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buildings and contents insurance

JC_Derby
JC_Derby Posts: 824 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
edited 2 July 2012 at 9:09AM in Insurance & life assurance
after living here for 4 years with O/H i found out the other day we didnt have either of the above...
been through Confused and getting quotes between £280 and £350 per year....is this about right - ( i know it depends on circumstance)
So when asked about value of contents do i cover everything ie freezers, fridge oven, dishwasher etc etc i honestly cant remember it being this complicated in last property!
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Comments

  • phill99
    phill99 Posts: 9,092 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    If you are getting prices at £280 - £350 from a comparison site then that's evidently the market rate. Strange as it seems, none of us have a magic wand to make it any cheaper.

    In terms of the value of your contents, imagine you had a fire and were left with just the clothes you were wearing. How much would it cost to replace all of the stuff in your house? Include all furniture, carpets, electrical appliances, clothes, DVDs, CDs, telephones, PCs, jewellery, cutlery, crockery, books, pictures, ornaments, curtains, blinds, tools, food, linen, duvets, light shades, etc etc. That's the figure you need to be covering.
    Eat vegetables and fear no creditors, rather than eat duck and hide.
  • Macca83_2
    Macca83_2 Posts: 1,215 Forumite
    I may get shot down in flames but id advise any company that provides unlimited cover. Especially if you live in a flat, terraced or semi detached house. If you have a fire or emergency that affects your neighbours then you will be responsible for any costs. Do not skimp on your buildings and contents
  • phill99
    phill99 Posts: 9,092 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Macca83 wrote: »
    I may get shot down in flames but id advise any company that provides unlimited cover. Especially if you live in a flat, terraced or semi detached house. If you have a fire or emergency that affects your neighbours then you will be responsible for any costs. Do not skimp on your buildings and contents

    Certainly not going to shoot you down in flames, but think you are slightly misguided.

    The figure for contents insurance is only for YOUR contents and the figure for the buildings is YOUR rebuilding cost. This is to cover you in the event of a total or partial loss. However if you have a fire that affects another persons house and your insurance company end up footing the bill, this isn't included in the cover for YOUR buildings and contents. If it was, then you would have to knock on all of your neighbours doors and ask them how much their contents were worth, and then declare to your insurers that you although you only live in a 2 bed terrace house in Doncaster, you need £2 million of contents cover.

    The cover that you elude to is part of the 3rd party liability aspect of your insurance, which most people don't worry about and indeed don't need to as luckily, very few claims on house insurance rarely involve neighbours properties.

    Having unlimited contents cover would also cost a great deal of money. Unlimited cover on the buildings aspect of you insurance is quite a common thing, though.
    Eat vegetables and fear no creditors, rather than eat duck and hide.
  • Macca83_2
    Macca83_2 Posts: 1,215 Forumite
    phill99 wrote: »
    Certainly not going to shoot you down in flames, but think you are slightly misguided.

    The figure for contents insurance is only for YOUR contents and the figure for the buildings is YOUR rebuilding cost. This is to cover you in the event of a total or partial loss. However if you have a fire that affects another persons house and your insurance company end up footing the bill, this isn't included in the cover for YOUR buildings and contents. If it was, then you would have to knock on all of your neighbours doors and ask them how much their contents were worth, and then declare to your insurers that you although you only live in a 2 bed terrace house in Doncaster, you need £2 million of contents cover.

    The cover that you elude to is part of the 3rd party liability aspect of your insurance, which most people don't worry about and indeed don't need to as luckily, very few claims on house insurance rarely involve neighbours properties.

    Having unlimited contents cover would also cost a great deal of money. Unlimited cover on the buildings aspect of you insurance is quite a common thing, though.

    interesting! Just out of interest, how do you know that? I was always advised, by a pretty reliable source, that it would come from your own buildings and contents cover. Id be pretty p-eed off if id been told porkies.
  • rs65
    rs65 Posts: 5,682 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Macca83 wrote: »
    interesting! Just out of interest, how do you know that? I was always advised, by a pretty reliable source, that it would come from your own buildings and contents cover. Id be pretty p-eed off if id been told porkies.

    It would come from your home cover but the liability section. I guess you (or they) misunderstood. Even then, you have to be legally liable for the damage to others.
  • Macca83_2
    Macca83_2 Posts: 1,215 Forumite
    No they specifically said it came under the buildings and contents cover, not the legal liabilities cover. Hence the unlimited cover. That was an important part of the cover they provided and why they received the 5 star defacto rating. Thanks for the info!
  • dacouch
    dacouch Posts: 21,636 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Macca83 wrote: »
    No they specifically said it came under the buildings and contents cover, not the legal liabilities cover. Hence the unlimited cover. That was an important part of the cover they provided and why they received the 5 star defacto rating. Thanks for the info!

    They did not know what they were talking about, I guess the person who told you it was the call centre or bank staff who sold you the cover
  • Macca83_2
    Macca83_2 Posts: 1,215 Forumite
    No unfortunately it came from a regional director within the bank. Which is more of a cause for concern than if it came from a front counter or call centre member of staff
  • dacouch
    dacouch Posts: 21,636 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Why do you expect bank staff to understand insurance
  • phill99
    phill99 Posts: 9,092 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Macca83 wrote: »
    No they specifically said it came under the buildings and contents cover, not the legal liabilities cover. Hence the unlimited cover. That was an important part of the cover they provided and why they received the 5 star defacto rating. Thanks for the info!

    If that was the case, and you lived in a block of high rise flats, then you would have to effectively insure the contents of upto say 100 flats. Tha t could be millions and your premium would be tens of thousands of pounds.

    When you get a quote, they ask you for the value of YOUR contents. I've never been asked for the value of my contents and all the neighbours who may be affected in the event of a fire and it consuming everything within a five mile radius.
    Eat vegetables and fear no creditors, rather than eat duck and hide.
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