home insurance with 40% flat roof

ih8stress

I've been comparing insurance quotes the mse way as mine is up for renewal but am struggling to find which companies accept homes with a 40% flat roof.

I've read through loads of policies but not many seem to mention this.
Can anyone please advise of any reputable (if they exist) companies I can try. The only option seems to be ringing round.

Any quick advice appreciated as I need to renew tomorrow. And no, I haven't left it until the last minute, it's taken me days to find different information out.

Thanks

dacouch

Forgive me if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but this may help, when it comes to Insurance we calculate the percentage of the roof area that is flat by working it out as a percentage of the entire homes roof area.

Generally Insurers accept between 20% and 25% of the roof area being flat as a standard client.

For homes with roofs above this it's often best to try a local broker, if you do not have time to do this have a look at Aviva as they are one of the Insurers we normally place homes with large flat roofs. If their website won't quote for it try giving them a ring. (They are not always very cheap though) If it helps quidco are offering £70 cash back on Aviva home insurance policies transacted online (Remember to follow the MSE advice if using cashback sites, if you need help let us know)

ih8stress

Hi dacouch. (Sorry for delay in replying, needed a break from it).

I've calculated the flat roof area (an extension) by roughly measuring the internal layout. This being two areas measuring 19ft x 7ft and 6ft x 8ft respectively. I worked this out as approx. 181 sq.ft.
I then measured the original house layout at 14ft x 23ft and worked this out to be approx. 322 sq. ft.
Finally I added both together to produce a total layout of 503 sq. ft. Thus I figured that the percentage would be between 35%-40%.

If I have got this totally wrong, please say, I won't be offended. I was never very good at maths!

I did speak to Swintons this afternoon and they transferred me to Adrian Flux but I was on hold for ages so in the end rang off. Also, I saw a post of yours that did not seem too enamoured with Swintons.

I'll check Aviva now. I'm not with quidco but am with cashbackkings so will see what they offer too.

Bradford & Bingley and MoreThan are ones that might do it. Any tips on these two companies?

Thanks for your advice so far. I've noticed you seem to give lots of guidance on this forum.

dacouch

If your getting quotes online check the voluntary excess and compulsory excess as these are added together to give you the total amount you pay towards a claim. A lot of online companies quote with high excesses to make their premiums look competitive.

On the Morethan policy check any terms they apply as they are an RSA company and RSA often apply terms to properties with flat roofs. This can be a good thing as they sometimes do not load but apply a bigger excess for claims connected to the flat roof and / or insist the flat roof is checked by a contractor once a year.

If you have time try a good local broker not a swintons, they should be able to get you a decent deal

ih8stress

At the moment I've just been reading the policy wording of companies from GoCompare etc. (this being the one that mentioned flat roofs in the questionaire) but can't find flat roofs mentioned at all.

Can you please suggest where exactly I should be looking? I have read the Morethan policy.

I don't know any local brokers - have only used Swintons in the past.

Thank you so much for your input

dacouch

You can find a proper local broker using this link http://www.biba.org.uk/ConsumerHome.aspx

I'm not sure where the More Than policy would mention about flat roofs as comparison sites do not always outline all restrictions.

With regard to the excess, have a look at how much it says for voluntary excess and then look at where it says either "Total Excess", "Compulsory Excess" or "Policy Excess"

ih8stress

Thanks. Have had a quick look at the brokers websites - not a great deal of choice in my area but will make phone calls tomorrow.

With regard to policies, I've gone to the insurance companies own websites to download the policy details, not through the comparison site.

Will look more into the excess situation. I've been bogged down/concentrated on the flat roof part and not really got any further, yet.

Once again, I really appreciate your time to answer

dacouch

Get a broker to do the running around for you, they will also know the terms the insurers apply, the excesses and can tell you how good a company is

ih8stress

Can you tell me if brokers charge a fee, or do they get their money by a commission from their recommendation?

Also, are 'independent' and able to give unbiased information?

dacouch

A broker you get from the link I sent you are independent and will have a very high knowledge of Insurance.

They will be paid a commission from the Insurer, some will charge a small fee eg £10. However it is free to obtain a quote and there is no obligation, even if you decide not to take up a quote from them you may gain some usefull knowledge from them.

ih8stress

Once again, many thanks dacouch. Think I'm going to leave it for the night (what's left of it!). I will ring one of them from the link tomorrow and I will keep you updated on my progress.