Buildings Insurance for Grade 2 Listed house

Savvy_Sue

wallofbeans wrote: »

Will that make a difference? I'm quite tempted by the @350ish quotes I've had as that's £150 cheaper than what I am getting quoted by my current insurer.

I've never used a broker, how does it work, and suggestions of good companies to do this?

Thanks.

The BIG advantage of a broker is that you are talking to someone who understands the market, and knows who will cover YOUR kind of house. No particular recommendations: you may have a local broker you can go and talk to face to face, otherwise phone a couple you've found online.

With the £350-ish quotes, I'd strongly recommend phoning to check you are properly covered, and what the exclusions are. Carefully compare what your current insurer is offering.

Nebulous2

Have you tried Direct Line?

wallofbeans

Nebulous2 wrote: »

Have you tried Direct Line?

I tried them online, but as soon as you tick the 'listed' box they say you need to call them and I moved on...

Savvy_Sue

wallofbeans wrote: »

I tried them online, but as soon as you tick the 'listed' box they say you need to call them and I moved on...

Well, if you want the widest choice, you're going to have to pick up the phone. Online comparison sites are great for bog-standard comparisons: introduce something a bit different and you need a bit of human intervention, either because there are more questions to ask than they want to introduce into the comparison site equation, or because they still have human beings making some decisions.

That's where a broker can be so helpful.

Zorillo

wallofbeans wrote: »

I tried them online, but as soon as you tick the 'listed' box they say you need to call them and I moved on...

There's your problem! I was puzzled as to why you were finding it hard to get insurance for a grade two listed building, which is generally acceptable to most insurers.

However if you're not willing to speak to them, they can't ask you any further questions, like the reason for listed status, whether any specialist or obsolete building techniques or materials would be required to rebuild, and to double check it's not 2* listed which may not be acceptable.

Pick up the phone, or visit a broker.

Nebulous2

wallofbeans wrote: »

I tried them online, but as soon as you tick the 'listed' box they say you need to call them and I moved on...

They did really well for me - but I had to phone. I found comparison sites useless because of the age of my house.

wallofbeans

I called Direct Line and they quoted almost the same price I have from my current insurer.

It's so frustrating as our house was just one of 30 or so that the council decided to list 30 years ago in an estate of hundreds of identical properties... And there's nothing particularly special or specific about any of them, and certainly nothing different from the houses down the street that will be paying a third of what I am...

Brokers next I guess... but I'm getting the feeling I'm not going to find a better price...

Chickenlips

The price is one of the things you should consider, but it not the benchmark on how to choose a policy.

Not all policies are equal. A policy that is £150 a year more could save you thousands in the event of a claim. If a policy is much cheaper than others, there is usually a reason burried somewhere in the policy wording!

I agree that you should speak to a broker. At the very least to ensure you get the right level of cover for the property. Your building sum insured will need to be enough for the rebuild value of your property as well as all the specialist fees such as architects and surveyors to help with listed building consent.

A broker will also be able to tell you which policies to get and shouldn't offer policies that cover very little.