Do you need to tell your insurer about home improvement work?

With spring approaching, more and more Brits are turning their hands to DIY to brighten up their homes after a long winter.

According to consumer analysts Kantar, March is traditionally the start of the peak DIY season, which runs until mid-October.

And DIY is big business, with Britons typically spending more than £20bn each year on home improvements.

But serious DIY businesses can get homeowners into trouble, as insurers require them to be advised of certain types of upgrade work.

If a homeowner doesn’t declare it and something goes wrong, they could end up uninsured.

Here’s everything you need to know about how DIY can affect your insurance and when to get your insurer involved.

What can I do myself without telling my insurer?

This comes down to what the wording of your home insurance policy allows you to do.

The first thing to look for in the wording of your insurance policy is a ‘small construction limit’.

That’s a clause stating how much construction work you can do, in pounds, without telling your insurer.

However, only 19 percent of home insurance policies have this clause, according to financial ranking firm Defaqto.

If you have any of the other 81 percent of home insurance policies, you’ll need to notify your insurer of extensive DIY work.

Your insurer can then allow the work indefinitely, allow it with restrictions – such as an additional premium – or say no.

Low-threshold cosmetic DIY work such as painting walls, wallpapering and hanging shelves is fine and you do not have to report it to your insurer.

Slightly larger DIY jobs, such as minor rewiring and plumbing jobs, may be covered by your existing insurance, but it’s worth check with your insurer first.

Insurers want to know how long the work will take, what the costs are and whether you have to move.

If you hire a professional to do the job, your insurer will want to know their details and whether they have legal liability coverage.

Construction work beyond DIY that is likely to involve a professional, such as an attic extension or conversion, is unlikely to be covered by home insurance.

Insurers are concerned that construction work increases the likelihood that the home will be damaged or broken into, resulting in a claim.

Your insurer may allow an extension to your existing policy to cover this type of structural work.

Doing construction work outside the terms of your insurance deal may void your policy.

This means that insurers can reject claims if, for example, thieves break in through a window that is being replaced.

For example, insurer Ageas says: ‘If you carry out activities such as fitting out or replacing fitted wardrobes, you may not need to report this to your home insurer. But if the work affects your home rebuild cost, you should check with your insurer.

You should also inform your insurer in advance if you are planning major renovations to your home, especially structural changes. Your coverage may need to be changed to reflect any increases in rebuild costs.”

If your existing home insurance does not cover your planned activities and cannot be extended, the next step is to take out specialist insurance called ‘home insurance’. This is sometimes simply referred to as an ‘expansion’ or ‘renovation’ insurance policy.

The homeowner should also inquire with his old insurer about canceling his home insurance for the period of the renovation and getting a refund due to the change of occupancy.

Am I covered if my DIY goes wrong?

The standard home insurance also does not cover you if you are doing odd jobs and something goes wrong.

Instead, customers need a policy that pays for accidental damage, or purchase accidental damage as an ‘add-on’ insurance policy to their main property policy.