House extension and buildings insurance cover

immy1

Hi

We are having an extension built within the next few months and I am just wondering when we need to tell our insurer? Do I have to take the price they quote for inserting a  clause into our insurance while the work is done or should I shop around for separate cover?  Thanks

Slinky

Don't leave it until the last minute. We have our buildings insurance through a broker as there has previously been a subsidence claim a long time ago so it's not straightforward. When I spoke to the broker to tell him we were having an extension, our existing insurer didn't want to cover us so we had to take out a new policy with a different company. The partial refund from the old company offset some of the new premium.

Brie

immy1 said:

Hi

We are having an extension built within the next few months and I am just wondering when we need to tell our insurer? Do I have to take the price they quote for inserting a  clause into our insurance while the work is done or should I shop around for separate cover?  Thanks

Not sure how having separate cover would work at all!  

Dog forbid that anything should happen during the building but if say a worker manages to blow up half the new bit and damage some of the old bit it would be a very tangled thing for the insurers to work out and would dreadfully prolong getting things sorted.  Even something like some burglar stealing things because there's a big hole in the wall might be a nightmare.  

ic

I'm about to have work done - I've been unable to get quotes online.  My existing insurer wouldn't cover the work, so we've arranged to cancel the policy, and I've had to call others to get quotes.  I've had to provide a copy of the signed contract I have with the builder, and the underwriters have been involved multiple times.

I also found when using price comparison sites that some insurers would give a price online - but then ask me to call when I tried to purchase.  When I've discussed the work, they've decided they wouldn't cover us.

So my advice is tell you insurer now.

NeverTooLate

Our insurer wouldn't continue to insure us for our extension, we found a broker who got us renovation insurance for 6 months. Fortunately the builders kept to their schedule so 6 months was all we needed, then went back to normal insurance.

immy1

Thanks for the advice all.

ComicGeek

We used Stanhope insurance brokers when we had our extension done last year. We moved out for the duration of the works, so has a complicated situation with insurances. They were really helpful talking us through it all, and arranging everything.