Home Insurance

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Whatever your home insurance requirements, we have access to a wide range of facilities from leading insurers, including Norwich Union, Legal & General, NIG, Fortis, AXA, MMA and Zurich.

It is essential you insure your home and its contents adequately.

Buildings

For the buildings, you should insure for the full rebuilding cost of your property, including a sum to include professional fees (such as architects) and site clearance.

Policies are designed, in the main, to cover the cost of re-instatement of your proprerty following a loss.

The types of losses covered include fire, lightning, explosion, impact, theft, flood, and usually accidental damage to sanitary ware and glass. Subsidence, heave and landslip is normally included, although there is normally a £1000 excess.

Most house buildings insurance policies include property owner's liability insurance. Limits vary between insurers, but are usually between £1million and £2million.

Contents

For your contents, you should insure for the replacement cost of all your contents and belongings as new apart from clothing and linen, which are insured for their value after wear and tear.

Types of Cover

"Standard" Cover

This can vary between insurers, but most cover against fire, theft, flood and malicious damage. In addition, most insurers include accidental damage to TVs and fixed glass in furniture.

Should your home become uninhabitable following an insured loss, most policies provide for alternative accomodation up to a specified sum (usually a percentage of the sum you insure for).

Personal liability cover is also usually included for the policyholder and members of the family permanently residing at the home. The maximum cover varies between insurers, but is usually between £1m and £2m.

"Accidental Damage" Cover

For an additional premium, cover can be extended to include accidental damage to your contents. This is especially important if you have a young family! However, most insurers exclude damage caused by domestic pets.

"All Risks" Cover

House contents policies can usually be extended to include cover for unspecified personal belongings outside the home, up to the overall limit you select and subject to a single article limit. With some insurers you may need to specify any item with a value of more than £1,500. Cover is usually worldwide.

All insurers require you to take reasonable care of your property, and it is well worth checking for limitations to claims (and sometimes the exclusion of cover) for belongings left in unattended vehicles.

Total losses, although relatively rare, do unfortunately happen, and in such an event full cover is essential. If you are under insured, your claim payment could be reduced by the same proportion as your underinsurance.

Please contact us if you require any help or guidance on your sum insured.