Thatched Cottage Insurance

There is a higher risk of fire with thatched houses due to the combustible nature of the thatch on the roof. A fire is also more likely to lead to widespread fire damage, known in insurance terms as a “total loss”. Thatched properties are often older buildings which are classified as listed buildings. It is more expensive to repair and replace listed buildings. Reinstatement works may take longer due to planning restrictions, with specialist craftsmen using traditional materials & methods often increasing costs.

Claims experience & independent reports from industry experts show there is a greater fire risk where thatched properties are heated by wood burning stoves. Connected factors to this include the height of the chimney above the thatched ridge, the chimney being regularly swept, using good quality & correctly seasoned wood and routinely inspecting the chimney liner & insulation. Please see Burgoynes latest Thatch Fire Investigations bulletin. Please see Burnright guidance for using wood burning stoves: How to Burn Right.

Electrical inspections are very important with thatched properties due to the high fire risk associated with thatched roofs. Obtaining an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) from a suitably qualified electrician at least every 5 years ensures that the consumer unit, wiring, sockets, etc. are in good condition, which minimises the risk of an electrical fault occurring. Electrical faults are common causes of house fires. Having an EICR is a legal requirement for any landlords of thatched properties.

Chimney fires can arise from ignition of an accumulation of tar or debris within a chimney. Having the chimney regularly swept helps to keep the area clean, reducing the likelihood of a chimney fire. Where wood burning stoves or open fires are used to heat a thatched property, both pre-winter use and mid-winter use chimney sweeps are essential to ensure that chimneys are clear from any debris or blockages. Many Insurance policies will stipulate that the chimney sweeping must be done by a HETAS approved company. A sweep can also advise on the state of the chimney and whether wood being burnt is sufficiently seasoned and dry. Specialist chimney surveys can also be arranged by County Insurance Services Ltd.

Reducing the risk of fire in a thatched building can include getting your chimney regularly swept, maintaining a valid electrical installation condition report, following guidance on safe distances for bonfires & barbecues and keeping operational fire blankets & fire extinguishers in the property. When insuring your property, you are transferring the risk to the insurer, so it is essential that the policy thatch conditions are understood & followed, which will help to minimise the risk of a loss occurring.

There are ways of reducing thatched property insurance premiums, these include;

• Apply an increased voluntary excess
• Select standard rather than accidental damage cover
• How regularly are wood burning stoves or open fires used? Decommissioning a wood burner & using central heating only / replacement electric stove should provide substantial savings
• Build up a no claims discount by trying not to claim for incidents with smaller amounts

When dealing with County Insurance you will be speaking to an experienced household underwriter who will be able to provide advice and information on your policy. We can discuss your buildings to ensure your rebuild sums insured are adequate, advising on VAT and cover for outbuildings. We can discuss cover for your contents & valuables. We also review policy cover, terms & conditions and run through how to comply with specific thatch policy conditions

Yes, we can insure modern buildings that have been constructed with a thatched roof, subject to the risk meeting our other acceptance criteria. Modern thatched properties are still manually reviewed by our team of experts and specific thatch terms and conditions would apply the same as for any thatched property.

When obtaining insurance for thatch roofs with County Insurance Services Ltd, our policy holders will benefit from our standard insurance cover against:

• Fire, explosion, lightning, earthquake or smoke damage
• Theft or attempted theft
• Riot, civil commotion or strikes
• Storm or flood damage
• Subsidence, heave or landslip
• Vandalism or malicious damage
• Collision involving aircraft, vehicles or animals
• Falling trees, branches or aerials
• Water or oil damage caused by a leak from fixed water or heating installations or fixed appliances.

When entering a re-build value for a building on a house insurance policy, you need to select a value that would cover the full replacement of the buildings in the event of a total loss. The rebuild value needs to be calculated to include labour, materials and VAT to fully re-instate the building. Buildings may include other items such as outbuildings, walls, patios, outdoor kitchens and swimming pools. The policy wording will provide full definitions of buildings. Read our policy wording definition on page 7. With thatch property insurance, selecting the correct re-build cost of your property is very important to guard yourself against under-insurance in the event of a claim.

When making a claim, it is possible that an independent loss adjuster will be appointed by an insurance company and the loss adjuster will review the values on your policy including rebuild values on buildings and sums insured (often called replacement values) on contents & personal belongings. Under insurance applies where the values in the policies are not sufficient to replace the items insured. If this happens, insurers may apply an “average clause” which means that you will only be paid a proportion of what is being claimed for.

When insuring your buildings, contents and personal belongings in your home, It’s very important to insure for the correct values and to protect against under-insurance. Having a valuation by a chartered surveyor will help to establish a suitable rebuild value for your buildings. Valuations can be done on what is known as a “desk-top valuation” basis or a “on-site valuation ” basis. Desk top valuations are carried out remotely where and on-site valuations involves actual visits to your property by the surveyor. Insures often require valuations on thatched houses or other listed buildings to determine an accurate rebuild value, ensuring that the property isn’t either under-insured or over-insured

County Insurance Services Ltd have our own in-house claims team to help you when making a claim on your policy. We are at hand for all claims reporting on household policies and will be your main point of contact.

You will not necessarily need an intruder alarm for your property unless your contents are over a certain sums insured. Alarms are a good means of security to protect your home against theft. Where insurers requested alarms, they often asked for red care alarms as a signalling method. Red care alarms started to be phased out in August 2025 and new data & communication alarm methods are now being used.