Flex Non-Standard Home Insurance
A flexible home insurance solution for non-standard residential risks
Flex is a specialist non-standard home insurance product designed to help brokers place residential risks that fall outside standard household acceptance criteria. It is suitable for clients who need underwriting flexibility due to factors such as non-standard construction, claims history, subsidence history, convictions, bankruptcy, flood exposure, irregular occupancy, or previous declined, refused or cancelled insurance.
Built for the Republic of Ireland market and distributed through Central Bank of Ireland authorised brokers, Flex gives brokers access to a practical solution where standard home insurers may be limited or unwilling to quote
Who Flex is designed for
Flex is aimed at clients whose personal circumstances, property type, or insurance history require a broader underwriting approach. This includes, but is not limited to, risks involving:
- Non-standard construction
- Previous claims issues
- Subsidence history or underpinned properties
- Convictions or bankruptcy
- Flood risk
- Irregular occupancy
- Declined, refused or cancelled insurance
- Non-standard occupations
This makes Flex a strong option for brokers dealing with home insurance placements that are harder to fit into standard markets.
Who Flex is designed for
The Flex product provides cover for buildings and contents, with additional sections including valuables and personal possessions, domestic freezer cover, pedal cycle cover, money and credit card cover, accidents to domestic employees, legal liability to the public, and legal expenses. Accidental damage is available as an additional option.
- Non-standard construction
- Previous claims issues
- Subsidence history or underpinned properties
- Convictions or bankruptcy
- Flood risk
- Irregular occupancy
- Declined, refused or cancelled insurance
- Non-standard occupations
The Flex product provides cover for buildings and contents, with additional sections including valuables and personal possessions, domestic freezer cover, pedal cycle cover, money and credit card cover, accidents to domestic employees, legal liability to the public, and legal expenses. Accidental damage is available as an additional option.
Important Documents
Complete the Flex Questionnaire to provide the key underwriting details required for this product. You can also download the policy wording, product summary, and IPID below.
The Product Summary provides an overview of the Flex cover, key limits, and underwriting criteria for this product. You can also review the What’s Changed document for policy updates.
The Flex Policy Wording outlines the full terms, conditions, cover sections, exclusions, and policy limits, providing complete details of how the Flex product operates.
What the Flex policy covers
The Flex product provides cover for buildings and contents, with additional sections including valuables and personal possessions, domestic freezer cover, pedal cycle cover, money and credit card cover, accidents to domestic employees, legal liability to the public, and legal expenses. Accidental damage is available as an additional option.
Core insured events include:
- Fire, lightning, explosion and earthquake
- Storm and flood
- Escape of water from fixed tanks, apparatus or pipes
- Escape of oil from a fixed domestic oil-fired heating installation
- Theft or attempted theft
- Collision by a vehicle or animal
- Subsidence, heave and landslip
- Accidental damage to certain fixtures and fittings
- Accidental damage to underground service pipes, tanks and cables
The IPID also confirms cover for owners’ and occupiers’ legal liability up to €3,000,000, replacement locks up to €5,000, fire brigade charges up to €2,000, alternative accommodation up to 25% of the buildings or contents sum insured, and legal expenses up to €100,000.
Key product features for brokers
Flex is designed to offer breadth where a standard home insurance product may not. Depending on the schedule and selected sections, key features include:
- Buildings sum insured from €75,000, with no upper limit shown in the product summary
- Contents sum insured from €10,000, with no upper limit shown in the product summary
- Optional accidental damage
- Legal expenses included to €100,000
- Loss of rent or alternative accommodation up to 25% of the buildings sum insured for up to 24 months
- Trace and access up to €5,000 in the product summary
- Loss of metered water up to €5,000
- Replacement locks up to €5,000
- Fire brigade charges up to €2,000
- Home business contents up to €5,000
- Students’ and boarders’ possessions up to €5,000
- Temporary removal of contents up to €10,000
The policy wording also sets out the available sections in more detail, including separate sections for valuables and personal possessions, pedal cycles, money and credit cards, and legal expenses.
Important underwriting and cover points
Brokers should note a number of practical policy conditions and restrictions when considering Flex for a client.
If a home is unoccupied for more than 60 consecutive days, the policy does not insure loss or damage caused by escape of water, theft, attempted theft, accidental damage to fixtures and fittings, or accidental damage to underground service pipes, tanks or cables. Unauthorised entry is also restricted unless the home security remains in good working order and in full operation.
Where building works exceed €30,000, the broker or intermediary must be informed at least 30 days before works begin and before any contract is entered into. The documentation is clear that building works can affect cover, terms, or acceptance.
The policy also places an ongoing duty on the insured to ensure sums insured are adequate. Buildings should be insured for full rebuilding cost, not market value, and contents should reflect replacement as new. Underinsurance can reduce claim payments proportionately.
Optional covers
Flex can be extended with optional covers, including:
Accidental Damage
Valuables & Personal Possessions, including cover away from the home where selected and shown on the schedule
This gives brokers additional flexibility where a client’s contents profile or lifestyle requires broader protection.
Why brokers use Flex
Flex gives brokers a route to place home insurance risks that do not sit comfortably within standard household products. It is particularly useful where the property, the insured, or the case history introduces underwriting complexity, but the risk remains insurable with the right information and presentation.
For brokers, the value of Flex is in its flexibility. It provides a specialist home insurance solution for cases involving non-standard construction, flood risk, subsidence history, unusual circumstances, or adverse insurance history, while still offering recognisable household cover sections and useful optional extensions.
Specialist Underwriting Support
Work directly with experienced underwriters who understand complex risks and provide practical solutions for brokers.
Flexible Product Solutions
Access a growing portfolio of specialist insurance products designed to help brokers place non-standard and niche risks.
Trusted Industry Experience
Benefit from decades of underwriting knowledge and strong relationships across insurers and broker partners.
Affordable Home Insurance That Doesn’t Cut Corners
Choosing the cheapest policy isn’t always the best option. At Dolmen, we look beyond the premium to find you quality home insurance that actually works when you need it. Whether you’re insuring a family home, an apartment, or a property you rent out – we’re here to find the right protection for your lifestyle and budget.
We search the market, explain your options clearly, and help you save where it makes sense – all while ensuring you’re fully covered.
Why Choose Dolmen for Your Home Insurance?
- Decades of experience in the Irish insurance market
- Independent advice and access to top Irish and UK insurers
- Personalised service with real people – not just a website
- Excellent customer support throughout your policy
Specialist Home Insurance Products
Get cover for unique or hard-to-insure homes, from bespoke builds to unusual materials.
Specialist home insurance designed for houses with flat or partially flat roofs.
Protect your listed or period home with tailored cover that respects its heritage.
Comprehensive protection for landlords with one or more rental or investment properties.
Insurance for homes under renovation – stay protected while you build or restore.
Specialist insurance for historic and heritage homes, preserving Northern Ireland’s architectural charm.
Flexible, affordable cover for mobile homes and holiday lodges across Northern Ireland.
Place Smarter Faster with Dolmen
Underwriting Solutions Brokers Can Trust
To discuss a risk or access one of our underwriting facilities, simply complete the short enquiry form and a member of our underwriting team will contact you shortly.