Home insurance is about safeguarding the biggest investment most of us are likely to make - not just the structure of the home itself but everything we've put in it.
In other words, there are inevitably many facets to the cover that effectively protects such an investment.
It might be helpful, therefore, to look at some of the many elements of home insurance cover:

• Two-in-one - the basic building blocks of home insurance cover are the twin elements of buildings insurance and contents insurance.
  The first looks after the actual fabric or structure of your home - the building itself - whilst the latter, fairly self-explanatorily, safeguards all of the contents of your home.
  Since most homeowners want both types of insurance, the products are frequently sold as a single package, but can still be bought separately, such as a tenant who wants contents insurance only.
  
• Rebuilding - in most instances, the element of building insurance is likely to represent the higher level of cover, since it typically needs to cover the worst case imaginable, in which the home is totally destroyed (by fire, earthquake, subsidence or flooding, for example) and needs to be completely rebuilt.
  An up to date estimation of the current rebuilding costs (rather than a valuation of the property if it were to be sold on the open market) is a necessary element of home insurance cover, therefore;
• Pick 'n' mix - with so many different insurance policies on the market, it is hardly surprising that each one is likely to cover a different range of risks.
  Some might cover sheds and other outbuildings in addition to the main property, others might cover a swimming pool.
  If your home has none of these facilities, of course, then you might want to consider other, more basic policies on offer and avoid paying for home insurance cover that you do not need;
• Replacement - when it comes to your contents insurance, similar principles apply in terms of expecting the worst.
  What might it cost you to replace every item in your home if the worst happened and it all went up in smoke one day? More than this, however, your choice of policy also extends to whether claims for any loss or damage to the contents of your home are settled on a "new for old" or "wear and tear" basis.
  The former ensures that settlement of any claim allows you to replace even old items at the price they cost today; whilst the latter offer a settlement after the deduction for the estimated depreciation based on the age of any claimed items;
• Tailored solutions - there are a sufficient number of different policies offering all elements of home insurance cover that it is largely a question of picking and choosing which best suits your particular needs and circumstances and just how much you wish to pay.