UK Care Home Insurance Quotes
Care Home Insurance
Business insurance for care homes, nursing homes and social-care providers, covering your premises and contents, your care equipment, your public, employers’ and medical malpractice liability, and lost income.
Why compare care home insurance with us?
- Compare premises, care liability and staff cover for your care home
- Suitable for residential, nursing and home care providers
What is care home insurance?
Care home insurance is a business package for a care or social-care provider that brings the covers a care business needs into one policy. Its defining cover is medical malpractice and abuse cover, which meets claims arising from the care provided, including allegations of abuse or neglect, and is not part of an ordinary business policy. Around that sit buildings and contents for the premises, cover for care equipment such as hoists, beds, lifts and call systems, higher-limit public liability for injury to a resident or visitor, employers' liability for your care workforce, and business interruption to replace lost income if you cannot operate after an insured event. It also protects resident data and cover linked to your CQC registration. For most residential and nursing homes, supported living services and home care agencies it is the single policy that keeps the home running when something goes wrong.
Care home insurance covers a wide range of care providers because the risk itself varies so much. A residential care home, a nursing home, a dementia or EMI home, a supported living service, a domiciliary or home care agency and a day care centre all sit within care home insurance, but each carries a different underwriting picture. Insurer appetite varies significantly by the type of care provided, the number of beds and residents, the number of care staff and the location, which is why specialist broker placement matters more than a mainstream off-the-shelf quote.
Policies are usually built up from the covers each home needs. Medical malpractice and abuse cover, buildings and contents, care equipment and business interruption form the core, then the other liabilities are added on top. Every provider caring for residents should hold public liability for injury to a resident or visitor or damage to their property, commonly at £5m or £10m because residents are vulnerable. Employers' liability is a legal requirement the moment you take on nurses, carers or support staff. The exact mix is priced against the real home rather than treating every care provider the same way.
A care home is responsible for vulnerable residents around the clock rather than selling goods, so the care liability and staff exposures are the defining risks. Medical malpractice and abuse cover meets claims arising from the care provided, including allegations of abuse or neglect, and protects the home as an entity, its premises and its employed staff. Brokers on our panel understand how a fall in a communal area drives public liability claims, how hoists, beds, lifts and call systems need equipment and breakdown cover, how the type of care provided shapes the premium, how resident records bring a data and cyber exposure under GDPR, and why cover linked to CQC registration matters if you cannot operate. They price the policy against how you actually work rather than a fixed online figure.
Related care home cover
How care home insurance works
Tell us about your care home
The type of care you provide, the number of beds, residents and care staff, your annual turnover, the buildings rebuild value, the premises, location, CQC history and any past claims. The more accurately you declare these details, the tighter the quotes the specialist underwriting panel can send back.
Compare specialist care home quotes
Your details go to brokers who underwrite care and social-care risks daily. They price premises and contents, medical malpractice and abuse cover, public and employers' liability, care equipment and business interruption against your specific home and type of care.
Choose your cover and stay protected
Pick the policy that fits your home. Core premises, contents and liability cover, with medical malpractice and abuse cover, equipment breakdown, business interruption and resident data cover added where you need them.
What does care home insurance cover?
A specialist policy brings together the protections a care setting needs, from your premises to the care you provide.
Buildings and contents
Premises (if you own them), bedrooms, communal areas and equipment, against fire, flood, theft and damage.
Public liability (£5m to £10m)
Injury to a resident or visitor, or damage to their property. Higher limits are usual because residents are vulnerable.
Medical malpractice and abuse cover
Claims from the care provided, including allegations of abuse or neglect. The defining cover for the care sector.
Employers' liability (legal requirement, £5m to £10m)
For your nurses, carers and support staff, required by law once you employ anyone.
Care equipment and residents' property
Hoists, beds, lifts and call systems, including breakdown, and residents' personal belongings.
Business interruption
Lost income and extra costs if you cannot operate, with cover linked to your registration.
What care home insurance does not cover
A care home policy is built around the type of care you provide, the number of beds, residents and care staff, the value of your equipment, how the premises are protected and the covers you choose to add. Once a loss falls outside those declared limits, or a claim breaks a policy condition, the policy stops paying out. Knowing where the cover ends matters as much as knowing what it includes, particularly because undeclared care types, poor upkeep and known circumstances left off the policy are among the most common reasons a care home claim is reduced or declined.
