Life Insurance
Pays a lump sum if you die during the policy term. Decreasing cover can match a repayment mortgage, while level cover leaves a fixed sum for your family.
Protection & Insurance
Protection & Insurance That Keeps Your Home and Family Secure
Your mortgage is likely your largest financial commitment, and your income is what pays for it. The right protection means your family can stay in their home if you die, become seriously ill or are unable to work. We take the time to understand your situation and recommend cover that is genuinely suited to you.
- Life, illness and income cover
- Cover for families and couples
- Help writing policies in trust
- Free protection review
Peace of Mind
Why Protection Matters as Much as Your Mortgage
Most people insure their car and their phone, yet far fewer insure the income that pays their mortgage. If you were unable to work for six months, or your partner died unexpectedly, how would the mortgage, bills and childcare be paid?
State support and employer sick pay are often limited and short-lived. Personal protection insurance fills that gap by paying a lump sum or a regular income when it is needed most, so your family is not forced to sell the home or fall into arrears.
We look at what you already have, including any workplace death-in-service or sick pay, your mortgage, your dependants and your budget, then recommend a balanced mix of cover from a panel of leading UK insurers.
Types of Cover
Protection Built Around Your Life
There is no single policy that does everything. We help you combine the right types of cover in the most cost-effective way.
Critical Illness Cover
Pays a tax-free lump sum if you are diagnosed with a specified serious illness, such as certain cancers, heart attack or stroke, to clear or reduce your mortgage.
Income Protection
Replaces part of your income, usually 50% to 70% of gross earnings, if illness or injury stops you working, paying out until you return to work or the policy ends.
Family Income Benefit
Pays your family a regular monthly income for the remainder of the term if you die, often a more affordable way to protect young children.
Home Insurance
Buildings insurance is usually a condition of your mortgage. We can also help arrange contents cover to protect your belongings.
Policies Written in Trust
We help you place life cover in trust so the payout can reach the right people more quickly and may fall outside your estate for Inheritance Tax.
Understanding Your Options
How Each Type of Protection Works
Level and decreasing life insurance
Decreasing term life insurance is designed to broadly follow the balance of a repayment mortgage as it reduces, which makes it one of the most affordable ways to make sure the mortgage can be cleared if you die. Level term cover pays the same amount throughout the policy and suits interest-only mortgages or families who want money left over for living costs, school fees or childcare. Joint policies pay out once, usually on the first death, while two single policies cost a little more but can pay out twice.
Critical illness cover
Critical illness cover pays a lump sum if you are diagnosed with one of the conditions listed in the policy and meet its definition. Policies vary widely in which conditions they include and how they define them, so comparing the detail matters more than comparing the headline price. It can be taken on its own or combined with life insurance.
Income protection
Income protection pays a monthly benefit if you cannot work because of illness or injury. You choose a deferred period, the time before payments start, which is often matched to when your employer sick pay ends. Policies with an “own occupation†definition pay if you cannot do your own job, which is generally the strongest level of cover. Income protection is particularly important for self-employed people, who have no employer sick pay at all.
Family income benefit
Rather than a single lump sum, family income benefit pays a tax-free monthly income from the date of a claim until the end of the policy. Because the total potential payout reduces over time, it is often cheaper than level life insurance and can be easier for a family to budget with.
Buildings and contents insurance
Lenders require buildings insurance to be in place from exchange of contracts on a purchase, because the property is security for the loan. Contents insurance is optional but protects your belongings against theft, fire and damage.
Writing your policy in trust
Placing life insurance in trust lets you decide who receives the money and can mean it is paid without waiting for probate. It may also keep the payout outside your estate for Inheritance Tax purposes. Setting up a trust is usually free through the insurer, and we can guide you through the forms.
Eligibility
Who Should Consider Protection
Protection is especially important if you are:
- Taking out a new mortgage or remortgaging
- Raising a family or have people who depend on your income
- Self-employed with no employer sick pay or death-in-service
- The main or sole earner in your household
- A business owner whose income relies on your health
- Reviewing old policies that no longer match your mortgage
Already have cover? If you have moved home, borrowed more or had children since you took out your policies, they may no longer be enough. Ask us for a free protection review.
How It Works
How Our Protection Advice Works
- Understand your needsWe discuss your mortgage, income, family, existing cover and budget.
- Recommend suitable coverWe explain which types of cover fit your priorities and why.
- Compare insurersWe research policies from a panel of leading UK insurers on features, definitions and price.
- Application and underwritingWe help you complete the application and disclose your health and lifestyle accurately.
- Trusts and ongoing reviewsWe help place cover in trust and suggest reviewing it when your circumstances change.
Protect the People Who Matter Most
Book a free, no-obligation protection review and see how affordable the right cover can be.
FAQs
Protection & Insurance FAQs
Clear answers to common questions about protecting your mortgage and income.
Life insurance is not usually a legal or lender requirement for a residential mortgage, but it is strongly recommended if anyone depends on you or shares the mortgage. Buildings insurance, however, is normally a condition of the mortgage.
Level term cover pays the same lump sum whenever you die during the policy. Decreasing term cover reduces over time, broadly in line with a repayment mortgage, which makes it cheaper. The right choice depends on your mortgage type and what you want the payout to cover.
It pays a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a serious condition listed in the policy and meet its definition. Common conditions include certain cancers, heart attacks and strokes. Each insurer's list and definitions differ, so it is important to compare policies carefully.
For many people, yes. It is the only type of cover that replaces your monthly income over a long period of illness or injury. It is particularly valuable if you are self-employed or your employer sick pay is limited.
Premiums depend on your age, health, smoking status, occupation, the amount of cover and the length of the policy. Younger, healthy non-smokers usually pay the least. We compare insurers to find suitable cover at a competitive price.
It means the policy is held by trustees for the people you choose to benefit. The payout can usually be made without waiting for probate and may fall outside your estate for Inheritance Tax. Most insurers provide trust forms free of charge.
Yes. You must answer all application questions fully and honestly. Failing to disclose relevant information could mean a claim is reduced or not paid. We will help you understand what to disclose.
Explore More
Other Ways We Can Help
Protection policies have no cash-in value at any time and will cease at the end of the term. If you stop paying premiums, your cover will end.
Policies are subject to terms, conditions, exclusions and underwriting. We do not give tax or legal advice on trusts or Inheritance Tax.