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Holiday Home Insurance

  • Specialist holiday home insurance, providing cover all year round, including when unoccupied.

  • Arranging insurance for holiday home owners for over 42 years

  • For holiday homes in the UK, Spain, France, and Portugal 

  • Properties covered when occupied, unoccupied and holiday let

  • UK-based customer support team

The holiday home insurance experts

Whether you're looking for holiday home insurance in the UK or in Europe for personal use, or holiday let insurance for your second home, Schofields has been helping to financially protect holiday homes since 1984 and has a Feefo service rating of 5 out of 5. Policies can cover holiday cottages and properties whether they're occupied by you, your family, paying guests, or sitting empty between visits.

Why choose Schofields for holiday home insurance?

  • Trusted and proven: rated 5 out of 5 on Feefo

    Our 5 out of 5 'Excellent' Feefo rating is proof from real customers that our cover and service deliver.

  • Same family values, trusted expertise

    Offering the same personal attention, knowledge and care that's defined Schofields since we started in 1984 as a family-run business.

  • Specialist cover for holiday letting and personal use

    Includes specialist cover for when your holiday home is used by you or rented out short-term to paying guests. T&Cs apply.

What does holiday home insurance through Schofields cover?

There are three different types of holiday home insurance policies available through Schofields. All policies include cover for UK-based holiday homeowners using the property themselves as their second home, as well as family and friends staying as guests at the property, plus holiday letting to paying guests.

Properties cannot be used as your main residence, and the policy does not cover family members living in the property.

Depending on if your property is in the UK or overseas, and what cover options you select, cover can include Public Liability as standard, and can include Building insurance, Contents insurance and accidental damage.

Compare holiday home insurance cover options below:

Available cover types

Buildings & Contents

Full structural and home contents protection.

Contents Only

Cover for your furnishings and belongings.

Buildings Only

Structural coverage for the property itself.

Compare UK Holiday Home Insurance Policies

Plus

Most popular

Enhanced cover — UK properties only

Compulsory excess The minimum fixed amount you would have to contribute to a successful claim.

From £50

Loss Of Use and Denial Of Access Loss of pre-booked rentals or the cost of alternative accommodation under certain circumstances listed in your policy wording, such as damage to your property by storms.

£5,000

Property in the Open Property in the open but within the premises subject to a £5,000 limit. Can cover outdoor items such as garden furniture, BBQs, hot tubs and equipment left outside or in outbuildings.

£5,000 per claim

Theft of Keys The costs and expenses incurred in replacing or changing parts of the locks, if the keys to the buildings are lost or stolen or there is evidence that the keys have been duplicated by an unauthorised person.

£5,000

Locating Leaks Covers the cost of locating and accessing the escape of water - such as breaking through walls, floors, or ceilings - to find the source of a leak.

£5,000

Unoccupancy Conditions No cover restrictions when your property is left unoccupied between lets or visits. Endorsements may be applied at underwriters discretion.

None

Winter Heating & Drain Down Warranties None as standard. Underwriters may however apply terms to individual policies upon review.

No heating, isolation of water
or drain down requirements*

Standard

Standard cover — UK properties only

Compulsory excess The minimum fixed amount you would have to contribute to a successful claim.

From £250

Loss Of Use and Denial Of Access Loss of pre-booked rentals or the cost of alternative accommodation under certain circumstances listed in your policy wording, such as damage to your property by storms.

£1,000

Property in the Open Property in the open but within the premises subject to a £5,000 limit. Can cover outdoor items such as garden furniture, BBQs, hot tubs and equipment left outside or in outbuildings.

£500 per claim

Theft of Keys Covers the costs you have to pay for replacing locks to safes, alarms and outside doors in the holiday home following theft of your keys.

£500

Locating Leaks Covers the cost of locating and accessing the escape of water - such as breaking through walls or floors - to find the source of a leak.

£1,000

Unoccupancy Conditions When your property is left unoccupied, certain conditions apply - such as regular inspections.

Conditions apply

Winter Heating & Drain Down Warranties Maintaining a minimum level of heating or draining the water system during winter months is required.

Required

*Upon review of application the Underwriter may apply terms.

Included in both packages

£5m Public Liability

Included

Financial protection if a guest or visitor suffers injury or property damage.

Accidental Damage

Optional add-on

Accidental Damage to Buildings and Contents is available on both packages when Buildings or Contents insurance is selected. Pet damage included on Plus policies when accidental damage is opted for.

Legal Expenses

Optional add-on

Available on both packages for an additional premium.

For the full information on what is and isn't covered on each policy type, view the Important Documents.

Overseas Holiday Home Insurance Policy

Overseas

For overseas holiday homes in Spain, France, or Portugal

Compulsory excess The minimum fixed amount you would have to contribute to a successful claim.