Wear, tear and gradual deterioration
Loss caused by ageing, general deterioration, slow-acting causes, rot, damp and corrosion falls outside the cover. Worn communal-area furniture and ageing fittings, plumbing and building fabric are expected upkeep, not an insured event. Cover is for sudden and unforeseen damage, not the slow results of everyday use.
Registered nurses' own indemnity held separately
The care home policy covers the entity, the premises and employed staff, but where an individual registered nurse holds their own professional indemnity, their personal cover sits outside the care home policy. Agency staff and self-employed carers often arrange their own. Check who is covered by the home and who must hold their own before you assume a claim falls to the care home policy.
Known circumstances and existing claims
Medical malpractice is usually written on a claims-made basis, so an incident or complaint you already knew about before the policy started, or failed to notify, can fall outside cover. A matter you were aware of that could give rise to a claim is not something a new policy picks up. Notify your broker of any known circumstances as soon as they arise rather than waiting for a formal claim.
Undeclared high-dependency care
A malpractice claim can be cut or declined where it arises from a type of care the insurer was never told about, such as nursing, dementia or EMI care taken on outside the declared scope of the home. Cover is rated on the care you disclose. Tell your broker before you add a new type of care so the extra risk is built into the policy.
Undeclared care types or staff
A new type of care, an extra registered nurse, a visiting healthcare professional or additional care staff each add risk that must be declared, because each brings its own liability. A claim tied to a service or a person the insurer was never told about can fall outside cover. If you change what the home offers or who works there, tell your broker so the extra liability is built into the policy rather than assuming it is already included.
Poor maintenance and equipment upkeep
Loss or injury traced to care equipment, electrics or building fabric you failed to service or maintain, such as an unserviced hoist or lift or electrics that were never tested, is not met. Keeping care equipment, electrics and the premises in safe working order is your responsibility, and insurers expect the upkeep to be done and recorded.
How much is excluded differs widely from one insurer to the next and from one care home to another. Always check the policy wording carefully on malpractice terms, declared care types, known circumstances, maintenance conditions and optional covers before buying. For cover against claims from residents or visitors injured at your home, see our public liability insurance guide.
Care providers we cover
Cover is arranged for care and support services of every kind, whatever the setting and whoever you look after.
Not sure which fits? A specialist broker will match cover to the type of care you provide.
What affects care home insurance costs
Care home insurance premiums vary widely from one home to the next. A small supported living service sits in a very different bracket to a large nursing home with many beds, high-dependency residents and a big care team. Care home premiums are usually higher than a small shop because the liabilities, staff numbers and care risk are larger, and the figure moves with the type of care you provide, the number of beds and residents, the number of care staff, the buildings rebuild value, the medical malpractice limits, your annual turnover, where you are based and how well the premises are protected. Understanding which of these factors drives the premium puts you in a better position to ask the right questions before buying.
Set the medical malpractice limit to match your care risk and declare every type of care at quote stage. Insurer appetite for care home risks differs more than most owners expect. Some insurers load or decline higher-risk care, such as nursing, dementia or EMI care. Others specialise in exactly those risks. A specialist broker knows which insurer fits which home, which is why the same care home can produce quotes 30 to 50% apart across the market. Get the buildings and contents sums insured right too, because underinsurance triggers the average clause and cuts every claim payout proportionally.
MMC Care Home Insurance Specialists, FCA-authorised (reg. 916241)
Type of care and malpractice limits
The type of care you provide shapes the malpractice premium more than anything else. Higher-risk care such as nursing, dementia or EMI care costs more to insure and needs specialist underwriting, while residential care sits lower. The higher the malpractice limit and the care risk, the higher the premium.
Beds, residents, staff and turnover
The number of beds, residents and care staff and your annual turnover give the insurer the scale of the home. More beds and more residents mean more care activity, more people on site and higher liability exposure, so the premium rises with them. Set the figures to reflect the real home so the cover matches your activity.
