Legal and General Home Insurance Review and Quotes
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Discover the methodologyWould you like to protect your home against any damage or an unfortunate event such as a house fire or theft?
Are you wondering if Legal and General is the best home insurance company to protect your house?
You’ve come to the right place.
This ultimate and up-to-date review on Legal and General home insurance gathers all you need to know: consumers reviews, cover details, prices, claim process, contact numbers and much more. Let’s dive right into it.
Is Legal and General the best insurance company for you?
Getting the best home insurance deal is not just about the price. Indeed, focusing on just getting the cheapest deal might be a bad calculation when it comes to getting a good pay-out if your home is damaged as a result of an unfortunate event such as theft, fire or natural disaster.
At Safe, we’ve studied in detail Legal and General's home policy terms and conditions and given our own ratings based on different criteria for combined building and contents insurance policy.
4,6 Safe overall rating for Legal and General
| Safe rating | Our opinion | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer service & satisfaction and claims |
Policy documents can be easily accessed | |
| Cover provided for your home |
Gold level of cover: up to £100K alternative accommodation for building insurance | |
| Value for money |
Interest free payments on both the Silver and Gold cover options | |
| Financial strength |
Legal & General policies are underwritten by Legal & General Insurance Ltd | |
| Technology |
Live chat is available |
Expert and customer satisfaction reviews for Legal and General home insurance
| Review organisation | Legal and General home insurance reviews |
|---|---|
Defaqto expert | Silver: 4 stars |
| TrustPilot | 3,4/5 based on 9,816 customer reviews |
| Overall Which? Score | 69% |
Our general opinion on Legal and General home insurance
Legal & General was founded in 1836 and has since grown to be one of Europe’s biggest insurance groups offering a wide range of insurance products including home, travel, pet, and landlord insurance. It also offers other financial products such as mortgages, investments and retirement options.
Their insurance policies are underwritten by Legal & General Insurance Ltd, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
Legal & General offers two different types of home insurance: the Silver home insurance and Gold home insurance. Both of the options include buildings and contents insurance but they can be bought as a combined policy if needed.
Legal & General offers two levels of home insurance cover: Silver and Gold. Silver is designed for those on a budget, whilst Gold has been created for those requiring more comprehensive cover. Gold includes accidental damage cover and home emergency cover as standard. Bicycle cover, cover for items away from home, cover for valuables and Family Legal Protection can be added to both policies as optional extras.
The Silver cover has a 4 star Defaqto rating while the Gold cover has a 5 star rating. Their services are recommended as their customer care service is good and they have a high financial capability to pay out claims.
What does Legal and General home insurance cover?
What is more important than protecting your home – the roof under which you sleep with your loved ones?
Applying for home insurance at Legal and General will allow you to protect the structure of your home (buildings insurance), what is inside (contents insurance) or both (combined buildings and contents insurance).
Without home insurance, your home is exposed to any kind of risk, from a minor water leak to a fire, and you are liable for any repairs – whatever the cost this represents.
Home insurance at Legal and General covers you for any damage made as a result of an unfortunate event such as theft, fire and natural disaster causing leaks, flooding, etc.
Legal and General buildings and contents insurance
Legal and General provides three main types of household insurance:
- Buildings insurance
- Contents and personal possessions insurance
- Combined policy
Buildings insurance covers the structural aspects of your home. It will cover any damage made to your walls, floors, ceiling, windows, outbuildings, garages, etc. You can also extend your buildings insurance to permanent fixtures such as bathrooms, etc. Buildings insurance is for homeowners.
Good to know
If you buy your property and get a mortgage for this, you will be asked to provide valid buildings insurance. Buildings insurance is not mandatory, though. However, you must know that an average claim for repairing a burst pipe for example is £25 000.
Contents insurance will cover any damage made to your belongings inside your home or in your garden (TV and other appliances, furniture, etc). In other words, it will cover anything which is not structural.
Good to know
House contents insurance is highly recommended (especially in case you get burgled or if you are renting a furnished flat) but is not mandatory.
