An insurance policy for criminals has been relaunched to make it easier for people with convictions to get cover for their home.

The Fairplay Home Insurance policy offers buildings and contents cover to people with criminal convictions, who usually find it very difficult to get insurance from high street firms.

It is offered by nonstandard insurance administrator Bureau Insurance Services which launched it after realising there was a large niche market among ex-offenders.

The group first began offering the policy about six years ago and said demand had been strong, with thousands of policies in existence.

It has now relaunched the cover, so that people only have to disclose current convictions and not ones that are spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, rather than all convictions regardless of whether or not they are spent.

The group, based in Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex, said it would consider insuring people who had committed most crimes, although it was difficult to get cover for arsonists and paedophiles.

Terry Browning, of Bureau Insurance Services, said: "It's not the moral aspect, it's the risk of reprisals to property. If somebody is named in their local newspaper the risk of reprisals is much greater."

Premiums for policies, which are underwritten by Lloyd's syndicates, are based on a points system and the group often works with probation officers to assess how likely someone is to re-offend.

The cost of the policies tends to be about 20 per cent more than mainstream cover, but people do receive discounts if they do not claim. The policies also have a higher excess than standard policies.

It is generally very difficult for people with criminal convictions to get insurance, but without it they cannot get a mortgage on a property.

If people do not declare a conviction which is not spent, their policy will be invalidated.