When to get life insurance when buying a house usually comes down to exchange of contracts, because that is the point at which several insurers' documents start their free house-purchase cover. Applying before you exchange is what lines the two up; waiting until after you complete means that particular cover is no longer on offer.
No law requires the cover, as the guides from Legal & General and Halifax both say, and a lender may or may not ask for it as part of its offer. Exchange and completion dates differ from one purchase to the next, so should your own timetable raise questions, the form on this page can bring a callback from an FCA-authorised broker, and nothing is charged for it.
Where does the mortgage offer fit in?
The mortgage is often where the subject first comes up. Aviva's guide to buying a home (updated 6 August 2026) says some lenders prompt you to look into life insurance when you apply for the mortgage, and for some it is part of the agreement. Where a lender has made cover a condition, Legal & General, in Do I need life insurance? (5 December 2025), says the lender will hold back the funds until there is protection in place for the borrowing, while the choice of insurer stays with you. In that case the lender's conditions, not the free cover described below, set the latest point for having a policy.
Whether a lender can insist on cover, or on its own insurer, is covered in needing life insurance for a mortgage, and what a policy would pay towards the loan in does life insurance cover my mortgage. Without a lender condition the timing is yours, and the dates that matter are the ones insurers attach to their free cover.
How does free cover bridge exchange and completion?
Exchange and completion, the day the keys change hands, usually fall on different dates, and some insurers offer free cover for the time between them. Aviva's only starts if you have given it a future start date for the policy that matches completion, so the main policy takes over as the free cover ends. In Scotland the documents refer to completing missives instead of exchange, and Aviva and L&G to the date of entry instead of completion.
Aviva's conditions (DA03011, May 2023) describe it as free cover "from when you exchange contracts to when your house purchase is completed", and L&G's October 2026 policy summary (QGI14786, its direct version) says its free cover ends as soon as the policy starts. The same documents set limits, so they are worth reading before relying on them:
| Insurer and document | Free cover runs | Stated limits |
|---|---|---|
| Aviva, Life Insurance Plan (policy summary DA03008 and conditions DA03011, both May 2023) | From acceptance of the application and exchange, once a future policy start date matching completion has been given, to the earliest of 90 days, completion (date of entry in Scotland) or the policy start date | The lower of the cover amount in the policy schedule, the purchase price and £500,000; death benefit only, without terminal illness benefit |
| Legal & General, Life Insurance and Critical Illness Cover (policy summary QGI14786, October 2026, direct version) | Between exchange and completion, up to a maximum of 90 days; ends when the policy starts | The lower of the cover you propose and your mortgage, up to £300,000; not for anyone aged 55 or over (both lives on a joint policy must be under 55) |
| Zurich, Zurich Life Protection (key features NP720500009, February 2025) | "May be able to" offer free cover between exchange and completion | Set out in Zurich's separate Mortgage protection free cover terms and conditions |
Check the document that comes with your own quote, because limits and eligibility are the insurer's and can differ from those above.
What has to be in place before you exchange?
Aviva's conditions say its free cover "begins when we’ve accepted your application and after you’ve exchanged contracts - or missives are completed - as long as you’ve given us a future start date for your policy which coincides with the completion of your house purchase/date of entry." So for the free cover to run from the day you exchange, the application needs to have been accepted, with a start date matching completion, by then.
L&G's wording has a similar condition: it covers you if you die between exchange and completion, "provided you are accepted on standard terms and we have everything we need to start your policy." Its summary adds two limits: it will not provide the free cover if you have another policy with any provider covering the same mortgage, and the amount is paid only once, whether under free cover, accidental death benefit or the policy itself.
Both free covers last for at most 90 days on the documents quoted, so a long gap between exchange and completion can outlast them. Suicide is excluded from Aviva's house purchase cover, and a claim ends the policy. If you want the dates and these conditions checked against your own purchase, send your name and number through this page and a broker authorised by the FCA will call back; there is no charge.
