Does Farm Insurance Cover My Farmhouse?

In many cases, farmhouses are old, special buildings which may be heavily used. This makes them vulnerable to as many risks as other properties on a working farm. But will farm insurance cover them?

Yes – as long as you’ve declared it on your policy.

When you take out a farm insurance policy, your provider will ask you a number of questions. This is to determine just how much property you want to insure. Underestimating the amount, deliberately or otherwise, will lead to inadequate insurance.

In this article, we’ll cover the following questions:

• Is my farmhouse covered by my farm insurance?
• Are my outbuildings covered by my farm insurance policy?
• How do I insure my farmhouse?

Some farmers own the land only, and do not have a house attached to their farm. Others live in the farmhouse, or may rent it out. Either way, you want to make sure everything you own has cover.

Declaring your farm house to your insurance provider

When you approach us for a quote, we’ll ask you some questions. You’ll also need to update your answers at the renewal stage with your provider. Circumstances change, and we always want to make sure your information is up to date.

Underinsurance means you’re paying too little for the cover you need. This happens when your insurance provider isn’t aware of the true cost of replacing your house, outbuildings, equipment, machinery, or anything else you own should the worst occur. Underinsurance can happen deliberately – for instance if you decide to hide things from your provider in order to keep your premium lower.

It’s never a good idea to deliberately mislead your insurance company. Apart from anything else, any claim you make will be woefully inadequate to cover the real cost of your loss. If something isn’t declared on the policy, it isn’t insured – period. And if you have a farmhouse, that’s too big a risk to take.

Farmhouses and farm insurance

When you take out farm insurance, you’ll be asked if there’s a farmhouse on the property. You’ll also be asked about its age, who lives in it, and other questions you’d expect from any typical home insurance questionnaire.

Basically speaking, you can insure your farmhouse just like any other home. But it helps to insure it on your wider farm insurance policy if you can, because this is a kind of specialist insurance which takes the different nature of many farmhouses into consideration.

For example, unlike typical properties, your farmhouse might be very old, which means it could be more vulnerable to break-ins and structural problems. If your farmhouse is made from less common materials – like cob or timber frame, for example – you may need home insurance for non-standard properties to cover your farmhouse.

Because each farmhouse is different, the exact cost of your insurance will depend on the level of cover you choose, as well as the size of your farmhouse, the cost of rebuilding it from scratch and many other factors which insurance providers use to calculate a premium.

Keep your farmhouse safe

Farms are dangerous places, and farmhouses can be just as risky as yards in some cases. Machinery, animals, workers and others may all come into contact with the farmhouse, which increases the risk.

Not only that, farmhouses may be incredibly old, and structural elements such as cob and thatch may be more at risk to fire damage.

The number one way of preventing a massive loss is to make sure your farmhouse has adequate insurance in place. Of course, if you haven’t already, make sure a burglar alarm, smoke detectors and other household safety measures are in place. Keep your valuables in a safe place, and make sure all doors and windows are in a good state of repair.

Get in touch today with our farm insurance experts and we’ll be able to find you the best insurance quote for your farmhouse. The more we know, the better discounts we can get for you on the right cover. The last thing any of us want is for you to be disappointed during a claim.