to the issuing company’s website and information about how to contact a representative over the phone for more detailed information about the contents or building insurance cost.
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Gocompare.com Review
Gocompare.com is based in the U.K. and requires that all customers input a valid U.K. property address to compare building and contents insurance policies. This site can provide insurance options for property renters, owners, and landlords. Insurance for landlords is located under the business insurance subsection.
This buildings and contents insurance comparison site offers a slightly higher level of detail. Because it does require a specific address to generate building insurance quotes, this is a good option for users seeking practical, rather than theoretical, estimates.
Details
To access the best building and contents insurance estimates, users must fill out a relatively detailed questionnaire. Customers must answer questions about:
- The desired insurance type and coverage
- Personal contact information
- General property information
- Property security features
- Property occupants
- Employment history
- Claims history
Customers also have the option of choosing to be contacted by the insurance providers with the two cheapest building insurance or contents insurance options.
The results for this comparison site are presented in a table with content or building insurance quotes listed from least to most expensive. Each option displays some of the available features and coverage options. Customers can also perform advanced searches using filters to make their queries more detailed.
Each content or building insurance quote features a link that connects to more detailed policy information. From this page, customers can follow links to the policy’s provider webpage or telephone information.
MoneySuperMarket.com Review
MoneySuperMarket.com offers insurance options for homeowners, tenants, and landlords. It also offers users options for independent content or building insurance quotes or bundled policies.
Details
To access contents or buildings insurance quotes, customers must enter a valid U.K. address. The questionnaire for this site is relatively simple and streamlined. Users must answer basic question about the property location, features, occupancy, and security.
Customers must also select their desired policy type and coverage levels. To top it all off, the site requires personal information including claims history, employment, and contact information.
Results for this site are displayed in a table. The best building and contents insurance options are listed according to their prices. At a glance, customers are able to see the monthly and annual price, any available add-ons, and a breakdown of both the contents and building coverage.
Customers are able to access detailed policy information to compare building and contents insurance that displays in a sidebar of the website. From this sidebar, they can access links to the companies’ websites or access information to contact a representative over the phone to find more information about the contents or building insurance cost.
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uSwitch Review
uSwitch requires that customers enter a valid U.K. postcode to receive an estimate for the content or building insurance cost. Customers can choose to compare building insurance, contents insurance, or combined policies. This site is less detailed than others in this ranking and has a relatively quick questionnaire.
Details
Customers must answer a series of questions regarding the property in question to find estimated contents or building insurance costs. These questions include general building features, location, and security measures.
To compare building insurance or contents policies, customers must also answer questions about their desired policy coverage, claims history, and contact information.
The contents or buildings insurance quotes are presented in a list. Customers are shown a breakdown of the insurance coverage and cost in each of the contents or buildings insurance quotes for easy comparison.
Once a customer has selected the best building insurance or contents insurance for their needs, they can use links to the side of each quote to access more information or purchase the proposed policy.
This option does not offer landlord policy, but it does include options for property tenants.
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Conclusion- Top 6 Buildings and Contents Insurance Comparison Sites
None of these comparison site options are inherently better than the others. Each will serve different customers more effectively depending on those customers’ needs and preferences. To find the best comparison site for you, it is important to consider how detailed you would like your inputted information to be and what kind of services and features will best serve your search.
To find the best contents and building insurance policy comparison sites for your needs, keep in mind the highlights from our comparison:
- Canstar: Fastest questionnaire process
- Comparethemarket.com™: Most detailed questionnaire process
- Confused.com: Site claims that the questionnaire process takes an average of 8 minutes
- Gocompare.com: Customers can specialize their search criteria
- MoneySuperMarket.com: Show customers the break down of their buildings and contents coverage separately
- uSwitch: Does not offer landlord insurance
The best sites will help customers compare building insurance or contents insurance options that are most relevant to their needs. Though some sites may serve one customer slightly better than another, each of these sites is a good choice and each offers valuable services.
AdvisoryHQ (AHQ) Disclaimer:
Reasonable efforts have been made by AdvisoryHQ to present accurate information, however all info is presented without warranty. Review AdvisoryHQ’s Terms for details. Also review each firm’s site for the most updated data, rates and info.
Note: Firms and products, including the one(s) reviewed above, may be AdvisoryHQ's affiliates. Click to view AdvisoryHQ's advertiser disclosures.
