Home insurance criteria and questions...

dacouch

It would be worth running it through without mentioning the canal and then ringing the Insurers as they will take into account its a canal as they tend not to flood (They tend to leak). They will look at the EA website and possibly use other tools and should hopefully agree cover.

One of the questions they will ask you is does you home have a history of flooding which I assume you can answer no

Just make sure the canal is shown on the proposal form you sign also make a note of the name and date / time of your call

martyp

Many thanks all.
I'm curious about the locks thing. The main door lock is a rim auto deadlocking night latch. It can be locked with a key from the inside and also has a lever. The bit that goes into the door frame has two parts, the bigger curved bit and a small straight bolt like bit.
The French Doors are key locked inside and out and I noticed that when I lift the handle up there are 4 angled hook like silver things that come out along the length of the door and lock into holes in the frame. An insurer said that was a 5 lever mortice lock?
Can someone advise as if I have got special locks which I do actually use all the time then it might save me something...
Many thanks
I've also found insurers more understanding over the phone when mentioning the canal thing. Allianz, Lloyds and Legal and General seem to be my best options at the moment (through several brokers).

mattymoo

The french doors are what is known as a multi-point locking system and you can find these on wooden and UPVC type doors. It is definately not a 5 lever lock and whoever said that was talking rubbish.

The rim lock will need to have a British Standard kite mark on it to be accepted by insurers. It is normally on the face where the bolt comes out. There are a few with lockable internal handles that do not meet the Brit Std so take care. If no kite mark, it is not compliant.

martyp

Thanks mattymoo. That's something extra I can select when getting quotes as before I'd just say 'other locks' the multipoint locking sounds much better. I do use it religiously too so feel comfortable declaring it. I have seen some quotation sites asking for a night locking dead latch etc but not mentioning british standard. I did find my lock on the manufacturer's website but no mention at all of meeting any standards.

dacouch

Martyp have you looked at what the difference in premium with and without the lock discount? I would be surprised if its more than £10 a year.

If you opt for the security discount you will almost certainly have the warranty that excludes theft cover if your locks were not the correct locks and were locked or they will impose a much bigger excess for theft claims if the locks were not correct and in use.

Also bear in mind that if you declare the locks they will probably also apply a warranty that requires there to be signs of a violent or forcible entry. The type of locks they use in the multi point locking doors are very easy to pick. I could open that type of door within a minute and it normally means there are no signs of a forced entry. Mattymoo has viewed the website that demonstrates it (Which has been viewed over 100000 times). So if some used this technique on your lock (It is thankfully rare) your Insurer may not pay out if you have the security warranty (There are some Insurers that require there to be signs of a violent or forcible entry even if you do not take the security discount)

Also bear in mind the security discount will require you to shut and lock all of the accessible windows.

I have seen a few claims declined where people had selected this discount, saved themself £6 a year but had a £5000 theft claim declined. I also took over a client who had this discount with his previous Insurer and when he came to me I explained why it was best not to take it and he subsequently had a break in which cost £13000 which would not have been covered by his previous Insurers.

If you take the discount read what requirements it places on you and make sure your locks are the correct locks and you use them whenever you leave the house (Some will even require you to use the window locks excluding the bedroom your sleeping in when you go to bed)

martyp

Many thanks dacouch, I think the best quotes I have got now are actually without stating about the locks so will probably go with one of those as they are. Scary about how easy the locks can be picked. I did manage to get in myself without too much trouble when I locked myself out! Made me think...
Although there are Neighbourhood Watch stickers and signs all around I'm not part of any groups but I live in a quiet street where the neighbours pretty much know each other and are quite observant about anything unusual so that can be some element of comfort there.