Value of care equipment
Care equipment such as hoists, profiling beds, lifts and call systems lifts the contents premium and usually needs equipment breakdown cover. The more specialist equipment you hold, the higher the sum insured and the more there is to replace after a loss. Set the figure to the full replacement cost so a claim is not cut by the average clause.
Premises and location
Local crime rates and flood risk all feed directly into rating, which is why a city-centre home can cost more than a quiet suburban one. A coastal or riverside location raises the flood exposure, and in the highest-risk postcodes a history of theft or flooding brings larger premiums and, in some cases, higher excesses.
Claims and CQC history
Previous malpractice, theft, fire, flood or liability claims load the premium and can bring higher excesses or exclusions. A clean claims record and a good CQC rating over recent years is one of the clearest ways to keep the cost down, so keep good records, log your checks and report incidents properly when they happen.
Data security and premises protection
How you protect confidential resident data under GDPR feeds into any cyber cover, while a monitored intruder alarm, CCTV and good-quality locks help protect the premises and equipment. Strong data security and premises protection can reduce the premium, and meeting an insurer's minimum security clauses also keeps cover valid at claim time.
Every care home is rated on its own type of care, beds, residents, staff, turnover, location and protection. Compare care home insurance quotes to see how your care types, equipment and security shape the premium across our specialist broker panel.
How much does care home insurance cost?
The premium reflects the care you provide, the size of your home and the cover you need.
There is no fixed price for care home insurance. A care home is quoted individually by a specialist broker.
Number of beds and residents
More residents means more liability and a larger sum insured.
Type of care provided
Nursing and dementia care carry more risk than residential care.
Number of care staff
A larger workforce raises employers' liability.
Buildings rebuild value
The size and construction of the home.
Care liability limits
Higher care and public liability limits cost more.
Claims and CQC history
Past claims and your CQC rating affect the price.
Annual turnover
Business interruption cover is priced on your income.
Safeguarding and security
Fire protection, safeguarding and staff training can affect the premium.
How care home insurance works
Three simple steps to compare cover for your care home.
Tell us about your care home
Share the type of care, your beds and your staff. It takes a couple of minutes.
Get matched with brokers
We connect you with FCA-authorised specialists who understand care and social-care risks.
Compare and get covered
Compare quotes and put cover in place.
Care home cover options and legal requirements
Some parts of a care home policy are a legal duty and others simply protect the home you have built. This section sets out the main covers a care home or social-care provider needs, from employers', public and medical malpractice liability to buildings, care equipment and lost income, and shows where the law sets the rules rather than leaving the choice to you. Open any section below to see what each cover does and when it applies.
Employers' liability: a legal requirement
Employers' liability insurance becomes a legal requirement the moment you take on staff, whether they are nurses, carers, support staff, part time or a family member on the payroll. The Employers' Liability Act 1969 sets a minimum of £5m of cover, and most care home policies arrange £10m as standard. It pays compensation and legal costs if a member of staff is injured or made ill because of the work they do for you, such as a carer hurt moving and handling a resident or a back injury.
The duty applies even to a single part-time support worker or a bank carer on the payroll. Trade without valid cover and you can be fined up to £2,500 for each day you are uninsured, and the certificate has to be available to your staff. See our care home insurance guide for how staff cover fits into a care provider policy.
Public liability for residents and visitors
Public liability covers claims from residents or visitors who are injured, or whose property is damaged, because of your home. A resident falling in a communal area or a visitor slipping on a wet floor is the classic example. Care homes usually carry higher limits because residents are vulnerable, so cover is commonly arranged at £5m or £10m, and a lender or landlord will often ask for a set limit.
It is not required by law, but few care homes trade without it, and residents, families, lenders and landlords expect it as a matter of course. It is also commonly a condition of a lease or a local authority contract. The right limit depends on the number of residents in your care and what a lender or landlord asks for.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration
Care providers must register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the regulator for health and social care in England, or the equivalent regulator elsewhere in the UK, before they can provide care. Registration sets standards for safe, effective care, the home is inspected against them and you must meet safeguarding duties, so it is a requirement that sets a care home apart from an ordinary shop or office.
