More Than home insurance review

10 min Read Published: 10 Nov 2023

more than home insurance review**IMPORTANT UPDATE: It has been announced that Royal & Sun Alliance plc will stop offering More Than home insurance from mid-2024 to new and renewing customers. They have advised they will be in contact with existing customers but you can find more information at More Than help and support.**

Home insurance covers the cost of damage and repairs to your property and depending on the policy type, can also cover the replacement of damaged, lost or stolen belongings. The two main types of home insurance policy are buildings insurance and contents insurance and we explain the differences in our article, 'What are the different types of home insurance?'

In this article, we look at More Than's home insurance policies including the policy types, what More Than home insurance covers and how much More Than home insurance costs. We recommend that you read the article in full but you can skip to sections of the article using the following links:

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What is More Than home insurance?

More Than was launched in 2001 and offers a range of insurance products including home, car, pet, travel, life and business insurance. More Than's home insurance policies are issued by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Ltd and have 3, 4 and 5 star defaqto ratings for its home insurance policies.

More Than home insurance key features

  • Choose between three home insurance policy types - Get a combined policy, buildings only policy or contents only policy. You can benefit from up to £1m buildings insurance cover and £150,000 contents cover
  • Home emergency assistance - 24-hour emergency helpline and access to a More Than authorised tradesperson in the event of an emergency e.g burst pipes or broken windows and doors (included as standard with Extra cover)
  • Alternative accommodation cover - Get cover for alternative accommodation if you cannot stay in your home
  • Student cover - Up to £10,000 contents cover for children at college or university (Standard/Extra policies only)
  • Garden cover - Up to £5,000 (policy dependant) contents cover for items in the garden due to loss or damage
  • Optional add-ons - Enhance your policy with upgraded cover and additional add-ons such as accidental damage cover, home emergency cover (including boiler care) and cover for possessions outside of your home
  • Accidental damage cover for pets - More Than's accidental damage policy add-on provides cover for damage caused by pets
  • Trace and access cover - Up to £5,000 towards the cost of replacing items within the home that are removed or damaged in order to find a leak
  • 5 star defaqto rating - More Than has a 5 star defaqto rating for its Standard and Extra contents insurance policies as well as its Extra buildings insurance policy

What does More Than home insurance cover?

More Than offers both buildings and contents insurance as well as a combined policy and there are three levels of cover with each policy type; Essential, Standard and Extra. Buildings and contents insurance is the most comprehensive type of home insurance policy as it insures your property against damage and repairs, as well as the replacement of lost, damaged or stolen possessions. Buildings insurance covers the repair or rebuild of the property structure and can include cover for subsidence and damage to kitchens, bathrooms, walls, drives and patios to name but a few. More Than's contents insurance covers personal belongings inside your home including items such as sofas, furniture, clothes and jewellery. It covers theft or damage caused by fire, storms and flooding. You won't be covered for claims due to general wear and tear, however, and will need to declare items of high value when requesting a quote.

In the following comparison table, we highlight what is included with More Than's buildings and contents combined home insurance policy, exact details on the cover you can expect with your policy can be found in your individual policy documents as it can vary depending on the rebuild value and contents value in your home. If you wish to enhance your cover further, you can do so with the following policy add-ons.

For more information on the different types of cover and when each may be suitable, check out our article 'Do I need home insurance?'.

More Than home insurance policy comparison

Essential Standard Extra
Buildings insurance  tick tick tick
Contents insurance  tick tick tick
Alternative accommodation  tick tick tick
Finding a leak (trace and access)  Up to £1,000 Up to £2,500 Up to £5,000
Loss or theft of keys  Up to £1,000 Up to £1,000 Up to £1,000
Fridge and freezer contents  Up to £500 Up to £1,000 Up to £1,000
Bicycle cover away from home Up to £15,000 when personal possessions cover is added Up to £15,000 when personal possessions cover is added Up to £15,000 when personal possessions cover is added
Personal liability cover Up to £2m Up to £2m Up to £2m
Burst pipes tick tick tick
Special event cover  Up to £10,000 Up to £10,000
Loss of domestic heating oil or metered water  Up to £3,000 Up to £5,000
Theft from outbuildings  Up to £5,000 Up to £10,000
Student belongings cover  Up to £5,000 Up to £10,000
Money in the home  Up to £500 Up to £1,000
Matching items cover  tick
24/7 home emergency cover (must use a More Than authorised tradesperson) Optional Optional tick
Accidental damage  Optional Optional tick
Personal possessions Optional Optional Optional
Legal expenses Optional Optional tick

More Than home insurance policy extras

It is possible to enhance your More Than home insurance policy but this will come at an additional cost. We highlight the optional extras available below:

  • Accidental damage - Accidental damage insurance covers your home or its contents against unintentional damage e.g. breaking a TV or breaking your phone at home. More Than's accidental damage insurance also covers damage caused by pets chewing or scratching your furniture which is uncommon for accidental damage insurance. We explain more about how accidental damage insurance works in our article, 'What is accidental damage insurance?'
  • Personal possessions - While you are covered for damage to your belongings inside your home - and accidental damage inside the home if you have purchased the additional cover - personal possessions insurance can cover items when taken outside of your home.
  • Bicycle cover - If you want to cover your bike away from home you may wish to purchase the personal possessions add-on for cover up to £2,000 per bike. Bike accessories, like lights and helmets, are covered too.
  • Home emergency cover - Home emergency cover can be purchased as an optional extra on your More Than home insurance policy. Purchasing the home emergency add-on means you can benefit from up to £1,000 of cover if you need to claim as well as heating and boiler repairs and pest removal.
  • Legal cover - Gain access to legal services and documents such as Wills and have them reviewed by a legal representative with More Than's legal cover add-on.

