Home Insurance Discussion

dacouch

Jim02 wrote: »

My house is also within 400 metres of water. But there are several acres of flood plain should it ever burst its banks, and the slope of the terrain coupled with the height of my house above my drive means that I know I'll never get flooded - it's just impossible.

I answer 'no' to the 400m question, as I'm not prepared to pay a premium for an impossible event. I'm guessing that if I ever put in a claim for, say, a broken roof tile, the inspector isn't going to refuse my claim just because he can see a river 100 yards away.

It really annoys me that such a stupid criteria is used for flood risk. I guess they have to do something, but a single question like this does nothing but line the pockets of the insurers as risk-free property-owners are asked to cough up.

I'm happy to accept that if my house floods, I won't be covered.

If you miss lead the Insurers intentionally they can avoid paying any type of claim, in addition they will cancel your Insurance which means you will find it very difficult (Basically very very expensive) to find any type of Insurance including motor.

gaily

rlfan82 wrote: »

Has anybody got advice on how to search for an insurance policy for a house which has a mine entry within 20m. My mortgage provider has told me I must flag it up on an insurance policy but it doesnt appear on the search screens. One company just rang me up and then ran scared when I mentioned it, obviously not from the North!

Your best bet would be to do as a previous poster has done - phone a local broker. As you say - websites don't do geography!! - your local brokers will understand the issues, and be able to refer you to the best market for your area. Not so great for comparing the market, but more likely to get you a company that will pay out in case of a claim.

In response to Brodiebobs above response to me - I've got old docs and new docs since my extension, the old ones all mark the room as a bedroom, the new ones (post extension) show it as dining room, I gained 2 bedrooms from my extension, so don't need this room to be classed as a bedroom anymore, although it could be converted back if nec.

I'll take my chances on my own home, but I suppose bedrooms come from all sizes from box room to bigger than my house, so in response to the original question - I'd say it was 1 room, not 2 - especially if you have a floor plan to show it as the 1 extended room (ie when you bought the house)

audsss

Broadstone wrote: »

Blimey. I have just followed Moneysavingexpert's guide for cheap home insurance and have saved myself over £140-00. The policy, which I have got, is almost the same as my old one.

I could have got a further £10 reduction with cashback but I got my policy in the end via an operator and she offered me a £8-00 reduction on the internet price; so I accepted this and didn't bother with cashback option.

Thanks moneysavingexpert and this forum !

I have also just followed the advice from this website, and am in a state of shock.... I contacted the insurance provider about our extremely high renewal quote,only to be told it had increased by £426 on last year due to a (very small) claim we made on the contents part of the insurance - only the 3rd made in over 20 years!!! The operator could not really see what my point was when i asked if she thought the quote was competitive, and kept repeating that it was because we had made a claim. I have spent 3 or 4 hours on various comparison websites and registered to find out the rebuilding cost of our home. I have always felt that I was fairly savvy with getting the most for my money, but I am absolutely astounded to have found a policy giving almost identical cover, with the same excesses for..... £1009 cheaper!!!!

Needless to say, I will be scrutinising bank accounts and fuel providers for further savings.....

wallofbeans

Hi all,

We're looking at changing our home insurance policy, we're currently with direct line and its really high... We've had to make a couple of claims over the past few years so I'm sure that's adding to it...

The problem now is, when I go to some of the comparison sites (and individual insurers sites) lots of the bigger names are saying that because of my reent claims they don't want my business... Is there anything I can do about that?

It would make sense if they were all saying they didnt want my business but how come some are and others arent? And how come the yearly prices go from just under £400 to well over £1000?

Help!

janco

Does anyone know of any insurers who cover properties with a "history" of subsidence? My property suffered subsidence following a collapsed drain about 20 years ago. Underpinning work was carried out and there have been no recurrences, but I'm tied in to More Than insurers, who took over the company who originally insured the property at the time of the subsidence. I haven't been able to find any company willing to even give a quote!

marshallka

wallofbeans wrote: »

Hi all,

We're looking at changing our home insurance policy, we're currently with direct line and its really high... We've had to make a couple of claims over the past few years so I'm sure that's adding to it...