The CQC sets out the standards a home must meet and inspects against them, so how you manage resident safety, records, safeguarding and staffing matters. Medical malpractice and public liability cover sit alongside registration to protect the home against claims arising from the care it provides, and loss of registration cover can be added.
Buildings, contents and care equipment
Buildings cover pays to rebuild the premises after fire, flood, storm or impact, including bedrooms, communal areas and kitchens. The sum insured should reflect the full rebuild cost, not the market value, and if you lease the premises the landlord usually insures the building while you insure the contents and equipment.
Contents cover protects furniture, IT and fittings, and care equipment cover protects items such as hoists, beds, lifts and call systems against fire, flood, theft and damage, usually including equipment breakdown. Residents' personal belongings can be covered too. See our care home insurance guide for how buildings and contents sums insured are set.
Medical malpractice and abuse cover
Medical malpractice, also called care liability, covers claims arising from the care provided, negligence or misdiagnosis, including allegations of abuse or neglect. This is the defining cover for the care sector and is not part of an ordinary business policy.
It protects the home as an entity, its premises and its employed staff, and abuse cover responds to allegations made against a care provider. Public liability sits alongside it for injury to a resident on the premises, arranged at higher limits because residents are vulnerable.
Resident data and cyber cover
A care home holds confidential resident data and must protect it under data protection law (GDPR). Cyber cover responds to a data breach, a hacked system or a ransomware attack, covering the cost of notifying residents, restoring systems and dealing with any regulatory action.
It is often added to a care home policy because a breach of resident records can be costly and damaging. Following the data-handling and security routines set out in the policy is what keeps this cover valid at the point of a claim.
Business interruption and refrigerated medicines
Business interruption replaces the income a home loses when it cannot operate after an insured event such as a fire or flood. It covers lost income and the extra costs of getting back to normal, for example moving residents to a temporary site, over an agreed indemnity period, and cover can be linked to your registration.
It can also cover deterioration of refrigerated medicines if a fridge fails, which for a home holding resident medication is a real exposure. The indemnity period should be long enough to repair the premises, replace equipment and re-establish resident numbers, which for many homes is 12 to 24 months. Setting it too short is one of the most common gaps in a care home policy.
Conditions: security and honest disclosure
Insurers set conditions in return for cover on a care home. These commonly cover fire protection across the building, such as a fire alarm, extinguishers, clear escape routes and fire doors, alongside good locks and an intruder alarm for the premises and the equipment and medicines held on site.
Meeting the fire and security conditions can reduce the premium, but they are also warranties: if the alarm is not maintained, a claim can be refused. Honest disclosure at quote stage is essential, since the Insurance Act 2015 makes undisclosed material facts grounds for a claim to be reduced or avoided.
Each cover meets a different need, and some are set by law rather than left to choice. Compare care home insurance quotes to see how buildings, liability and income cover are arranged for your home across the MyMoneyComparison.com broker panel.
Who needs care home insurance?
Almost any care home or social-care provider needs care home insurance, but the policy looks very different depending on the type of care given, the number of beds and how many care staff you employ. A single package policy can bring together buildings and contents, care equipment, medical malpractice and abuse cover, public liability, employers' liability and business interruption, so an insured event does not put the home's income at risk. Employers' liability becomes a legal requirement the moment you take on staff.
Residential care homes
Residential care homes supporting older people with day-to-day living. Cover typically needs buildings or contents and care equipment, public liability at higher limits for vulnerable residents, employers' liability for staff, medical malpractice and abuse cover, and cover for resident data.
Nursing homes
Nursing homes providing round-the-clock nursing care. Nursing care carries more risk than residential care, so cover needs strong medical malpractice and abuse limits, care equipment such as hoists and beds, public liability, and employers' liability for nurses and carers.
Dementia and EMI homes
Dementia and EMI homes caring for residents with complex needs. Insurers rate these on the type of care given and the malpractice and abuse limits needed, so a proper care home policy matters rather than an ordinary office policy.
Supported living and learning-disability care
Supported living services and learning-disability care helping residents live more independently. Cover centres on medical malpractice and abuse cover for the care given, public liability, contents and care equipment against fire, flood, theft and damage.