In the event of a fire, for instance, buildings insurance will give you compensation for your home structure, your walls, roofing or other structural elements damaged during the fire, and contents insurance will cover any damage made to your household appliances, furniture, jewellery and so on.
You will find below policy details for building and contents insurance:
| Legal and General building insurance | Limits |
|---|---|
| Maximum sum insured | Silver: £1,5M / Gold: £1,5M |
| Owner liability | Silver: £2M / Gold: £2M |
| Alternative emergency accomodation | Silver: £50 000 / Gold: £100 000 |
| Period of home's unoccupancy cover | 60 days |
| Repairs guarantee period | 1 year |
| Trace and access | Up to £5 000 - Only available for the Gold Home Insurance Cover |
| Burst pipe | As standard |
| Blockage of sewer pipe | Not covered |
| Gradual build-up of groundwater | Not covered |
| Subsidence | As standard |
| Underground services | As standard |
| Keys cover | Up to £150 000 |
| Flood and storm damage (except for fences) | As standard |
Good to know
Limits mentioned above are part of the total sum you insured with your insurer when applying for home insurance (and not in addition to).
Let’s have a look now at Esure contents insurance limits:
| Contents insurance | Limits |
|---|---|
| Maximum sum insured | Silver: £150 000 / Gold: £150 000 |
| Owner liability | £2 000 000 |
| Alternative emergency accomodation | Silver: £15 000 / Gold: £30 000 |
| Period of home's unoccupancy cover | 60 days |
| Damage made by pets | Not covered |
| Contents kept in garden | £2 500 |
| Contents kept in outbuildings (garage included) | Up to £150 000 |
| Thefts from outbuildings | £2 500 |
| Single item limit for valuables | £10 000 |
| Items temporarily removed from home | Not covered |
| Money in and outside the home | Inside: £500 Outside: £500 (under personal possessions cover - optional extra) |
| Credit cards in and outside the home | Inside: Not covered Outside: Not covered |
| Business equipment kept at home | £10 000 |
| Student equipment | £5 000 |
| Keys cover | Up to £150 000 |
Legal and General home insurance additional cover
On top of your Legal and General buildings and contents insurance, you can find additional cover such as:
| Home insurance additional cover | |
|---|---|
| Accidental damage cover | Optional extra only available for the Gold Home Insurance Cover |
| Home emergency |
|
| Boiler cover |
|
| Legal protection |
|
| Personal possessions |
|
| Mobile cover |
|
| Bicycle cover |
|
Legal and General home insurance excess
The deductible you'll have to pay in case of claims are as described below:
| For both building and contents insurance | |
|---|---|
| Excess for standard claims | £200 |
| Excess for escape water claims | £500 |
| Excess for subsidence claims | £500 |
| Excess for personal possessions | £200 |
| Excess for keys | £200 |
Legal and General home insurance fees and NCD
To manage your policy, renew, cancel or modify it, Legal and General fees are as follows:
| Fees applied to manage your Legal and Generalhouse policy | |
|---|---|
| Interests on payment installments | 0,00% |
| To renew my policy | £0 |
| To adjust my policy | £0 |
| To duplicate documents | £0 |
| To cancel my policy during cooling-off period | £0 |
| To cancel my policy outside cooling-off period | £0 |
| For payment default | £0 |
| To switch from one insurer to Legal and General | Not covered |
How much does Legal and General home insurance cost?
You will below indicative quotes for building and contents insurance at Legal and General:
| Building insurance | Contents insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Excess | £200 | £200 |
| Home cover | Building: £250 000 Contents: £20 000 Personal items: £4 000 | Building: £500 000 Contents: £50 000 Personal items: £8 000 |
| Premium | £167,33 | £328,33 |
It is very difficult to give a precise range of how much exactly will your home insurance cost at Legal and General as it will mainly depend on:
- The insurance you apply for (building, contents, combined insurance, extras)
- Your address
- Your claim record
- The insured value of your home and of your personal belongings, etc.
