ShieldHome insurance that actually explains what you're covered for.
Built for homeowners over sixty who are tired of being penalised for loyalty — and tired of policies written to be misunderstood.
Tell us about your home
Two quick questions — no forms, no jargon.
What type of property is it?
Approximately when was it built?
Get your free cover check in 90 seconds — no payment details, no commitment.
How it works
Three steps. No surprises.
Step 01
Answer five questions
Property type, age, occupancy, claims history, and your email. No payment details. Takes 90 seconds.
Step 02
Receive your gap report
An instant PDF-style summary comparing your current policy type against recommended cover levels — with rebuild cost data for your area.
Step 03
Choose what happens next
Take the report away, compare it yourself, or speak to an adviser who'll read it before they call you. No pressure, no deadline.
Questions we hear every day
The things your insurer never quite explains.
Every question below came from a real conversation with a homeowner over sixty. We answer them here — clearly, without jargon — before you share a single detail with us.
Most standard policies reduce cover after 30 consecutive unoccupied days — Shield extends this to 60 days as standard, with full cover maintained throughout.
Standard home insurance policies typically contain an "unoccupancy clause" that restricts cover after the property has been empty for 30 days. This means that if a pipe bursts in week five of your holiday, your insurer may decline the claim entirely.
Shield's policies are written specifically for homeowners who travel, care for family, or spend extended time elsewhere. Our unoccupancy extension covers:
•Escape of water from burst pipes•Storm and flood damage •Malicious damage and attempted break-in•Subsidence and structural movement
The only conditions: a trusted person must check the property every 14 days, and the heating must remain on at a minimum 10°C between October and April. We'll send you a simple checklist to give to whoever's looking in.
Building costs have risen 34% since 2020. If you haven't reviewed your sum insured in the last two years, there's a real chance you're underinsured — and that gap falls on you in a claim.
The "sum insured" on your buildings policy should reflect the full cost of rebuilding your home from the ground up — not its market value. These are very different figures.
Since 2020, construction materials and labour costs have increased significantly. The Association of British Insurers estimates that 1 in 5 UK homes are now underinsured by an average of 40%.
What this means in practice: if your home is insured for £250,000 but a full rebuild would cost £350,000, and you suffer a partial loss of £100,000, your insurer may only pay £71,428 — applying the same 28% underinsurance ratio to your claim.
Shield's free cover check includes an instant rebuild cost estimate using current BCIS (Building Cost Information Service) data for your property type, size, and region. No surveyor required for most properties.
Loyalty shouldn't cost you money. Shield's no-claims structure rewards long-term customers with a protected discount — and we won't quietly raise your renewal to claw it back.
It's an open secret in the insurance industry: renewal premiums are often set higher than new-customer quotes for the same cover. The FCA introduced new pricing rules in January 2022 to address this, but the practice persists in subtle forms.
Shield operates differently:
•Your no-claims discount is protected from year three onwards•Renewal quotes are guaranteed to be no higher than equivalent new-customer quotes•We'll contact you 45 days before renewal with a plain-English comparison of your current cover versus what we'd recommend•If a better-value policy exists elsewhere, we'll tell you — we'd rather keep your trust than your premium Your no-claims history follows you. If you've been claim-free for five or more years, tell us — we'll apply the full discount from day one.
It depends on your current policy — many standard policies do exclude "high-risk recreational equipment." Shield covers trampolines, provided they're anchored and have a safety enclosure.
Trampolines are one of the most common undisclosed items in home insurance — and one of the most frequently cited reasons for liability claim disputes.
Under a standard policy, if a visiting child is injured on your trampoline and their parents make a liability claim, your insurer may decline on the grounds that you failed to disclose a "material fact."
Shield's approach:
•Trampolines are covered as standard when anchored and fitted with a safety net enclosure•Our liability cover extends to £5 million — sufficient for serious injury claims•We'll ask you directly during your cover check about garden equipment, so nothing is missed • If you're unsure whether something needs declaring, call us — we'd rather know upfront
The same principle applies to garden ponds over 30cm deep, hot tubs, and ground-level trampolines used by visiting children.
Most policies require conservatories to be maintained above a minimum temperature in winter. Shield's cover includes a specific conservatory clause that sets out exactly what's required — no small print surprises.
Conservatories are a grey area in home insurance. Because they're often unheated extensions, insurers sometimes treat them differently from the main property — particularly for escape of water claims in cold weather.
Common exclusions in standard policies:•Burst pipes in unheated spaces where temperature dropped below 0°C•Condensation damage (almost always excluded)•Damage to polycarbonate or glass roofing caused by "gradual deterioration"
Shield's conservatory cover:•Escape of water is covered provided the main property heating is operational•We cover the conservatory structure under buildings insurance at full rebuild value•Accidental damage to glazing is included (useful for wayward footballs)•We'll ask specifically about conservatory condition during your cover check
If your conservatory was added after the original build, make sure its rebuild cost is included in your sum insured — this is one of the most common gaps we find.
Where the gaps are
What your current policy might be missing.
These are the six most common coverage gaps we find when reviewing policies held by homeowners who've been with the same insurer for five or more years.
Unoccupancy limit
Typical standard policy
30 days
Shield
60 days
No-claims protection
Typical standard policy
From year 5
Shield
From year 3
Rebuild cost review
Typical standard policy
On request
Shield
Every renewal
Liability cover
Typical standard policy
£2 million
Shield
£5 million
Trampoline / garden
Typical standard policy
Often excluded
Shield
Included (anchored)
Adviser access
Typical standard policy
Call centre queue
Shield
Named adviser
Your personalised coverage gap report — delivered instantly.
Complete the five-step form and we'll generate a PDF-style dashboard comparing your current policy type against recommended cover levels. No credit card. No binding quote. Just clarity.
Rebuild cost estimate using current BCIS data
Unoccupancy gap flagged if applicable
No-claims discount comparison
Three recommended policy options, side by side
Cover Check Summary
DraftBuildings cover
Underinsured by est. 22%
Unoccupancy
30-day limit in current policy
Liability
£2M — adequate for most
No-claims
6-year discount applied
Your full report ready in 90 seconds
From our clients
What it feels like when someone actually explains it.
“I'd been with the same insurer for eleven years and assumed I was fine. Shield's cover check found that my sum insured hadn't been updated since 2017 — I was underinsured by nearly £80,000. Nobody had ever told me.”
Margaret Thornton
Age 68 · Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Detached house, 1936
“We spend three months a year with our daughter in Portugal. Our previous policy would have left us without cover after thirty days. Shield sorted it in one phone call — and the premium was actually less.”
Derek & Patricia Hollis
Age 72 · Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Bungalow, 1962
“The adviser rang me back within the hour and spent forty minutes going through my policy line by line. I haven't had that kind of service from an insurer in twenty years. The trampoline question came up — turned out I wasn't covered.”
Rosemary Fitzgerald
Age 64 · Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Semi-detached, 1928
Two ways forward
Start with information, not obligation.
Choose the path that suits you. Both are free. Neither requires payment details.
Free Cover Check
90 seconds · No card needed
Complete the five-step form and receive your personalised coverage gap report instantly. See exactly where your current policy may fall short — with clear, plain-English recommendations.
- Rebuild cost estimate
- Unoccupancy gap check
- No-claims comparison
- Three policy options
Speak to an Adviser
UK-based · Named adviser
Prefer a conversation? Book a callback with one of our home insurance advisers. No call centres — a named person who'll read your current policy before ringing.
Choose a time
Your phone number