More Than home insurance policy exclusions

When taking out a home insurance policy it is important to look carefully at your policy documents to ensure you know exactly what is and isn't covered, especially if it comes to making a claim. In this section, we list some exclusions on a More Than home insurance policy. This list is not extensive and you need to ensure you check your policy documents carefully.

If you make a claim on a More Than home insurance policy you will not be covered for the following:

  • Incidents not reported within 48 hours
  • Any damage caused deliberately
  • Any damage caused by wear and tear
  • The policy excess
  • Damage to fences, hedges or gates as a result of storms and floods
  • Loss or damage if the home has been unoccupied for more than 60 consecutive days
  • Repairs made by an unauthorised tradesperson
  • You will not be covered for damage to fences, gates or hedges due to poor weather, however, or if your property has been left unoccupied for 60 consecutive days.

How much does More Than home insurance cost?

According to More Than's website, the average annual cost of a buildings and contents home insurance policy with More Than is £241 a year (excluding additional extras) based on data from 1st January to 15th May 2023.

In the following comparison table, we have provided a cost example of a Standard More Than home insurance policy for a 2-bed terraced property and a 4-bed semi-detached property in the South East. How much you actually pay for your home insurance premium will vary depending on your property type, property size and where you live. The home insurance policy excess can also affect the home insurance policy premium but for the quotes below there is a £100 compulsory excess and a £200 voluntary excess. For more information on the cost of home insurance and how to save money read our articles, 'How much does home insurance cost?' and 'How to save money on your home insurance'.

More Than home insurance policy cost comparison

2 bed terraced  4 bed semi-detached 
Policy Excess £300 £300
Buildings and contents insurance policy cost (annual)  £176.11 £332.06
Buildings insurance policy cost (annual)  £158.09 £332.06
Contents insurance policy cost (annual)  £55.46 £112.77

(Quotes correct as of 10/11/23) 

More Than home insurance policy excess

The excess is the amount payable by you in the event of a claim. There is a compulsory excess payable on some claims with a More Than home insurance policy but the voluntary excess can vary from between £0-£500 in £50 increments. The higher the voluntary excess you choose on your policy, the lower your home insurance premium will be, but conversely, the more you will have to contribute towards the cost of a claim.

How much excess you will actually pay will vary depending on the type of claim you make. Below we list some examples of the compulsory excess amounts you can expect to pay for each type of claim. The total amount payable can vary if you choose to pay a voluntary excess.

More Than home insurance compulsory policy excess examples

Compulsory excess amount 
Landslip, Heave and Subsidence  £1,000
Escape of water £500
Replacing money inside your home (contents claims)  £50
Replacing food in fridge or freezer (contents claims)  £50
Replacing locks and keys £50

How to make a claim with More Than home insurance

Before making a claim you need to ensure your claim is covered by your policy and you can do this by checking your policy documentation prior to making a claim. If your claim is covered you can call the 24-hour emergency repair helpline on 0800 300 684 once it is safe to do so. Throughout the claims process, you may be asked to provide additional information related to your claim so it is important to not throw away any evidence that may be required and to keep any receipts for items that may have been lost, stolen or damaged.

More information can be found in our article, 'How to claim on home insurance'.

How to cancel a More Than home insurance policy

If you wish to cancel your More Than home insurance policy you need to write to More Than or call the number on your policy documents. If you cancel within 14 days of opening a policy you are entitled to a full refund providing no claim has been made. If you cancel after 14 days of opening your policy you may receive a refund on premiums you have paid for the remainder of the policy's insured period, provided you have not made a claim.

More Than home insurance customer reviews

More Than has a rating of 'Great' with 3.9 out of 5.0 stars from over 15,000 reviews on the independent consumer review website Trustpilot. 57% of reviewers rated it 5 stars while 17% rated it with 1 star. Customers that rated More Than 5 stars comment on excellent service and a smooth claims process while those who rate it negatively cite problems getting a refund for cancelled policies and an increase in premiums at renewal. One thing to note, however, is that the reviews on Trustpilot are for MoreThan as a whole and are not specific to its home insurance policies.

More Than home insurance pros and cons

More Than home insurance pros

  • Up to £1m buildings insurance cover and £150,000 contents cover
  • Cover for children's contents at university and college
  • Accidental damage optional extra offers cover for damage caused by pets

More Than home insurance cons

  • No boiler cover included as standard
  • No cover for matching sets (unless you purchase an 'Extra' policy)
  • Have to use a More Than approved tradesperson for repairs

Alternatives to More Than home insurance

When looking around for a home insurance policy it is important to compare more than one provider to ensure you are getting the best deal for your circumstances. A quick and easy way to do this is via a comparison site such as Quotezone*. Comparison sites allow you to compare multiple providers at once to find the best deal for your needs.

We have partnered with Quotezone* so that you can search and compare cheap quotes from up to 50 UK home insurance providers. However, it is worth considering that not all comparison sites are whole of market so you could be missing out on a deal directly with an insurer and particularly providers that are not featured on comparison sites.

Summary

Overall, More Than home insurance has a good choice of products with the option to enhance policies with an upgraded cover option. Its buildings insurance can cover rebuilding or repairing your home up to £1m which is a generous amount as in most cases the cost to rebuild your property will be far less than your property's actual value. You can calculate the rebuild value of your home here.

In addition, More Than allows you to enhance your policy to offer additional protection for personal items away from home and its accidental damage insurance policy also provides cover for damage caused by pets, which isn't offered as standard by many other home insurance providers. As with all home insurance policies, however, it is advisable to shop around to find the best deal and to always read your policy documents carefully so you know exactly what you are and are not covered for.

 

 

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