Domiciliary and home care agencies
Domiciliary and home care agencies supporting people in their own homes. Public liability and medical malpractice and abuse cover matter most here, and insurers will ask about the care given, the number of care staff and how visits are managed.
Day care centres and sheltered housing
Day care centres and retirement or sheltered housing supporting older and vulnerable people. Cover needs medical malpractice and abuse cover for the care given, public liability, plus contents and equipment cover for what you hold.
Whatever care you provide, cover should reflect how the home actually operates. Compare care home insurance quotes to match the policy to your care, staff and risk profile.
Care home insurance vs standard business or property insurance
The two products are commonly confused but cover fundamentally different situations. Care home insurance is built around a home responsible for vulnerable residents around the clock, with the policy structured around the buildings or contents and care equipment, medical malpractice and abuse cover, higher-limit public liability, cover for staff, and lost income. A standard business or ordinary property policy covers an office, a retailer or a let building, and it does not extend to care liability, abuse or neglect allegations, residents in your care, or loss of CQC registration. Running a care home on a standard business or property policy is one of the most common reasons a claim is reduced or declined.
| Comparison | Care home insurance Care homes and social-care providers | Standard business or property insurance No care or abuse cover |
|---|---|---|
| How the premises are used | A home caring for vulnerable residents around the clock, with residents, care staff and equipment on site day and night and confidential resident records held on the premises | A commercial office, an ordinary shop selling goods over the counter, or a let building. None is set up for residents in your care or the duty a home owes for the care it provides |
| Underwriting basis | Rated as a care home, with the type of care given, the number of beds and residents, the number of care staff, the malpractice and abuse limits, the premises, CQC history and claims history all declared to the insurer | Rated as a standard business, an office or a let building. The care provided and the liabilities that come with it sit outside what the policy assumes and are excluded |
| Loss of income | Business interruption cover included, replacing lost income and covering extra costs while you cannot operate after a fire, flood or other insured event, with cover that can be linked to your registration, plus deterioration of refrigerated medicines if a fridge fails | An office policy has limited trading income to protect, and a shop policy covers retail takings, not the income a home loses when it cannot care for residents, nor spoiled medicines |
| Liability cover | Medical malpractice and abuse cover for the care provided, including allegations of abuse or neglect, higher-limit public liability for injury to a vulnerable resident, plus employers' liability for a large care workforce. Commonly £5m or £10m | Personal or occupiers' liability only. Neither a standard business nor property policy covers medical malpractice, abuse or neglect allegations for the care a home provides |
| Equipment and contents | Buildings at full rebuild cost, or contents if you lease, with care equipment such as hoists, beds, lifts and call systems covered against fire, flood, theft and damage, usually including breakdown, plus residents' personal belongings | Contents cover is for household or office belongings, and a shop policy covers goods for resale, not the care equipment a home relies on or residents' property |
| Resident data and registration | Confidential resident data protected with cyber cover for a breach under GDPR, and cover linked to loss of CQC registration. These care home exposures can be added or included | No cover for these exposures. A standard business or property policy does not reflect the resident data a home holds or its CQC registration |
| If you use the wrong product | Cover responds correctly, the claim is paid, and the policy matches the fact that the home is responsible for vulnerable residents and the care it provides | Claim can be reduced or declined entirely. Running a care home on a standard business or property policy is a material non-disclosure that can void the policy |
Important: Cover detail shown is indicative of how UK care home and social-care policies are typically structured. It is illustrative only and does not constitute a quotation or offer of insurance. Specific policy wording, sums insured, indemnity periods and exclusions vary by insurer and individual circumstances. MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA registration number 916241.
If you run a care home or care service, a standard business or ordinary property policy will not cover it correctly. Public liability insurance and full care home cover are arranged to match the way your home actually operates.
Specialist Care Home Insurance
Specialist care home insurance comparison since 2013
Since 2013, MyMoneyComparison.com has helped UK care providers find cover without the runaround. Whether you run a residential care home, a nursing home, a dementia or EMI home, supported living or a domiciliary care agency, our specialist broker panel underwrites care and social-care providers every day. Compare specialist care home insurance from a panel that understands buildings and contents, care equipment, medical malpractice and abuse cover, higher-limit public liability for vulnerable residents, employers' liability and business interruption across the full range of UK care risks.
