John Lewis home insurance review

John Lewis is a 150-year-old British department store, which branched out into financial products in 2006. Its home insurance policies are underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance.

What you need to know about John Lewis's home insurance:

• Charges an APR of 21.10% on monthly payments
• Single-item limit of £3,000 for valuables
• Optional home emergency cover with limit of £1,000

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

We analyse and rate the 60 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. 

Initially, we score all the product elements out of five, reflecting how competitive each provider is in this area compared with other insurers. We then apply weightings to the higher and lower element scores to enhance/reduce their impact on the overall product score.

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

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