Best Buy Lenders

You don’t need to take out the policy on offer from your mortgage company. Several best-buy lenders like Abbey, Bristol & West, Britannia, Nationwide and Skipton building societies frequently offer to pay the first three or six months of premiums for their new borrowers. Every other bank and building society will also offer information on its in-house policy. But experts say you should always shop around for a better deal.

‘Our advice is simple: Never take your provider’s own cover. Shop around because a stand-alone policy can slash your bills,’ says Paul Schofield of Insure Supermarket. A host of new players from the Post Office to the British Insurance Brokers Association now offer policies and their premiums are often set very low. Financial researcher Moneyfacts says a typical policy costing £36 a month from an expensive provider can cost less than £10 a month from a best-buy alternative. ‘Premiums vary hugely and the new players are proving that cover can be provided for considerably less than has been the case with established providers,’ says Andrew Hagger of Moneyfacts.