November 18, 2009
More house insurance reviews
Story link: More house insurance reviews
Finance Markets continues to publish a range of home insurance reviews on their site, and underlines the caveat that you get what you pay for.
It seems budget providers come under particular fire for not providing enough support or clearing claims faster.
We’ve already covered Prudential, LV, and Aviva here, but FM includes a few more:
Barclays Home Insurance
Churchill Home Insurance
Columbus Direct Home Insurance
Direct Line Home Insurance
Nationwide Home Insurance
There’s something different for everyone, but the message remains clear - make sure you have the house insurance cover you actually need, and don’t skimp on price.
February 11, 2009
Are you insured against rats?
Story link: Are you insured against rats?
Weather conditions of late have made our homes perfect communal areas to rodents.
The cold and frosty weather conditions means that their outdoor supply of food has slowly dried up, leaving rodents no option but to venture indoors.
But the question is, are you covered if they cause any damage to your property?
This is the busiest month of the year for pest control firms. The first frosts spell an end to the ready supply of outdoor food for rodents, so they forage, nest and breed in the nooks and crannies of warm homes.
But eating, sleeping and breeding is not all they do. They spread disease and can chew through wiring, pipes, even wooden joists and brickwork.
The price of a postcode
Story link: The price of a postcode
High priced insurance policies doesn’t directly relate to the value of properties in the area. In fact a lot of the times it is the complete opposite, as insurance companies take into account crime in the area including burglaries and of course, flood risks.
When purchasing a property it is always good to try and gauge how much your insurance will set you back each year.
They share the dubious honour of being three of Britain’s most expensive areas for home insurance. The residents of West Norwood, south-east London; Bacup in Lancashire, and Anfield in Liverpool, pay up to three times as much for buildings and contents cover than those living in the cheapest areas, which include Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, Barnstaple in Devon, and Meifod in mid Wales.
The figures come from price comparison website moneysupermarket.com, which has analysed all the quotes given by insurers to its customers.
Covered, but not for the first £25,000
Story link: Covered, but not for the first £25,000
For me, this seems to completely miss the point of what home insurance cover was for in the first place.
Cover was put into place so that when something did eventually happen to our properties, we had nothing to worry about, as we had been slowly ‘saving’ for it.
How many claims are actually over £25,000!?
Covered, but not for the first £25,000
A couple whose home was devastated by last year’s floods have been told by their insurer that they must pay the first £25,000 of any future flooding claim.
Penny and Philip Hall previously had a flooding ‘excess’ of just £50 on their Norwich Union policy, but they have been told they need to provide evidence of the flood-proofing of their home if they want the new higher ‘excess’ cut.
Vermin become a bigger problem
Story link: Vermin become a bigger problem
Home Insurance companies are urging customers to clean properties in a thorough manner, before going away.
Incidents that include vermin in properties are on the increase, mainly due to customers going away for weeks or months and leaving materials or even food, that attract the likes of rats and mice!
Vermin become a bigger problem
Home insurance customers who intend to leave a property unoccupied for a significant period of time should clean it thoroughly, it has been claimed.
According to the British Insurance Brokers’ Association, it is important to ensure no food is left around that might attract rats and mice.
Turn on the lights
Story link: Turn on the lights
Statistics show that properties with lights off are running the risk of getting burgled. Properties with the lights off are more likely to get burgled than a property that has the lights on, as it acts as a deterrent for burglars.
With high energy prices, it is not ideal to be wasting electricity, but it seems that is what it will take, to avoid an insurance claim.
A person who leaves their house in darkness is risking a home insurance claim, it has been suggested.
Tayside police have issued this warning after some 25 properties were burgled in the city during the past week.
February 4, 2009
The hidden criminal to steal your home insurance
Story link: The hidden criminal to steal your home insurance
This is an extremely important point, as I know that quite a few landlords that just do face value checks on their tenants, rather than in depth background checks, which would include these convictions.
The hidden criminal to steal your home insurance
Many people are living with worthless home insurance because they or someone - such as a tenant or lodger - living in their property has an unspent conviction, experts warn.
Householders risk losing thousands of pounds in rejected claims because they do not realise they need to declare even the most minor conviction of anyone in their household.
January 16, 2009
Free contents cover
Story link: Free contents cover
Great news for people who are looking to get buildings and contents cover at the same time, and £50,000 cover is nothing to sniffle at either!
Companies like Aviva are more likely to get a bigger market share by offering deals such as the one mentioned below.
Two of the UK’s biggest home insurance providers, Aviva (Norwich Union) and More Than, are offering free contents insurance to new buildings insurance customers.
Aviva’s offer gives up to £50,000 free contents cover to customers buying buildings and contents insurance together.
New partners for confused.com home insurance
Story link: New partners for confused.com home insurance
The more partners that confused.com has, the better it will become. The deals are likely to be a lot more competitive as the number of partners increases which is obviously an asset to getting over the credit crunch, not just for home insurance either!
New partners for confused.com home insurance
Confused.com is delighted to welcome the addition of five new partners, to its already extremely comprehensive list of providers for home, travel and motor insurance.
The new partners joining the home insurance panel will be ASDA, Hastings Direct, and InsurePink. Both ASDA and Hastings Direct will be exclusive to Confused.com.
December 30, 2008
Home insurance gets cheaper
Story link: Home insurance gets cheaper
Sites comparing and saving people money are bound to be a huge hit with any community, so well done to the people that decided to put this together.
Financially pressed homeowners unhappy with their insurance rates will find that while there are few bargains in the Dallas area, the premiums charged in their neighborhoods can vary widely depending on the company and the type of policy being sold.
And now, consumers can shop for a better rate for both homeowners and auto insurance at a new state Web site, www.helpinsure.com. The site, run by the state Department of Insurance, offers a breakdown of premiums for areas around the state.