John Lewis Home Insurance Review and Quotes
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Would you like to protect your home against any damage or an unfortunate event such as a house fire or theft?
Are you wondering if John Lewis 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 John Lewis 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 John Lewis 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 John Lewis's home policy terms and conditions and given our own ratings based on different criteria for combined building and contents insurance policy.
4,2 Safe overall rating for John Lewis
| Safe rating | Our opinion | |
|---|---|---|
| Customer service & satisfaction and claims |
Premier and Specialist levels of cover rated 5 stars by Defaqto | |
| Cover provided for your home |
Up to £100 000 for emergency accommodation with building insurance with standard policy | |
| Value for money |
20% discount when buying online | |
| Financial strength | Home insurance underwritten by Royal Sun Alliance Insurance plc | |
| Technology |
Customer portal available |
Expert and customer satisfaction reviews for John Lewis home insurance
| Review organisation | John Lewis home insurance reviews |
|---|---|
Defaqto expert | Specialist: 5 stars |
| Trustpilot | 3,6/5 based on 917 customers reviews |
| Overall Which? Score | 70% |
Our general opinion on John Lewis home insurance
John Lewis is a very trustworthy company, already awarded a gold ribbon by Fairer Finance Institute.
John Lewis offers a wide range of financial and insurance products. The home insurance is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc.
The company offers 4 different levels of home insurance cover to suit everybody's needs. The Essential level is rated 3 stars by Defaqto, the Plus level is rated 4 stars (described below), the Premier and Specialist levels are rated 5 stars by Defaqto.
The HomePlus standard level of cover ranks high among standard home insurance policies. You can get up to £100k alternative accommodation cover, which is among the highest cover for standard policies.
Contents HomePlus plan provides average features and benefits although you will get one of the longest unoccupancy period cover of 90 days. You will also be able to cover up to £75K of contents value.
According to Which? review, the Premier building insurance plan ranks 1 out of 63 home insurance cover, and the Premier contents insurance ranks 2nd. The Premier policy includes accidental damage as standard. Pedal cycles are also covered as standard up to £5000 as well as personal possessions up to £2500, and legal expenses up to £100K. There is also no limit for maximum sum insured for both buildings and contents insurance as well as for alternative accommodation.
On the other hand, the basic level of cover called Essential is only rated 3 stars and only provides up to £400K building cover and £60K alternative accommodation. The Essential contents insurance does not cover cash or credit card.
The specialist level of cover allows bespoke maximum sums insured and up to £10 000 valuable items limit.
What does John Lewis 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 John Lewis 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 John Lewis covers you for any damage made as a result of an unfortunate event such as theft, fire and natural disaster causing leaks, flooding, etc.
John Lewis buildings and contents insurance
John Lewis 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:
| John Lewis building insurance | Limits |
|---|---|
| Maximum sum insured | £1 000 000 |
| Owner liability | £2 000 000 |
| Alternative emergency accomodation | £100 000 |
| Period of home's unoccupancy cover | 60 days |
| Repairs guarantee period | 1 year |
| Trace and access | £5 000 |
| Burst pipe | As standard |
| Blockage of sewer pipe | As standard |
| Gradual build-up of groundwater | Not covered |
| Subsidence | As standard |
| Underground services | As standard |
| Keys cover | £750 |
| 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 | £75 000 |
| Owner liability | £2 000 000 |
| Alternative emergency accomodation | £15 000 |
| Period of home's unoccupancy cover | 60 days |
| Damage made by pets | Available as extra |
| Contents kept in garden | £3 000 |
| Contents kept in outbuildings (garage included) | £3 000 |
| Thefts from outbuildings | £3 000 |
| Single item limit for valuables | £3 000 |
| Items temporarily removed from home | £10 000 |
| Money in and outside the home | Inside: £500 Outside: £500 (under personal possessions cover - optional extra) |
| Credit cards in and outside the home | Inside: £500 Outside: £500 (under personal possessions cover - optional extra) |
| Business equipment kept at home | £2 000 |
| Student equipment | £5 000 (optional) |
| Keys cover | £750 |
John Lewis home insurance additional cover
On top of your John Lewis buildings and contents insurance, you can find additional cover such as:
| Home insurance additional cover | |
|---|---|
| Accidental damage cover | Optional extra |
| Home emergency |
|
| Boiler cover |
|
| Legal protection |
|
| Personal possessions |
|
| Mobile cover |
|
| Bicycle cover |
|
John Lewis 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 | £100 |
| Excess for escape water claims | £350 |
| Excess for subsidence claims | £1 000 |
| Excess for personal possessions | £100 |
| Excess for keys | £0 |
John Lewis home insurance fees and NCD
To manage your policy, renew, cancel or modify it, John Lewis fees are as follows:
| Fees applied to manage your John Lewishouse policy | |
|---|---|
| Interests on payment installments | 21,10% |
| 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 John Lewis | Not covered |
How much does John Lewis home insurance cost?
You will below indicative quotes for building and contents insurance at John Lewis:
| Building insurance | Contents insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Excess | £100 | £100 |
| Home cover | Building: £250 000 Contents: £20 000 Personal items: £4 000 | Building: £500 000 Contents: £50 000 Personal items: £8 000 |
| Premium | £175,53 | £344,42 |
It is very difficult to give a precise range of how much exactly will your home insurance cost at John Lewis 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.
John Lewis 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.
John Lewis home insurance discounts available
No discount available.
How do I a claim on John Lewis home insurance?
At John Lewis, you can report your claim either by calling the claim management team or though the online form mentioned below.
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 John Lewis home insurance? | |
|---|---|
| Claim by email | [email protected] |
| Claim online | |
| Claim by phone | 0330 102 2749 |
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 John Lewis house insurance?
To cancel your John Lewis house insurance, here is what you need to know:
| Cancelling your home insurance at John Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Cancellation notice if John Lewis cancel your policy | 14 days |
| Cancellation fees | Fees during cooling-off period: £0 Fees outside cooling-off period: £0 |
| Cancel by mail | John Lewis Insurance |
| Cancel by phone | 0330 102 2749 Monday to Saturday: 9am - 5pm |
How to contact John Lewis home insurance?
| Services | Phone numbers | Opening hours |
|---|---|---|
| Claims | 0330 102 2749 | Mon - Fri: 9am – 5pm |
| Claims for Specialist Home Insurance | 0800 916 6890 | Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm |
| Policy renewal | 0330 102 2470 | Mon - Fri: 9am – 5pm |
| Quotes | 0330 102 2576 | Mon - Fri: 9am – 5pm |
John Lewis home insurance contact details
| John Lewis contact details | |
|---|---|
| John Lewis address | John Lewis Insurance |
| Customer service email | |
| Chatbot available | Not available |
How do I log in to John Lewis customer portal?
You can log in to your customer portal on the website to view and print your policy documents, check renewal date and renew your policy.
You can access John Lewis My Account customer portal through the website.
How do I get John Lewis home insurance quotes?
To get a quote online at John Lewis, 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 John Lewis 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 John Lewis 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 John Lewis 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.