From £50

Loss Of Use and Denial Of Access Loss of pre-booked rentals or the cost of alternative accommodation under certain circumstances listed in your policy wording, such as damage to your property by storms.

£5,000

Property in the Open Property in the open but within the premises subject to a £5,000 limit. Can cover outdoor items such as garden furniture, BBQs, hot tubs and equipment left outside or in outbuildings.

£2,000 per claim

Theft of Keys The costs and expenses incurred in replacing or changing parts of the locks, if the keys to the buildings are lost or stolen or there is evidence that the keys have been duplicated by an unauthorised person.

£5,000

Locating Leaks Covers the cost of locating and accessing the escape of water - such as breaking through walls, floors, or ceilings - to find the source of a leak.

£1,000

Unoccupancy Conditions No cover restrictions when your property is left unoccupied between lets or visits. Endorsements may be applied at underwriters discretion.

None

Winter Heating & Drain Down Warranties None as standard. Underwriters may however apply terms to individual policies upon review.

No heating, isolation of water
or drain down requirements*

*Upon review of application the Underwriter may apply terms.

Included in overseas property insurance

£5m Public Liability

Included

Financial protection if a guest or visitor suffers injury or property damage.

Accidental Damage to Contents

Optional add-on

Accidental damage to contents in the home when Contents insurance is selected.

Find out more about overseas property insurance, or visit the Important Documents.

couple walking on the beach

Does a typical home insurance policy cover holiday homes?

The key difference between a typical home insurance policy and a holiday home insurance policy comes down to how the property is used and the risks that creates. Generally, typical home insurance is unsuitable for holiday homes. For example:

Occupancy: Typical home insurance provides cover for full-time living; as a holiday home is a second home, it's likely to be used infrequently and can be left empty for long periods.

Unoccupancy cover: Most home insurance policies include unoccupancy restrictions that limit how long a property can be left empty. Holiday home insurance can cover extended periods of unoccupancy. 

Letting: Typical home insurance policies usually don’t cover commercial letting; holiday home insurance includes cover for short-term holiday letting.

Liability: Holiday home insurance can include public liability to cover accidents or injuries sustained by guests. Typical home insurance does not usually include public liability for commercial holiday lets.

Risk level: There is a higher risk associated with holiday homes due to vacancy and guest use

Meet our holiday home insurance expert

"Frozen and damaged pipework can be an issue for owners of second homes and holiday lets, especially during colder months when properties may be left empty for longer periods. Taking precautions such as maintaining a low level of heating, insulating vulnerable pipes and carrying out routine property checks may help reduce the likelihood of water-related damage.”

Phil Schofield

Phil Schofield

Head of Sales and Marketing

Check out profile

What our customers say...

Holiday Home Insurance FAQs
  • If your property isn’t lived in full-time or is let to guests, a typical home policy may not provide adequate cover. Holiday home insurance is designed to handle risks for holiday home owners, like unoccupancy and guest use.

  • Policies through Schofields include cover for short-term holiday letting.

  • Policies through Schofield include Public Liability as standard. The policy can help to cover your legal liability as owner or occupier of your holiday home for some or all of the amounts you become legally liable to pay (up to £5m) for valid claims from an injured person or damaged property at your property. Cover can be provided under our Buildings or Contents policy (Public Liability can not be offered as a standalone policy).

    This cover can help financially protect you if someone is injured, falls ill or dies while they're on your property and takes legal action.

  • Schofields Plus holiday home insurance policy can cover accidental damage to mirrors, fixed glass in furniture, TVs and radios, when contents insurance is selected.

  • If you let out your holiday home to paying guests or friends and family, many letting agencies will require you to have evidence of Public Liability insurance.

    Specialist insurance for short-term lets can also help financially protect holiday cottage or homeowners against the financial risks associated with letting out your holiday home. Such as injuries sustained by guests on your property, resulting in a claim; theft or damage by guests/pets; the cost of alternative accommodation; and loss of rental income if your property becomes uninhabitable due to an insured event.

  • If you select buildings insurance, your sum insured should reflect the full cost of rebuilding your holiday home, not its market value. This may include the structure, permanent fixtures and fittings, and any eligible outbuildings or external features, depending on your policy terms.

    You can usually find an estimated rebuild cost in your survey, but older figures may need to be updated. For the most accurate valuation, consider using a qualified surveyor. Providing an accurate rebuild value is important, as underinsuring your property could affect any claim.

    Read our blog on calculating building insurance rebuild cost for more information.

    If you select contents insurance, your sum insured should reflect the cost of replacing the items in your holiday home, such as furniture, household goods, electrical equipment, carpets and curtains. A contents calculator, or a room-by-room check, can help you estimate this.

    Read our blog on calculating contents insurance cost for more information on this.

    For more information on Schofields insurance, visit our Important Documents.

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