Tag Archives: Buildings
Worst Case Scenario: Will Your Home Buildings Insurance Cover You?
Worst Case Scenario: Will Your Home Buildings Insurance Cover You?
Nobody likes to consider the ramifications of a worst case scenario, least of all the financial consequence. However, did you know that if a major storm (of the likes we experienced in the UK in the late 1980s) struck the UK today, almost one-half of all homes in the UK would have inadequate home buildings insurance to cover the cost of repairs!
Valuation of your home buildings insurance – is it being done correctly?
Before you consider the value of your home, ask yourself a quick couple of questions:
– what is the principal reason why you have home buildings insurance?
– who assess the value of your home buildings insurance?
In most cases, the answer to the first question is you need to have home buildings insurance because it is a requirement under your mortgage agreement. The answer to your second question is also likely to be your home mortgage provider, because they feel they know the value of your home better than you do. So, what’s the problem? Well, the problem is, each year your home mortgage is going down, but hopefully the value of your home is going up. As your insurance is principally to cover your outstanding mortgage, a disparity – between the value of your home and the outstanding mortgage amount – will rapidly arise. Therefore, it is vital that you keep control of valuing your home for home buildings insurance purposes and always ensure that the insurance relates to the actual value of your home, not the outstanding mortgage amount.
Improvements to your home – are they being included?
Likely as not, over time you are going to do some building work to your home. Maybe you’ll add an extension. Put in a greenhouse. Add a conservatory. Etc. The question is – are all of these add-ons being included in the additional value they bring to your home, or are you only continuing to insure the main part of the home that was part of the original policy?
Increased costs – have you factored these in?
Nearly every insurance policy comes with an excess amount. Essentially what this means is that you have to pay a threshold amount before you can claim against the insurance company. Fine, let’s take an example: say you bought your home in 1980 and set the threshold amount at £500. Would you get more or less in materials and labour today if you were still maintaining an excess sum of £500? Answer, far less and you’d be claiming on your insurance far sooner, which in turn means your premiums are likely to be higher.
As you can see then, home buildings insurance is not as simple as guessing what you think the value of your home is. It takes certain precision and year-on-year upkeep if you want to make sure you’ll be sufficiently insured should the unfortunate worst case scenario occur.
Tips On How To Arrange Cheaper Home Contents And Buildings Insurance
Tips On How To Arrange Cheaper Home Contents And Buildings Insurance
If you are looking for tips on how to reduce the yearly premiums you pay on your home contents and/or home buildings insurance policies, the following are some sure-fire ways to do it:
Increase the insurance excess amount
While still maintaining a sensible threshold, why not increase the excess amount on the insurance policy? The excess amount is the amount you and the insurance company agree you’ll be liable to pay you can make a claim on the insurance policy. In theory, with an increase in the excess amount should come a reduction in the premium – as there is less chance you’ll claim.
Increase your home security
Insofar as home contents insurance is concerned, security is a major contributing factor. Therefore, if you want to reduce your home contents insurance premiums, you should seriously consider beefing up your home security system. Depending on the valuation you have put on your home contents, ideas here should include putting in a home alarm system.
Rent a safety deposit box
While none of us like the idea of keeping our most prized possessions safely locked away in a safety deposit box, if you have one or two very valuable personal items, you may well find that it is a lot less expensive to keep these in a safety deposit box and only bring them out on special occasions than it is to pay an expensive insurance premium to keep them on-hand all the time.
Look around for a new insurance provider
Although you do need to consider whether or not your home buildings insurance provider is an approved insurance company, so far as your mortgage lender is concerned, these days the insurance industry is a very price competitive one. As such, take advantage of this and look around to see if you can get a cheaper deal either on the Internet or in the real world.
Insure against the mortgage value
Although it is never recommended practice that you only insure your home buildings against the mortgage loan outstanding, if money is tight and the amount of your mortgage outstanding is not too far off the real value of your home, you may want to consider insuring your home for the value of the mortgage loan outstanding. This way, with a lower home valuation should come reduced premium payments.
Although there are a number of ways that you can reduce both your home contents and home buildings insurance, where possible it is best practice that you try to maintain adequate insurance to reflect the real value of all your wonderful possessions.
House Buildings & Material Insurance
Home Buildings & Material Insurance Coverage
Home structures & contents insurance policy is offered by many insurer and could be arranged via various outlets such as direct with the insurance provider, on the internet or with an insurance policy broker. As the cost of providing such cover varies between insurer it is worth getting a variety of insurance quotes.
BUILDINGS INSURANCE COVERAGES
Structures insurance coverage covers damages to your residence including your patio. wall surfaces and also drive triggered by such things as fire, decrease, theft, tornado and also flood.
In case of you needing to vacate your home until the fixings are finished insurance coverage cover is attended to resort accommodation.
Damage because of rupture pipelines is covered within a house structures & components insurance coverage.
Surveyors, architects and also lawful costs are guaranteed adhering to damages to your house.
Your garage and yard shed are covered.
Permanent fittings such as kitchen systems, closets in the rooms and washroom components are guaranteed by your residence buildings insurance plan.
MATERIALS INSURANCE
Components insurance covers such things as theft of jewelry, paintings, television, computer and also various other personal possessions in the home and also barns.
In case of a fire or flooding in the residence your materials, such as your furniture and also flooring, are guaranteed ought to they be damaged normally on a new for old basis.
It is pleasing to note that your home components insurance coverage policy gives cover in the event of criminal damage.
If you consist of unintentional damage cover your materials are insured must you, for example, splash a tin of paint on your carpet or your furnishings.
Components in the yard as well as the theft of cash from your home are covered by your residence materials insurance coverage policy.
If you include individual items insurance coverage in your plan after that, must you harm or have your cam taken whilst it is away from your house, the policy will certainly pay out.
The components in your fridge freezer are covered.
A residence buildings & materials insurance coverage has various other alternatives such as cover for pedal cycles and also lawful defense insurance policy for your household.
You have to research the policy problems for the home structures & components insurance coverage plan as there are a number of exemptions, unwanteds as well as limitations on the quantity of cover offered particular products.
Premiums are usually payable by straight debit either on a month-to-month or yearly basis-if you pay regular monthly after that a number of insurer who supply home buildings & materials insurance policy fee greater than if you pay each year.