Is there cover while an application is still being decided?
Separately from house-purchase cover, some insurers cover you while they process the application, so applying earlier in the move has a small side benefit. L&G's summary says: "We'll cover you from when we receive your application, for up to 90 days or until we accept, postpone or decline your application." For an accident only, it pays the amount asked for, up to £300,000. Aviva's guide says that if it needs more information, its Protection Promise covers you free of charge in the meantime, for the amount applied for, up to £500,000.
Both depend on terms, exclusions and full, accurate answers, so they are a safety net while a decision is made, not a reason to delay.
What changes if you apply after you have moved in?
The free house-purchase cover does not apply, because every document above ties it to the period before completion. An ordinary policy still begins on a start date set with the insurer; Zurich's key features say "Your cover will begin on the start date you agree with us", and L&G's summary says you are covered from the policy start date.
What does change is what you are asked on the day you apply: your age, health and the amount you want are put to the insurer then, and Aviva's summary says you must tell it if the information given changes before your policy start date is confirmed. Buying younger and in better health usually costs less, so time can matter for price even when it does not for eligibility. Whether a particular insurer would treat a later application differently from one made before exchange is something the broker can explain free when they call you back.
If you already hold a policy and are moving, Aviva's guide says that with an Aviva policy you may be able to increase or decrease the cover amount or term without taking out a new one, and suggests speaking to a financial adviser first. Ask your own insurer what applies to your policy.
Does the timing change which cover to choose?
Not much. Aviva's guide says level or decreasing cover can be chosen depending on mortgage type and individual circumstances, and the free cover described above is a stop-gap either way. Decreasing versus level term insurance sets out the difference, and mortgage life insurance calculator explains how to work out an amount. For the age at which standard mortgage cover is on offer, see mortgage life insurance age limit.
The hub guide on mortgage cover gathers these pages. To have the type and the start date looked at together, send your details through this page and a broker can phone you without charge to go through the options.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take out mortgage protection insurance at any time?
Zurich's key features say cover begins on the start date you agree with it. What is tied to the purchase is the free house-purchase cover, which the insurers' documents describe only for the period between exchange and completion.
Is it too late to arrange cover once you already have the mortgage?
Having completed means the free house-purchase cover has passed, not that cover is out of reach. An insurer will still ask about your age, health and the amount, so a broker can tell you how that works for you.
What does free house-purchase cover not pay?
On the documents quoted, Aviva's pays death benefit but not terminal illness benefit and excludes suicide, while L&G's will not apply to someone already holding another policy on that mortgage. Both are capped at 90 days, and a payout under either ends that free cover.
Does the free cover work in Scotland?
Aviva, L&G and Zurich all describe it by reference to missives rather than exchange of contracts. Aviva and L&G run it to the date of entry rather than completion.
Who can arrange life insurance while I am buying a house?
Aviva's guide says you can look to your mortgage adviser or a financial adviser, or go directly to an insurance provider. Sending your name and number through this page also works: a broker authorised by the FCA calls back to talk it through, free.
Sources
- Aviva, Mortgage protection when you’re buying a home (last updated 6 August 2026), read 26 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
- Aviva, Life Insurance Plan policy conditions (DA03011 05/2023), read 26 October 2026. static.aviva.io
- Aviva, Life Insurance Plan policy summary (DA03008 05/2023), read 26 October 2026. static.aviva.io
- Legal & General, Life Insurance and Critical Illness Cover Policy Summary (QGI14786 2026/10, direct version), read 26 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, Do I need life insurance for a mortgage? (3 August 2026), read 26 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, Do I need life insurance? (5 December 2025), read 26 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Zurich, Key features of the Zurich Life Protection policy (NP720500009 02/25), read 26 October 2026. zurich.co.uk
- Halifax, Do you need life insurance for a mortgage (undated; life insurance provided by Scottish Widows), read 26 October 2026. halifax.co.uk