Best of the Best: Cheapest Home and Contents Insurance

GOLD WINNER: BUDGET DIRECT

The winner of Money's Best of the Best award for Cheapest Home and Contents Insurance, Budget Direct provides a 20% discount for arranging and paying for cover online, and a 35% saving when home and contents insurance are bundled together.

You can further reduce your premium by choosing a higher excess.

The standard policy provides protection for the cost of repairing, rebuilding or replacing your home and contents if they are damaged or destroyed by fire, storm or rainwater.

Along with cover for theft (provided it's reported to the police) Budget Direct also covers accidental breakage of glass or ceramic fixtures, and impact damage to your home through, say, fallen trees. Other structures included in the building policy are garages, outdoor sitting areas, garden sheds and fences, and even in-ground swimming pools.

Easily overlooked costs such as the removal of debris are included in standard cover, as well as up to one year of temporary accommodation if your home is so badly damaged it's no longer habitable.

The standard policy does not include flood cover or protection for personal items such as jewellery or laptops when they are taken out of your home.

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