In a classic, single-family house there's no building manager and no condominium policy: from the roof to the fence, protecting every asset comes down to your own policy. (For a semi-detached house, a terraced house, or a house converted into a condominium, though, it's worth clarifying how far the building's shared insurance extends.) That's the freedom of full responsibility - set it up properly once, then spend fifteen minutes a year keeping it current.
- In a family house, everything is yours: roof, chimney, fence, garage, outbuildings, garden structures - whatever isn't in the policy is missing when a claim happens.
- Exposure is bigger too: storm, hail and lightning strike a stand-alone house first - the sum insured should cover the full range of value.
- Solar panels, garden equipment, a pool: a layer of optional covers; security requirements typically depend on the sum insured.
Here, every element is yours
The first step for a family-house policy is a full inventory: alongside the main building, the garage, outbuildings, fence, terrace, garden structures - and the assets stored inside them. Whatever isn't listed in the policy has no cover at claim time either: a fence blown down in a storm or a broken-into garden shed are typical after-the-fact surprises. Our buildings vs contents article maps the boundary between the building and contents - what counts as an outbuilding, where a bike stored in the garden falls. Draw up a short list of every structure on the plot and the values stored in them - it's the basis for a quote, and at claim time it's also the proof of what was where.
Storm, hail, lightning: the exposure of a stand-alone house
A family house's first line of defence is the roof - and it's also the most common claim location: storm, hail, snow load, lightning strike. Our storm-damage article sets out the logic of the terms in detail; the point here is simply that weather-damage cover isn't an extra for a family house - it's the core of the policy.
There's an honest side to this too: wear and tear and a lack of maintenance are typically not insured events - terms treat water ingress under tiles that have been missing for years differently from a roof torn open by a storm. An annual look - gutters, tiles, the trees around the house - is therefore not just loss prevention, but also protects your chance of a payout.
Solar panels, garden, pool: the layer of optional covers
A growing share of a modern family house's value sits on the roof and in the garden: solar panels, a heat pump, air conditioning, an irrigation system, garden furniture, a trampoline, a pool. Cover for these varies by product - sometimes it's part of the base cover, sometimes it needs to be named separately, with its own limits attached. Our map of optional covers shows the full range; the right question at signing is whether it's included in the sum insured, and whether it's covered against hail, storm and power surge.
Value and security: the two settings that decide at claim time
The building's sum insured needs to reflect the real rebuilding value - in a family house this is the biggest line item, and also the most common source of error: after an extension or renovation, the sum often falls behind reality. For security, "typically" is the key word: requirements on locks and alarms vary by insurer and by sum insured - it's worth clarifying before you sign exactly what the terms expect for burglary cover.
The next step: run the numbers in minutes, then we'll sort out the details together - outbuildings, solar panels, security.
A question about your own home? Run the numbers in minutes with the online calculator (in Hungarian), or book a free 20-minute consultation →
