What is covered?
The following list is a brief overview of what is covered by the Home Owners' Protection Policy:
Boundary issues
- The seller is engaged in a boundary dispute that they've not disclosed
- The boundary is different from the Land Registry or Ordnance Survey plans
- A neighbour builds a structure on the insured property
- A neighbour moves a boundary structure
Fraud and Forgery
- The seller isn't the legal owner of the property the insured buys from them
- The seller sells to more than one person at once
- A mortgage fraudster steals the insureds' identity and mortgages the house they own
- The seller forges a signature on important documents
- The seller doesn't have the mental capacity to sell
Land Registry
- The property is not properly registered at Land Registry
- The property ownership is affected by issues not found during the purchase process
Access ways and drainage
- Someone else has rights to walk across the insured property
- There are inadequate access rights to the insured property
- The insured experiences problems with legal drainage rights or utility supplies
Planning issues and legal restrictions
- Parts of the insured property don't comply with planning or building regulations
- The insured property is in breach of legal restrictions imposed in earlier deeds
Additional cover
- Legal expenses insurance to defend or enforce legal rights
- Relocation and rental expenses paid on a reasonable substitute home while problems are fixed
Further information
A solicitors' professional indemnity insurance cannot cover a homebuyer from all risks when purchasing a property. To see an example of risks covered by the HOPP, but not covered by a solicitors' professional indemnity insurance, please click here.