Home Insurance FAQ

• Why do I need home insurance?

  Although home insurance is not required by law, many mortgage providers will require you to have buildings insurance in order to receive your loan. They do this to ensure that your building is fully protected in the event of any incidents which in turn, helps protect their investment.

  The main reason as to why you, as the owner, need home insurance is to protect the financial investment which is your house. Without home insurance, in the event of any incident you may be left to pay out of pocket, which often can be quite a financial burden.

  AXA’s Home Insurance policies help protect you, your home and all your belongings from the unexpected giving you the peace of mind that we are always here to help.

• What is covered under AXA home insurance?

  With AXA, we aim to ensure that whatever type of home you have – be it a rented property or property that you own, we are here to protect you.

  AXA’s home insurance covers buildings and contents against unexpected accidents such as fire, theft, flood and storm, along with much more. Our home insurance is available in three different forms - buildings insurance, contents insurance, and buildings and contents allowing you to choose the best policy for your home.

• What home insurance policies does AXA offer?

  Buildings Insurance – This covers the property’s structure, fixed appliances along with any sheds/outhouses in the event of fire, flooding or storm damage. It also includes any damage to your underground services, windows, or any escaped water from the likes of kitchen pipes. This does not cover any belongings or contents you may have within the home.

  Contents Insurance – This cover provides protection for any of your personal belongings or valuable contents within the home. This type of insurance is recommended to those who are renting their house as it will only protect your contents and not the building structure.

  Buildings & Contents Insurance – This cover protects both the physical building, along with all contents/belongings within the home from unexpected events.

  The full range of what is covered under AXA’s home insurance is available in our policy documents, including terms and conditions.

• Can I avail of additional extras on my home insurance?

  With AXA, we offer a range of additional extras which you can avail of to extend your insurance coverage and create your ideal home insurance.

  Our range of extras include extended personal belongings and valuables cover, accidental damage cover, personal accident cover and bicycle cover.

  You can view our full list of benefits on our Home Insurance page.

• How do I get a home insurance quote?

  The best way to receive your home insurance quote with AXA is to select “Get a Quote” on Our home insurance page and starting the process. By applying for your home insurance quote online you are eligible for a 15% discount.

  To contact us by phone, simply ring 1890 24 7 365 and a member of our designated team will be able to help you receive your quote. You can now call us from 8am to 8pm (Monday - Friday) or from 9am to 4pm on Saturdays.

• How much should I insure my buildings for?

  Your building sum insured is not calculated based on the value of your house, but on current rebuilding costs that may be required if the house was destroyed in an unexpected event such as a fire. To understand how much this may cost, the Society of Chartered Surveyors have a rebuild calculator which is aimed to help estimate the costs of your rebuild.

  However, it is important to also factor in other independent services you may need to rebuild your house, such as architects etc. To ensure you are confident in your rebuild cost estimate, you can avail of an independent surveyor who can help calculate the exact cost of your rebuild and in turn, ensure you are getting the most appropriate cover for your home.

• How much should I insure my house contents for?

  Contents Insurance aims to protect your personal belongings and valuables against any accidents.

  As a rule of thumb, when calculating your insurance costs, you should calculate the amount it would cost to replace all your contents in the event of any unexpected events such as a fire or water damage.

  If needed, you can also avail of extended personal belongings and valuables cover, which helps protect your valuables if you wish to take them outside of your home.

  It is important to consistently check your policy to ensure you know what is protected by your policy cover and if anything needs to be updated.

• Can I get home insurance as a renter?

  With AXA we understand that as a renter, you don’t need to protect the physical building in which you live. This is why we offer renters the options of choosing contents insurance, which protects your belongings and valuables in the event of unexpected incidents such as water damage or fire.

• Can I insure my home if my property is in a flood-prone area?

  9. For more information, feel free to contact us on 1890 24 7 365 and a member of our designated team will be able to help you receive your quote. You can now call us from 8am to 8pm (Monday - Friday) or from 9am to 4pm on Saturdays.

• How do I report a house insurance claim?

  With AXA we aim to help you make the claims process as stress-free as possible. To do so, we offer you two ways to report to us;

  You can fill out a form online to report a claim in under 5 minutes.

  You can call us on 1890 24 7 365 between the hours of 8am to 8pm (Monday - Friday) or from 9am to 4pm on Saturdays.

• Is my home insurance premium affected if I make a claim?

  Making a claim on your home insurance can be a daunting task and can often become a stressful situation, particularly surrounding your next insurance premium and how the cost may increase.

  If you have consecutive periods of home insurance with us, without any incident which may give rise to a claim, we will reduce your premium when you renew the policy in line with our discount scale that applies at renewal date. If during a period of insurance incidents happen giving rise to claims under the policy, we will reduce the no-claims discount to 0%.

• Are my garden furniture and shed covered by my home insurance policy?

  Garden furniture and sheds are covered depending on the level of cover provided by your policy. At AXA, our home insurance policy can be tailored to provide the level of cover you need.

  Building Insurance – with our building insurance, we cover all physical buildings on the property. This includes your garden sheds and any outhouses you may have. It does not however cover any contents/furniture you may have in the garden.

  Contents Insurance – much like within the home, our contents insurance also covers any contents you may have in the garden of up to €750, including your garden furniture. It does not however, cover any buildings.

  Building & Contents Insurance – this insurance cover gives you the best of both worlds if you own your home as it covers all buildings and contents.

• Can I get home insurance if I am renting a room in my house?

  Here at AXA, we aim to help you find the best insurance for your home and your lifestyle. If you are currently renting out a room in your home you can most definitely still avail of our home insurance. All you must do is inform us of how many rooms you are renting out in your home when you are getting your home insurance quote.

  As this is a specialty area we don’t offer this service online and so if you are looking for a quote for your home insurance when renting a room, you should call us on 1890 24 7 365.

