John Lewis home insurance review

John Lewis has a 150-year legacy on the British high street and eventually branched out into financial products in 2006. 

It now offers insurance products including home insurance, pet insurance, as well as personal loans and credit cards.

John Lewis is a publically owned company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. 

• Find out more: what is contents insurance?

What does home insurance cover?

The information below gives an at-glance view of the key things that the AA's home insurance covers as standard.

Elements marked with a ✓ are covered as standard and those marked with a ✘ are not covered as standard. However, these can be added to a policy as optional extras for an additional cost.

• Find out more: what is buildings insurance?

How Which? rates John Lewis' home insurance

To help you find the best home insurance policy, Which? goes the extra mile to sort the best from the worst.

We survey thousands of real home insurance customers to find out how they rate their insurer for customer satisfaction.

We also analyse and rate 60 different elements of contents and buildings insurance to create policy scores, helping you judge the quality of your cover - and how an insurer compares to its peers.

We combine this into an overall score to highlight the insurers that offer great cover and service.

Which? members can log in to see the results of our analysis. If you’re not already a member, you can sign up to a one month trial for Which? Money for just £1 to access this review and enjoy the benefits of a Which? membership.

John Lewis' home insurance policy: is it good or bad?

In February 2019, we analysed and rated 60 of the most important elements of standard home insurance policies to come up with the overall policy score.

We assess how important each individual element is when choosing and using a home insurance policy, and weight it accordingly when calculating our total policy score. Each element is given a star rating, out of five.

Overall, 55 out of the 60 elements policy elements we analysed in John Lewis' home insurance earned a 3-star rating or higher.

While 23 of John Lewis' policy elements were given a full 5-star rating, the majority (28) of the features in its policy were given a 3-star rating, which indicates an average level of cover.  

Best parts of John Lewis' home insurance policy

We’ve identified three standout features in John Lewis' home insurance policy:

• Up to £5,000 for garden contents, which earned a full 5 stars
• Burst pipes and blocked sewer pipes covered as standard, which we gave 5 stars
• A £75,000 cover limit for items stored in outbuildings (e.g. sheds and garages), which got 5 stars

Worst parts of John Lewis' home insurance policy

We've identified three features in John Lewis' home insurance policy which scored poorly:

• Do not pay a switching fee, which scored 0 out of a possible 5 stars
• A minimum excess of £100, which we gave 1 star
• 21.1% APR on monthly payments, which got 2 stars

In detail: every part of John Lewis' home insurance rated

Which? members can log in to see the results of our analysis. If you’re not already a member, you can sign up to a one month trial for Which? Money for just £1 to access this review and enjoy the benefits of a Which? membership.

Table last updated in February 2019. Next updated in February 2020.

Most important policy elementsSecondary policy elementsOther policy elements

Policy elements	Details	Rating	Area covered
Interest charged on payment by installments (APR)			Buildings and contents
Renewal fee (£)			Buildings and contents
Home emergency cover - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings and contents
Home emergency cover (£)			Buildings and contents
Owner's / Occupier's liability (£)			Buildings and contents
Accidental damage cover - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings and contents
Subsidence - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Alternative accommodation (£)			Buildings only
Burst pipes - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Blockage of sewer pipe - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Single item limit for valuables - max limit (£)			Contents only
Contents in the open - within home boundary i.e. garden (£)			Contents only
Contents in outbuildings - including garages (£)			Contents only
Theft from outbuildings (£)			Contents only
Personal Possessions - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Personal Possessions limit within a car (£)			Contents only
Bicycles - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Mobile phones (away from home) - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Does mobile phone cover include calls?			Contents only

Policy element	Details	Rating	Area covered
Insurer pays switching fees? (£)			Buildings and contents
Adjustment fee (£)			Buildings and contents
Cancellation fee - after 14 days (£)			Buildings and contents
Duplicate document fee (£)			Buildings and contents
Standard level of excess (£)			Buildings and contents
Subsidence excess (£)			Buildings only
24 hour emergency helpline - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings and contents
Are repairs guaranteed under home emergency cover? (Yes/No)			Buildings and contents
Gradual build up of ground water covered?			Buildings and contents
Garden cover - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Storm damage to fences - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Trace and access limit (£)			Buildings only
Bicycle away from home (£)			Contents only
TV or AV equipment accidental damage - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Is money covered away from home - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Money in the home (£)			Contents only
Money away from the home (£)			Contents only
Digital information in the home (£)			Contents only
Students contents in digs covered - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Home removal insurance - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Cover level for loss of keys (£)			Buildings only
Cover level for loss of keys (£)			Contents only
Cover level for theft of keys (£)			Buildings only
Cover level for theft of keys (£)			Contents only
Is boiler cover included - home emergency cover?			Buildings and contents
Boiler cover - parts and repairs included?			Buildings and contents
Boiler cover - call-outs included?			Buildings and contents

