Home insurance warning over structural changes

The slowing housing market means people are increasingly looking to make improvements to their house, one home insurance company has claimed.

According to research by Sainsbury's Home Insurance, 21 per cent of people are planning to make major structural changes to their property in the next 12 months.

However, it urges people to inform their home insurance company before work begins.

Neil Laird, home insurance manager for Sainsbury's Finance, said: We want to make sure that homeowners are aware that they could be left underinsured or even invalidate their insurance entirely in the event of an incident during or after the works if they have not informed their insurer first.

This is because building insurance premiums are calculated based on the type of house and creating extra rooms can have an impact on someone's premium, he added.

Yesterday, a study by Tescocompare.com revealed that Britons could save a total of £26 million a year by switching their home insurance provider.