Is the existing house covered during an extension or renovation?
Existing structures cover insures the building you already own while you extend or renovate it, which contract works insurance often excludes unless it is named in the schedule.
Quick answer
- Who needs it
- Anyone extending, renovating or rebuilding part of a house they own, not someone building on a clear site.
- The usual gap
- The new work is insured, but the old structure is excluded unless it is listed.
- Where to check
- The policy definition of existing property and the exclusions, then the schedule.
- Who to tell
- Your home insurer, before work starts. They may need to agree changes to your cover.
How it works in Ireland
If you are altering a house you already own, two things are at risk: the new work and the building it joins. A contract works policy is written for the new work. One published self-build wording defines “Existing Property” as any existing structure on or adjacent to the site, excluding outbuildings, ancillary buildings and boundary walls unless they are named in the schedule. Its exclusions then leave out property that formed part of any structure before the project began, unless that property is included in the schedule.
In plain terms, the existing house is not covered by the works policy unless it is listed there. Some insurers will list it for an extra premium. Others expect it to stay on your home policy. Either way, there should be no gap.
Home insurers also expect to be told about building work, and at least one publishes guidance on which works need notifying. Check your own insurer’s wording, because the threshold and the effect of not telling them differ. If you do not tell them and the work changes the risk, a later claim could be affected.
Ask both insurers in writing: who covers a fire that starts in the new work and spreads to the old house, and who covers a storm that damages the old roof when it is opened up. The answers should be consistent, and neither should point at the other.
A common mistake
Assuming the policy that insures the extension also insures the house it is attached to. Many do not. Keep the home policy running, tell that insurer about the work, and get the works insurer to confirm in writing what it does and does not cover.
The full guide
This page defines the term. The guide below covers what to do about it.
Renovate, extend or knock down and rebuild an old house in Ireland
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Sources
Last reviewed 23 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so confirm anything important with the source before you rely on it.