Policy element	Details	Rating	Area covered
Payment Default fee (£)			Buildings and contents
Unoccupancy period			Buildings and contents
Legal expenses - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings and contents
Legal expenses cover (£)			Buildings and contents
Garden contents cover (£)			Contents only
No claims discount (NCD) protection?			Buildings and contents
Students cover limit (£)			Contents only
Minimum level of excess (£)			Buildings and contents
Discount for buying buildings and contents insurance?			Buildings and contents
Business / Office equipment covered - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Loss of keys - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Loss of keys - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only
Theft of keys - standard, optional, not covered?			Buildings only
Theft of keys - standard, optional, not covered?			Contents only

To see how John Lewis' home insurance compares to other policies check out our guide on the best and worst home insurance.

How do customers rate John Lewis' home insurance?

As well as looking at how John Lewis' home insurance policy stacks up against others, we've also analysed how customers feel about it too.

Which?'s rating for customer satisfaction is based on feedback from real customers. The score is made up of a customer's overall satisfaction with the brand, and how likely they are to recommend that brand.

Overall, John Lewis' home insurance scored 74% for customer satisfaction, placing it 2nd out of the 34 home insurers we looked at.

Customers scored John Lewis' 'clarity of policy' and 'application process' the highest, giving them both a full five stars. John Lewis' 'value for money' and 'dealing was scored among the lowest by customers and only received three stars.

The table below shows how John Lewis' home insurance scored for eight elements of customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction element	Which? Customer rating
Application process
Clarity of policy
Dealing with queries
Ease of managing your policy online
Transparency of charges/penalties
Dealing with complaints
Experience of making a claim
Value for money

Does John Lewis offer different levels of home insurance cover?

The scores shown in this review relate to the John Lewis Plus standard home insurance policy. If you would like to take out home insurance with John Lewis but need more cover, you could opt for John Lewis Premier Home Insurance.

This policy offers:

• Accidental damage included as standard
• Unlimited cover for contents in outbuildings (e.g. sheds and garages)
• Personal possessions included as standard

Due to the increased level of cover, the John Lewis Premier Home Insurance policy is likely to be more expensive than its standard home insurance policy.

If you need a policy with less cover, you could opt for the John Lewis Essential Home Insurance policy. 

This policy offers:

• Up to £2,000 cover for contents left in the open
• Up to £500 for the loss or theft of keys
• Up to £5,000 for home emergency cover 

While this policy is likely to be cheaper than Admiral's standard policy, you will be getting much less cover. 

How much does John Lewis home insurance cost?

Your contents insurance and buildings insurance will be priced based on your own personal circumstances, where you live and the type of property and contents you own.

John Lewis allows you to gather quotes on its own website at www.johnlewisfinance.com/insurance/home-insurance.html

But you can also compare the John Lewis' home insurance on the following price comparison sites:

• Comparethemarket.com
• Confused.com
• Gocompare.com
• Moneysupermarket.com

Check out our guide for more information on how add-ons, fees, and charges affect the price of your home insurance.

What is John Lewis' claims number?

If you need to make a claim with John Lewis home insurance call 0330 102 2749.

According to the, your claims handler will ask for details of your claim and explain any policy excess that may apply. The more details that you can apply during the first call, the quicker the claims process is likely to be. 

The acid test of any home insurance provider is how it handles your claim. In January 2019, Which? surveyed 1,456 members of the general public about their experiences using a major home insurance provider.

John Lewis scored 74%, placing it 10th out of 21 home insurers. It scored four stars for the 'customer service', and two stars for 'how they communicated on the progress of claims'.

Find out how it compared to other insurers on or guide making a home insurance claim.

Who underwrites John Lewis' policies?

John Lewis' home insurance policies are underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance.

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