• Is wear and tear covered by my house insurance policy?

  Within insurance, wear and tear refers to the gradual deterioration of your belongings caused overtime by everyday use. This is an unavoidable situation that occurs in almost every home eventually, such as scuffs on the floor from moving furniture or a stain on a carpet.

  As our home insurance is designed to help protect you against unforeseen circumstances such as a fire or storm, our policies do not cover wear and tear as these are not unexpected.

  To fully understand what you are protected against within your home insurance policy, please ensure to thoroughly read your home insurance documents.

• Does my home insurance cover emergency repairs?

  Here at AXA, with all our home insurance policies we offer Emergency Home Assistance to help you in the event of any emergencies within your home, providing you peace of mind that we are always on hand to help.

  Our Emergency Home Assistance is designed specifically for minor emergencies that may occur in your home, such as a plumbing issue or a broken window. We will send you an AXA-approved tradesman who will temporarily fix your issue, allowing you to have it permanently fixed at a later date. This is a complimentary service we off completely free of charge and is available anytime day or night, up to 4 times a year.

  We will organise and pay up to €250 (€500 for roofing) per claim including VAT, call out, labour, parts and materials to carry out an emergency repair.

  We would always recommend that you arrange for a permanent repair to be completed by a qualified tradesperson as soon as possible, once we have carried out an emergency repair and contained the Emergency for you, as this may only provide a temporary solution to the problem.

  It is not designed to replace your buildings and contents insurance and will not provide assistance for normal day to day home maintenance.

  The policy holder has an onus to protect their property. While we will (where we can) provide a temporary fix under EHA, the duty is on the policy holder to have a permanent repair by a qualified tradesperson as soon as possible.

  To get in contact with us to learn more or gain access to out Emergency Home Assistance, call us on 1890 24 7 365.

• Does my home insurance cover accidental damage?

  With AXA, we offer accidental damage cover for entertainment equipment (up to €2000) and to fixed glass, dependant on your insurance policy.

  Accidental damage cover refers to incidents such as paint spills, accidentally dropping a computer or tv or putting your foot through the attic floor.

• What is liability cover?

  At AXA our public liability cover is offered with all of our home insurance policies, to the value of €3 million. This means that we will cover the amounts that you are legally responsible to pay anyone who has been injured on your property, along with any damage or loss of material property.

• Does my house insurance cover me if I work from home?

  As working from home is becoming more of a popular way to work, we at AXA understand that having protection of your work equipment is extremely important.

  Under our Contents Insurance, as well as our Buildings & Contents Insurance, we do offer cover of business equipment. This means that if you are working from home, you have peace of mind that all of your office furniture, furnishings, office equipment including documents and computer equipment that are owned by the business are fully protected in the event of any unexpected incidents.

  For more information on what is protected and when they are protected, you can check your home insurance policy documents and go to Section B: Insurance for Your Contents page 23.

• Can I insure my holiday home?

  Here at AXA, we understand that having a holiday home insurance if vital for those who own a property that isn’t their main residence. This is why we do offer a special holiday home insurance which offers extra protection, so you have peace of mind that your home and contents are fully protected, even when you are not there.

  Much like with our regular home insurance, we offer holiday home insurance with varying levels of cover.

  Buildings & Contents Insurance – cover for your property and contents.

  Buildings Only Insurance - Covers any buildings which you may have on your property; your house, along with all permanent fixtures such as kitchen units.

  Contents Only Insurance - Covers any furnishings for the property, such as furniture, along with any personal belongings and valuables.

  By insuring your holiday home along with your permanent residence you can receive a 15% discount. To get a quote just select “get a quote” on our holiday home insurance page, or contact us on 1890 24 7 365.

• Is my engagement ring covered under my home insurance?

  For many people, an engagement ring is a large investment and needs protecting against any unforeseen events, such as theft. Therefore, at AXA we do cover valuables such as engagement rings under both our Contents insurance and Building & Contents insurance so that whether you are renting or own your own home your most valuable possessions are always protected.

  It is very important that you do estimate the total cost of your ring so that when you are looking for your insurance quote you can fully insure it so that in the event of any unforeseen situations you can replace the ring as new.

  For more information on how your engagement ring is covered with AXA insurance, you can contact us on 1890 24 7 365.

• Am I covered if I lose property outside of my home?

  Having home insurance is not only important to help protect your physical building structure from any damage, but it can also be important to protect your contents. You can add cover for loss or damage to personal belongings that you usually bring outside of your home, like your watch, camera or laptop. To avail of this additional cover at an extra cost, you can call us on 1890 24 7 365.

• What is the excess on my home insurance policy?

  An excess on your home insurance policy refers to first part of any claim that you will have to pay.

  With AXA home insurance, the excess fee is €250, meaning that if you make a claim for €1,000, we will pay €750 in the claim settlement amount. Claims for escaped water are subject to an excess of €500, and any subsidence claims have an excess of €5,000.

• Does my home insurance cover fire brigade costs?

  At AXA our home insurance is designed to help you deal with unforeseen circumstances, including storm and fires. We understand that in the event of these circumstances, often emergency help is needed and so we aim to give you peace of mind knowing that if you need emergency assistance you won’t be left with a major bill.

  With AXA, our home insurance policies include fire brigade charges. This means if the fire brigade calls to your home to help control or put out a fire, we will cover the charges up to €2,600 so long as the claim is valid under your policy.

  For more information on Fire Brigade Charges, see your policy documents.

• Am I covered for jury duty?

  If you are summoned to court for jury service, AXA will pay €20 a day (for up to €750), for each day you go to jury service, provided you have taken out Contents or Building & Contents Insurance. This means that we will pay €20 a day (for up to €750), for each day you go to jury service.