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Home insurance with a criminal conviction

Finding home insurance with a criminal conviction can be challenging, but there are options available to you.

When you get a quote with us, you'll need to give us information about your conviction. This helps us compare the best cover available to you.

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Can I get home insurance with a criminal conviction?

Yes, you should be able to buy home insurance with a criminal conviction. It's likely to be more expensive and you may have to take out a policy with a specialist provider.

This is because insurance companies consider you a higher risk regardless of the nature of your conviction.

Generally, the range of quotes we can provide you with can depend on a few factors:

  • The type of conviction
  • Whether it's spent or unspent
  • Your personal circumstances

Depending on your situation, some insurers might not offer you a quote. If you have an unspent or serious conviction, we recommend you visit Unlock for a list of specialist brokers and insurers, or contact the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) for more help and advice.

What counts as a criminal conviction for home insurance?

Spent convictions

After a specified amount of time your conviction becomes 'spent'. After this, you don't have to declare it to insurance companies.

Unspent convictions

An unspent conviction is still active and can show up on a basic criminal record check. You must disclose this to insurance providers.

Convictions of other people in your household

If anyone covered by the policy in your household has an unspent conviction, you'll have to declare this when searching for quotes.

Convictions gained during your policy

If you're convicted during a policy, you might have to disclose it. You must check the terms of your policy to find out whether you have to do this.

If you're still unsure about what counts as a criminal conviction, moneyhelper.org have a guide that could help.

Do I have to declare spent convictions to insurance companies?

No. If your conviction is classed as 'spent', you don't need to disclose it to an insurance company. The only exception is for any prison sentence that lasts more than 4 years.

If you have an unspent conviction, you must declare this if you're searching for a quote or renewing. If it occurs during an existing policy, you may have to update your insurer if it says so in your policy terms. Not disclosing an unspent conviction could void your policy and you’d be responsible for any claim costs.

Finding car insurance with a conviction is similar to home insurance. You'll have to state any unspent conviction that's happened within the last 5 years.

Do home insurance providers check criminal records?

Insurers can carry out criminal records checks (formerly known as a CRB check, now called a DBS check). They're unlikely to do this when you buy a policy though.

You have to be honest when submitting information including criminal convictions when searching for a quote, and before you buy a policy.

Insurers can carry out checks if you make a claim, or if they have reason to believe you've been dishonest, but they must get your permission to do this.

It's always best to be honest from the start. If you don't declare information, you could invalidate your policy, and be out of pocket for potentially thousands of pounds, having to replace your items or repair your home.

How can I compare home insurance quotes?

Tell us about yourself

We need to know about you, your home, your conviction, and the type of cover you want (buildings, contents or combined).

We'll do the hard work

Once we've got your details, we'll compare quotes from up to 81 trusted insurance companies1.

Select cover suited to you

Compare policies to find the best insurance package that suits your needs, then go ahead and buy.

Choose your reward

Once you've bought a policy, don't forget to claim your free monthly hot drink and reward**.

1Correct as of October 2024

**Single annual policy. New and former Paramount+ subscribers only who sign up at ParamountPlus.com. Subscription required. Auto-renews unless cancelled. 18+. Just Eat website account required, geographical exclusions apply. One regular hot drink per month for a year, only available via the Confused.com app. T&Cs apply

Compare home insurance with a criminal conviction

How can I reduce the price of my insurance?

There are many ways to reduce the cost of your home insurance with a criminal conviction:

Combine contents and buildings

If you need building and contents insurance, combining them could work out cheaper than buying standalone policies.

Pay annually

Insurers will charge interest if you opt to pay monthly. If you can afford to do so, paying annually will work out cheaper.

Don't auto renew

Check with your insurer your policy doesn't auto renew when it expires. It's always worth shopping around first to try and find a better deal.

Improve your security

Protecting your home with features such as burglar alarms, security cameras and installing secure locks can bring down the cost of your policy.

Don't over insure

Only pay for the features you need in your policy. You could be paying for unnecessary extras you don't need, making your policy more expensive than it needs to be. You can use tools like our contents calculator to get a rough estimate of the value of your possessions.

What our home insurance expert says

‘’Over 12 million people in the UK have a criminal record, so most insurers will still offer cover for people with spent records. When you get a quote, make sure the details of your record are accurate, and we’ll show you quotes from up to 81 home insurance companies to compare. 

You might find it harder if your record is unspent, or you have a pending conviction. In this case looking online for a specialist insurer or broker might be the best option.’’

Matthew Harwood, Home & lifestyle insurance expert at Confused.com
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