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Getting basic home insurance covers you for the costs if something should happen to your property.
You can insure the buildings itself and you can insure the contents separate. Buildings insurance typically covers the buildings itself and its fixtures and fitting, however contents insurance is to protect theft or damage of your personal possessions such as electronics and furniture.
It isn’t a legal requirement to insure your home however it is advisable. If you should suffer a loss, your insurance provider will be able to cover your losses. It gives mortgage lenders peace of mind to know that you are going to be financially stable in the event of a disaster. Most landlords will cover the buildings insurance, but you will have to get your own contents cover.
You are basically protecting your possessions from yourself. Accidents happen, so you can cover yourself for them. This can include expensive items such as TV’s and games consoles, depending on your policy you will have different items and a different accumulated cost covered. Make sure you know what you’re covered for in an event that a youngster knocks the television of the stand, it can be a costly replacement.
Think about anything that you wouldn’t want to loose. Anything that would effect you financially if it was lost or broken and you could benefit from being covered by insurance.
You should add up the amount of all of your special items and make sure they’re adequately covered.
You don’t want to be choosing between the Television or the Sofa to replace because you were underinsured.
Personal Possessions cover is split into two different categories, Unspecified and Specified personal possessions. These provide cover for items that you wear or carry outside of the home. Normally where they are valued at less than £1,000 each, they should be covered under the unspecified option, simply choose a total cover value that adequately suits your needs. If your items are worth more than £1,000 each, they should be covered under the Specified Personal Possessions option.
Most insurers we use will cover clerical business use of the home, this would be computer use or paperwork and should not include visits by business contacts. For full business use including visitors to the home, please contact us for a quote.
You have to remember that the excess is in place for you to pay in the event of an emergency. You don’t want to leave yourself with an unaffordable lump sum to pay if your house burns down, it would make your insurance policy pointless.
Yes. Changes can change the validity of your cover.
You are insured due to your circumstances and the assessed risks, you don’t want an accident to happen because your forgot you changed the type of the lock on the back door and your insurance won’t cover the losses.
This is because the lock may have reduced the security of the property and because the insurance provider wasn’t aware they couldn’t advise you to pay the correct premiums.
The owner of the property is responsible for the building itself, however you are responsible for your own possessions.
It is always best to check your circumstances and be sure that your landlord has adequate home insurance but they are not required to protect your personal belongings.
If you buy a piece of furniture that has significant value, you will want to inform your insurance provider so that they can include it in your contents cover.
The same with if you make any changes to the building itself, if you want an extension, you will have to let the insurance company know so they can protect your for the higher risks while extending the property, but also have the extension covered when it has been finished.
You can visit our unoccupied property page and get a quote to suit your circumstances.
Alternatively you can call a member of our team who will be happy to talk you through your policy options.
If you’d like a quote for a property you own but rent out to tenants, try our landlord’s insurance page where you can obtain Multi Quotes from several insurers.
Yes. Most insurers stipulate that they must be notified before any works begin. They could increase the policy excess or the insurance premium, or even remove cover against loss due to theft or storm whilst the works are ongoing. Some insurers will even cancel cover altogether.
Yes. The insurers have asked a direct question here and you should try to answer the question honestly and to the best of your knowledge. If in doubt, you should mention that your property could be within 400 metres and this would be recorded on your Statement of Fact document.
You can get a home insurance quote which will lead you to the option to select your circumstances.
In your case, you will only need contents insurance because your landlord will cover the buildings insurance.
If you have any problems during your quote process, give us a call.
Insurers will record details of any losses notified to them, whether or not a claim was made. Although this shouldn’t affect your premium or policy terms, you should mention it on property insurance applications up to five years from the incident date, if requested.
Most insurers will allow a short period of cover when your property is unoccupied. This will be explained in your policy document. However, some policies only allow 14 days cover when your property is unoccupied. You should also be mindful of any changes to the terms of your policy, such as reduced level of cover or increased excesses during periods when your property is unoccupied. Contact your insurer company to discuss this matter.
Fixtures and fittings such as kitchen units and bathrooms suites are usually considered to be part of the “building”(as defined in your policy document). By adding “full accidental damage” cover to your buildings policy, you should be covered against most forms of accidental damage to your kitchen.
Problems such as non-payment of rent, eviction of tenants and neglect by tenants isn’t covered on most landlords’ insurance policies. Try looking for Landlords’ Legal Expenses insurance, which will pay for use of a solicitor to deal with these problems. You could also consider Landlords’ Legal Expenses & Rent Guarantee insurance. These policies will also reimburse you for the actual rent which is owed to you by the tenant.
Most insurers can provide £2 million or £5 million Property-Owners’ Liability (sometimes referred to as Public Liability cover)
Many insurers do apply an increased excess of Escape of Water claims and this should be clearly shown in the policy document or schedule of insurance.
Burst pipes can cause terrible damage, particularly if a property is unoccupied and the problem isn’t spotted immediately. Insurers require precautions to be taken during the winter, such as keeping the central heating switched on at all times, or draining the entire water system. These conditions will be details in your documentation.
If you still can’t find your answer then please check our other FAQs or Get in Touch – we’re always happy to help.
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