House insurance

jjmmww1

Need to go for house insurance for our first home and not sure how do to this as we have been asked to get some ready but unsure what date to put as we have not got a completion date yet. Would it be best to ring insurers and go that way or do a quote online first then ring and ask for an open ended date?

eddddy

Typically, you need to insure from exchange of contracts (not completion) - unless it's a newbuild.

As you suggest, you can get online quotes, then when you know the exchange date, phone to take out the policy and ask for the exchange date as the start date.

jjmmww1

That's great thanks for your help

Mutton_Geoff

jjmmww1 wrote: »

Need to go for house insurance for our first home and not sure how do to this as we have been asked to get some ready but unsure what date to put as we have not got a completion date yet. Would it be best to ring insurers and go that way or do a quote online first then ring and ask for an open ended date?

Just get comparison quotes for a date say a month ahead, then when you have an exchange date, go back and amend the quote you like the look of and start it then.


Quotes vary a lot. I just renewed mine (a grade 2 listed house) and they ranged from £410 (LV basic) to £2,600 (Hiscox gold plated). I only want fire and theft covered as I self insure most risks. I went for the LV policy as I have my cars with them and am already £2,190 up this year.

Niv

Mutton_Geoff wrote: »

Just get comparison quotes for a date say a month ahead, then when you have an exchange date, go back and amend the quote you like the look of and start it then.


Quotes vary a lot. I just renewed mine (a grade 2 listed house) and they ranged from £410 (LV basic) to £2,600 (Hiscox gold plated). I only want fire and theft covered as I self insure most risks. I went for the LV policy as I have my cars with them and am already £2,190 up this year.

A word of warning about LV. From all the cheap quotes i had from them I cannot take them up as they do not insure houses with oil boilers. So just double check before taking out with LV if you have oil!

Mutton_Geoff

Niv wrote: »

A word of warning about LV. From all the cheap quotes i had from them I cannot take them up as they do not insure houses with oil boilers. So just double check before taking out with LV if you have oil!

All new gas boiler here. I did speak to them at length before taking out the policy since their website says "key operated locks on all windows" whereas most other insurers say ground floor and accessible windows only. I have mostly Crittall windows and didn't want to install locks on the upstairs windows unnecessarily. They agreed and noted "gf only".


Parts of my house were built in 1790, other parts in 1950 so notes were made of that too.


I kept the price down by having high voluntary excesses of £500.

Niv

Mutton_Geoff wrote: »

All new gas boiler here. I did speak to them at length before taking out the policy since their website says "key operated locks on all windows" whereas most other insurers say ground floor and accessible windows only. I have mostly Crittall windows and didn't want to install locks on the upstairs windows unnecessarily.


Parts of my house were built in 1790, other parts in 1950 so notes were made of that too.


I kept the price down by having high voluntary excesses of £500.

Glad its all good for you - I suspect many do not go to the lengths you described!


My place is a mish mash of ages too, dating back to 1600 to around 1980!

G_M

Niv wrote: »

...... they do not insure houses with oil boilers. So just double check before taking out with LV if you have oil!

Really? I used to be with LV, and I have oil :eek:


edit: from the policy document:

What's covered:

Water or oil leaking from any fixed
tank, domestic appliance or pipe.

Niv

G_M wrote: »

Really? I used to be with LV, and I have oil :eek:


edit: from the policy document:

Ok, so maybe it isn't a blanket policy but I can confirm that the last two years when renewing home insurance LV were top of the pile and on both occasions when I went to proceed on their site it said they don't cover oil boilers. Odd.

ripplyuk

G_M wrote: »

Really? I used to be with LV, and I have oil :eek::

They stopped covering houses with an oil boiler about 2yrs ago. Anyone who already had a policy with them will continue to be covered on renewal.

I’m with LV and have oil heating. My quote this year is a bit high but I know if I leave, I’ll never be able to insure with them again.

G_M

Ah! That's possible as it's been a few years since I was with them.


Having said that, the quote above came from their current policy document straight off their current website. Why would they cover oil leaks from a fixed tank if they don't cover oil boilers..... :huh: