The word from Go Compare as they track pricing on home insurance;

Northern Ireland has been named the most expensive place in the UK for home insurance, as part of a new study. The research reveals that the median home insurance price here is £427, the highest of any region by far. Premiums are even more expensive than in Greater London, where the median cost is a whole £91 cheaper at £336, despite being home to some of the country’s highest house prices.

The figures are based on internal data from Go.Compare home insurance, which looked at the effect of eight key variables on policy prices – including location. Now, the insurance comparison site is advising residents about how this impacts their insurance costs and what they can do to bring them down.

After Northern Ireland and Greater London, South East England was found to have the most expensive premiums. The median cost of cover here is £259, £168 less than in Northern Ireland, highlighting that Northern Ireland’s homeowners are being charged well above the UK average to keep their properties protected.

Scotland and South West England complete the top five most expensive places for home insurance cover. The median premiums here are £228 and £216 respectively.

Most expensive places for home insurance

1. Northern Ireland – £427

2. Greater London – £336

3. South East – £259

4. Scotland – £228

5. South West – £216

6. Wales – £212

7. East Midlands – £212

8. West Midlands – £200

9. North West – £196

10. North East – £190

The lowest insurance costs are found in North East England, where the median premium is just £190, a massive £237 less than in Northern Ireland. This means homeowners could insure a property in both North East England and Scotland for less than the cost of one policy in Northern Ireland.

Overall, other than the size of the property, location was found to have the biggest impact on insurance costs in the research. The median home insurance price varies by an average of £118.50 depending on the region it’s located in, making it one of the biggest determining factors in the amount paid.

Only the number of bedrooms at the property was found to have a bigger impact. According to the comparison site, the median price paid varied by up to £250, an average of £129.50, depending on how many bedrooms the home has.

Nathan Blackler, home insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “It’s well known that certain things can affect the price you’re given for your home insurance, but it’s really helpful to see which of these have the biggest impact and in what way they influence your premiums.

“Bigger properties have higher rebuild costs and usually more possessions, so the effect on your price is pretty significant. Meanwhile, some areas have higher house prices or see more claims due to crime and floods, which can also push up prices. On the other hand, using better locks and building materials can reduce the likelihood of a claim and bring premiums down.

“So, before moving or altering your home, it’s worth comparing policies to see how it might affect your premium and take any changes into account in your budget. This applies if you’re doing something like changing the type of lock on your front door. Look at which ones offer the biggest changes in your premiums before getting them fitted.”

More information on the factors that most impact home insurance premiums, including tips to bring down prices, can be found on Go.Compare’s website.