Between two home insurance offers, the price difference is obvious at a glance - the difference in substance only becomes clear once someone lines them up, line by line. A good comparison therefore does not start with "which is cheaper", but with "do the two actually cover the same thing".
- Price on its own is neither a mark of quality nor a flaw: it only makes sense once it is set against the same substance.
- Substance comes down to six key lines: sums insured, events covered, limits, deductibles, exclusions, optional covers.
- A lower price typically comes from somewhere - a smaller sum insured, a higher deductible, a narrower scope. The question is whether that trade-off is worth it for you.
Why can a price-only comparison mislead?
Because price is a consequence of substance. If one offer has a lower buildings sum insured, a higher deductible, and two optional covers missing, then it is not cheaper for the same thing - it is less for less. That can be perfectly fine if it is a conscious choice; the trouble starts when it only comes to light at claim time (the hidden cost of cheap cover). The reverse holds too: a higher price is not automatically better protection either - it may include an element you do not actually need (overinsurance).
A hypothetical example: of two offers, the cheaper one runs a higher deductible and a lower limit on valuables. If you do not have high-value items and you are comfortable with the deductible, that can be a good trade; if you have jewellery or an expensive gadget at home, the same offer would be a disappointment at claim time. So the price difference on its own is neither good nor bad - your own situation is what makes it one or the other.
A useful habit is to flip the question: "what would I need to add to the cheaper offer to get the same thing?" If it is no longer cheaper once you add those extras, the picture sorts itself out.
The six key lines
The backbone of any comparison: sums insured (buildings and contents against reality - at rebuilding value); events covered (and their definitions!); limits (caps on valuables and on specific claim types); deductibles (what you take on yourself); exclusions (what is left out); optional covers (what your life actually needs - and nothing more). Price is the seventh line: what you pay for the six above.
What this looks like in practice
The method is simple: put your existing contract and the offers into one table, row by row. Where the new offer is weaker, ask whether it can be topped up; where it is stronger, check what the extra costs. The ready-made tool: the switching criteria table - and you get exactly this kind of table from me too, if you ask for a broker comparison: competing offers from several insurers, with strengths and weaknesses, ready for a decision.
The right compromise
The goal is not the broadest or the narrowest package, but the one that fits you: realistic sums insured, the relevant risks covered, a deductible you are comfortable with, and a price that is comfortable for the household budget over the long run too. That combination exists - and finding it is exactly as much work as a high-value asset deserves. Start with the calculator (in Hungarian), and follow up with a consultation.
A question about your own home? Run the numbers in minutes with the online calculator (in Hungarian), or book a free 20-minute consultation →