Compare care home insurance quotes with some of the UK's top providers, including:
Specialist Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance Brokers
Fleet Insurance Brokers
Gauntlet fleet insurance
Specialist Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance Brokers
Specialist Commercial Motor & Fleet Insurance Brokers
Everything You Need to Know
Detailed answers to help you understand more about care home insurance.
What is care home insurance?
Care home insurance is a business package for a care provider that protects its premises and contents, its liabilities to residents and staff, the care it provides and its income if it cannot operate. It brings the covers a care home needs, including buildings and contents, public and employers’ liability, care liability and business interruption, into one policy.
Is care home insurance a legal requirement?
Care home insurance as a package is not compulsory, but employers’ liability is a legal requirement if you employ anyone, at £5m minimum. Care providers must also register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to operate, and public liability is expected because you are responsible for vulnerable residents.
What does care home insurance cover?
Buildings and contents, public liability, employers’ liability, medical malpractice and abuse cover, care equipment and business interruption make up the core of a care home policy. You build the package around your premises, the type of care you provide and the residents you look after.
Do I need employers' liability?
Yes, if you employ anyone, including nurses, carers and support staff. The law requires at least £5m of employers’ liability, usually arranged at £10m, and you can be fined up to £2,500 for each day you are uninsured.
What is medical malpractice and abuse cover?
Medical malpractice and abuse cover deals with claims arising from the care you provide, including allegations of abuse or neglect. It is the defining cover for the care sector and is not part of an ordinary business policy. It sits within the care home package and protects the provider against claims about the standard of care given to residents.
Does it cover residents' property and care equipment?
Yes. Care equipment cover protects hoists, beds, lifts and call systems, usually including breakdown, so a failure does not leave residents without the equipment they rely on. It can also cover residents’ personal belongings while they are in your care.
What about CQC registration?
Care providers must register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England, or the equivalent regulator elsewhere in the UK, to operate legally. Some care home policies include loss of registration cover, which responds if your registration is suspended or cancelled following an insured event.
What is business interruption cover?
Business interruption cover replaces lost income and pays the extra costs you face if you cannot operate after an insured event, such as a fire or flood. For a care home it helps you keep paying staff and running the service while the premises are repaired and residents are looked after.
How much does care home insurance cost?
There is no fixed price. It depends on the number of beds and residents, the type of care you provide, the number of care staff, your buildings rebuild value and your claims and CQC history. It is quoted by a specialist rather than set as a fixed online figure.
Does higher public liability matter for a care home?
Yes. Residents in your care are vulnerable, so higher public liability limits are usual, commonly £5m to £10m. This covers you if a resident or visitor is injured or their property is damaged, and the larger limit reflects the greater responsibility a care provider carries.
Does it cover abuse and safeguarding claims?
Yes. Cover for allegations of abuse or neglect is a core part of a care home policy and responds to claims about the care a resident has received. You still hold safeguarding duties, and this cover protects the provider if a claim is made about how those duties were met.
Why use a specialist care insurance broker?
Care providers vary a lot, from a small residential home to a large nursing or dementia service, so the right cover for one is not the right cover for another. A specialist can match the care liability, staff and premises cover to how you actually operate. MyMoneyComparison.com connects you with FCA-authorised specialist brokers.
Resources
Insurance Guides, Articles & Resources
Related Care Home Products
Care & Business Guides
Founder (2013)
13+ Years in the Industry
FCA Regulated Platform
Content on MyMoneyComparison.com is produced in collaboration with FCA-authorised insurance brokers and financial providers. All pages are reviewed for accuracy and regulatory compliance. MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 916241). Last updated: August 2026.
Legal & Regulatory Information:
The MyMoneyComparison.com website is owned and operated by MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd, which does not provide financial advice and does not sell insurance policies. MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for insurance mediation and credit broking activity under FCA registration number 916241.
MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is a data controller under the Data Protection Act 2018, registered on the Data Protection Register under registration number ZA460665.
Registered Office: Jubilee House, 55 Church St, Morley, Leeds LS27 9JQ, United Kingdom.
© 2013-2026 MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd. All rights reserved.