The problem now is, when I go to some of the comparison sites (and individual insurers sites) lots of the bigger names are saying that because of my reent claims they don't want my business... Is there anything I can do about that?

It would make sense if they were all saying they didnt want my business but how come some are and others arent? And how come the yearly prices go from just under £400 to well over £1000?

Help!

Direct Line and lots of other insurers are owned by the RBS so they would most probably have a common register for claims. We are with DL and have an ongoing claim at the moment with them. Up to yet they have handled this attrocious and we have a loss adjuster coming out on friday. I would try and find an insurance company that does not come under the RBS group maybe.

gaily

With regard to claims, some companies use the CUE system - which basically is a big database that is administered by lots of the Big insurance companies where claims get logged. That way, when the insurance company runs a check on you or your home any claims logged can be seen by them - which ever Insurer or group you belong to.

Sometimes it does throw up inconsistencies, as it may note a claim against you - but at an old address, or against the house beofre you lived there (which may be largely irrelevant except for subsidence etc).

When we contact insurers for new quotes for our clients, they sometimes come back and ask us to go back to the client, as they can see a claim that hasn't been reported to us. That's possibly where some of the differences in premiums come in.

You may also need to check the level of cover for the premiums that are widely apart - the cover might be too. If you go too cheap, sometimes, that's bourne out when you have a claim.

marshallka

gaily wrote: »

With regard to claims, some companies use the CUE system - which basically is a big database that is administered by lots of the Big insurance companies where claims get logged. That way, when the insurance company runs a check on you or your home any claims logged can be seen by them - which ever Insurer or group you belong to.

Sometimes it does throw up inconsistencies, as it may note a claim against you - but at an old address, or against the house beofre you lived there (which may be largely irrelevant except for subsidence etc).

When we contact insurers for new quotes for our clients, they sometimes come back and ask us to go back to the client, as they can see a claim that hasn't been reported to us. That's possibly where some of the differences in premiums come in.

You may also need to check the level of cover for the premiums that are widely apart - the cover might be too. If you go too cheap, sometimes, that's bourne out when you have a claim.

I also believe there is a big insurance database and also beleive that people that have claimed back missold PPI are on it and being penalised in making any type of insurance claims for the future. Just my view but I would not put it past them.

stevemarsh1976

janco wrote: »

Does anyone know of any insurers who cover properties with a "history" of subsidence? My property suffered subsidence following a collapsed drain about 20 years ago. Underpinning work was carried out and there have been no recurrences, but I'm tied in to More Than insurers, who took over the company who originally insured the property at the time of the subsidence. I haven't been able to find any company willing to even give a quote!

Allianz will consider it but you will require full up to date (within 3 years i think) structural engineering reports. Brokers also have access to specialist schemes that will be able to quote for you suggest contacting a local one

ericthelobster

General question on Contents insurance....

I've been going through the MSE-reccommended sequence of screenscraper sites looking for new quotes. In the bit where you are asked to enter how much cover you need overall for personal possessions to be used outside the home, I'm unclear what figure you is expected.

For example, say my wife has two rings, each worth £1000, but she never wear both at the same time (and therefore, they will never be out of the home at the same time); and my kids each have 4 musical instruments between them, each valued at £500... I'd need all 4 to be insured, but since all the kids go in different directions on different days, there's essentially zero risk of (say) all 4 instruments, and either of the ring, being lost, stolen, or damaged at the same time.

So, in this scenario, will £1000-worth of personal posessions insurance suffice for me, or do I need £4000-worth? (and that's forgetting about all other stuff I might want to insure away from home).

Obviously there's a big difference in premiums, plus I'm finding that once you go above about £2,000, a large number of companies stop quoting; and I can't believe my situation is that unusual??

Thanks