Home Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

TopCashBack_Company_Representative

Just answered it (if it's the one about completing offline).

[Deleted User]

An apology if this has been referred to before.

I have been trawling the search engines to try to reduce my home insurance costs. I should mention that I am NOT in the ‘renewal zone’, as that seems to be an important distinction.

Martin mentions that you can change insurer at any time. What is not so clear is that your current insurer will not be happy about this, such that it is very likely that there will be a cost entailed. So what I have bumped up against is my current insurer wanting to penalise me for my temerity by imposing a penalty charge which, perhaps naively, I had not expected. Therefore it seems that the only ‘free’ time to change is at renewal.

NU Direct apparently charge a flat £30.45 for leaving, and made no attempt to stop me with a better offer. I am aware that other companies charge 25% of any unexpired portion. Is anyone aware of companies offering better or worse transfer terms?

Having said that it will still probably be worthwhile changing, but this was an unanticipated reduction in the saving. Therefore it seems to me that this is a factor in the decision, and you need to be aware of the transfer terms both of your current insurer and proposed insurer, or it may be a case of out of the frying pan into the fire.

I assume it is best to have the new insurance in place before cancelling the old policy?

[Deleted User]

Deleted_User wrote:

Snip

Anyone have any comments on the preceding post?

bookworm1363

Hello all.

After reading up on insurance here, I decided to give it a go.

:j By switching my mortgage repayment, life assurance and home insurance to 3 different companies, instead of all through my mortgage provider (Halifax), I will be paying a total of about £51/mth instead of the £96/mth I am currently paying!!! With 15 years left on my mortgage, that's what I call a sizeable saving! Thanks, Martin! :money:

ML

sirboz

ok its time for my house insurance to be sorted, i checked out TCB - zurich and it was £100 more expensive ! ? !

tried lloyds through quidco and then it said I have to phone in due to the amount, ehce i guess i wouldnt get my cashback anyway. So I am pretty fed up wasting time typing all my details in already, but after getting into the spirit of moneysaving I refuse to just renew it with the existing insurer as I normally do

I saw something about insurance supermarket website, is that a good way to go ? or anyone else have any recommendations please ?

trevjl

Had my renewal for buildings through from the Halifax. Checked out confused and insuresupermarket and found one slightly cheaper £123 against £114. Then decided to try my old trick of making out I was a new customer. logged into to Halifax, re-entered my details exactly the same and surprise surprise a quote of £99. I have done this before with car insurance as well and it has worked before. If the company tell you it can't be done, try putting it in your partners name instead and change it back again next year. The companies will give you a load of old bull that they do not give better deals to new customers, cobblers. Asda quoted my son for car insurance renewal, I put in my name with his details and the quote was £400 against £600 for his renewal !!

trotworthy

Have just tried Confused to get a contents quote and couldn't get past the occupation question. I work part-time as a Library Assistant and it wouldn't accept either. Help!

EssexGirl

Trotworthy,
I have that problem too. My job title is "principal library assistant" but basically I'm a library manager, but no one recognises either of those. Try Librarian, it's all they seem to understand.

Anon

I note that if you go through Quidco you can get £75 off Barclays Insurance. Does anyone know if this applies only if you take buildings and contents, or can you take out buidlings or contents separately? I currently have separate buildings and contents (last year it worked out much cheaper/better value by separating them).

If you can do separately and still get the Quidco/TopCashback fee for either buildings or contents, then it may be beneficial to separate them. Also, Barclays offer £50 if they cannot match your renewal, therefore worth working out if this would be cheaper than your existing insurance (note that you cannot get the Quidco referral fee for Barclays and get the £50 price match from Barclays ... however, if you got Barclays to price match your contents renewal and then came back through Quidco to get your buildings insurance, assuming that the £75 Quidco referral would bring the price way below your renewal, would it let you and would you get the cashback?).

Anon

eyres70

I to have been on Insuresupermarket and Confused.com, unfortunately due to having two claims on my buildings insurance in the last 3 years (both no fault of my own) it seems none of these can help. Everyone I contact is quoting over the odds. Can anyone reccommend an insurer who may be or lenient on the claims.