Is there an explanation?

Gers

My elderly mother lives in a lovely huge two bedrooom Glasgow tenement flat in the West End. Her contents only insurance for £50,000.00 all risks is £38.00 per year. Buildings contents is common.

Me, lives in a rural area of Argyll with the same £50,000.00 contents only with same insurance company - £180.00. Same two bedrooms, much smaller though a house.

Am I being taken for a mug or is a rural area so much more of a risk?

dacouch

For £38 your mother has a basic policy.

She is also older than you which makes a massive difference

dunstonh

Do either of you have personal possessions cover?
Do either of you have accidental cover?
Do either of you have specific discounts? (which could be age related)
What other premium specific add-ons may either of you have or have not got?

VfM4meplse

dacouch wrote: »

For £38 your mother has a basic policy.

She is also older than you which makes a massive difference

How does that make a difference to contents insurance? Are older people less likely to be robbed? Or less likely to make a claim for expensive electronic items?

dacouch

VfM4meplse wrote: »

How does that make a difference to contents insurance? Are older people less likely to be robbed? Or less likely to make a claim for expensive electronic items?

They make less claims than younger people and have a tendancy to only claim for real disasters and not claim for small claims.

Being robbed or as I suspect you mean a break in, both a are relatively low risk for elderly people from an insurers persepective. As in for a robbery insurers are limited to the amount they cover which is typically circa £300. For a break in, thieves tend to target younger people's homes as they have the type of electronics a thief wants.

Elderly people tend to be at home a lot more than a younger person who is in work so this prevents most break ins and also means senior customers tend to spot water leaks (Which are a fairly common insurance claim) a lot quicker than someone who is away from the home.

ThinkingOutLoud_2

• In a rural location - the police and the fire brigade and even plumbers may take far longer to get to you
• You may not have any / as many neighbours who would spot something untoward.
• Would her flat in a concrete building be less susceptible to any fire than a house?
• Would the flat have centrally connected smoke alarms and boiler safety checks checked annually. You may have alarms too - but they are not checked by the building managers.
• Are you more susceptible to flooding?

agrinnall

Her insurance sounds cheap and yours sounds very expensive - my building and contents cover is less than that.

1) Check that your mother's cover is enough for her needs, if it is then leave well alone.

2) Shop around for a cheaper policy for yourself.