Legal and General will establish a risk rate, taking into account all these elements, and offer you a price based on it.
The average cost of combined buildings and contents insurance in 2018 was £163, with contents insurance usually counting for a third of the premium (around £60) and building insurance for the rest (around £110). However, premium will be higher if you buy stand-alone building or contents insurance.
Do you want to compare the cheapest home insurance quotes? It couldn’t be easier. Just do a quick home insurance comparison using our comparison tool below. It takes only 15 seconds and is completely neutral and 100% anonymous.
Legal and General home insurance discounts available
Discount is given for buying combined policy.
How do I a claim on Legal and General home insurance?
Claims can be made by phone or through the Legal and General claims form online.
You will be asked to provide your insurance policy number as well as details on claim circumstances such as date and time, pictures or other person involved.
| How to claim on Legal and General home insurance? | |
|---|---|
| Claim by email | [email protected] |
| Claim online | |
| Claim by phone | 0370 900 5565. |
Good to know
If you claim is related to a criminal incident (theft, fire etc), you must call the police upfront.
How can I cancel Legal and General house insurance?
To cancel your Legal and General house insurance, here is what you need to know:
| Cancelling your home insurance at Legal and General | |
|---|---|
| Cancellation notice if Legal and General cancel your policy | 14 days |
| Cancellation fees | Fees during cooling-off period: £0 Fees outside cooling-off period: £0 |
| Cancel by mail | Legal & General Insurance |
| Cancel by phone | 0370 600 227 |
How to contact Legal and General home insurance?
| Services | Phone numbers | Opening hours |
|---|---|---|
| Claims | 0370 900 5565. | Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm |
| Policy renewal | 0370 142 0004. | 24/7 |
| General Enquiries | 0370 900 3110 | Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm |
| Domestic Emergency: | 0800 408 9103 | 24/7 |
| National Gas Emergency | 0800 111 999 | 24/7 |
Legal and General home insurance contact details
| Legal and General contact details | |
|---|---|
| Legal and General address | Legal and General Insurance |
| Customer service email | |
| Chatbot available | Virtual assistant is available on website. |
How do I log in to Legal and General customer portal?
You can login to your account on the Homepage of the Legal and General website. Click on the "Login" option and enter your details.
How do I get Legal and General home insurance quotes?
To get a quote online at Legal and General, it couldn’t be simpler.
You can go on our home insurance comparison tool here and compare the main home insurance deals on the market. If Legal and General is the company that best suits your needs, then you just click on the ‘Get quote’ button and follow the whole process explained online.
To get Legal and General home insurance quotes, you will need to provide:
- Your personal information: ID, age, phone number and job
- Your address and postcode
- Your homeowner record (claims included)
- Your home description (type of property, the date it was built, how many square metres inside and outside)
- Your property related status: do you own it, rent it, have a mortgage on it, etc.
- Extras you’d like to get on your home insurance, contents sum insured and the excess you’d like to pay.
The types of questions you will be asked are typically:
- Are you a first-time buyer?
- Has the property ever suffered from subsidence, cracking, subsidence or undergone any underpinning (or showed any signs)?
- Has the property ever been damaged by flood?
- Has anyone living permanently at the property made any home claim(s) for loss or damage in the past X years (usually 3) or had any claim(s) made against them? etc.
5 tips to reduce your Legal and General house insurance quote
- Always shop around on home insurance comparison sites. If you do not auto renew and instead apply for new home insurance, you will easily be able to lower your house insurance cost and benefit from new customer discounts.
- Increase the excess amount you are willing to pay in case you make a claim.
- Choose the level of cover that is right for you. Insure with the right sum for both your buildings and contents insurance. If you do not have high value items, consider an ‘indemnity’ contents insurance rather than a ‘new for old’ one.
- Opt for a policy offering No Claim Bonus to lower your premium if you've gone for a few years without making any claim.
- Consider index-linked cover for building insurance to follow prices of building materials.
