You are here: Home > Insurance > Home Insurance
House Insurance
About House Insurance
Your home is usually the biggest outlay you will ever make so it makes sense to take out home insurance cover. Home buildings insurance is the cover that you have to have if you are a homeowner with a mortgage but even if you have paid off your house insurance then you would be mad not to insure home. If you do have a mortgage then this is a requirement that ensures that should something untoward happen to your home then the value of your property and your lender's investment is not detrimentally affected.
The buildings insurance cover will cover the cost to rebuild your home if it is destroyed or requires repair to return the house to it pre incident state. Beware that buildings insurance does not cover the usual wear and tear maintenance but it should your home be badly damaged by a storm or fire where the house is structurally damaged then if necessary the cost to rebuild your home will be covered.
Hopefully you will not have any need to claim against your home buildings insurance but if you need to do so then the house insurance claim could be for a large amount so it best to be covered. As you would expect a bigger house with more bedrooms will cost to rebuild and therefore will attract a larger house insurance premium than a smaller house.
If your home is situated on a flood plain or on the coast then the cost of home building insurance is likely to be higher. The same goes for areas prone to subsidence so if other homes in the immediate vicinity have had a higher incidence of house insurance claims then this will affect your house insurance premium.
With inflation comes higher build costs should your home need rebuilding so its important that the cost provided by your house cover is appropriate to cover the cost of rebuilding your home.
Top Tips for House Insurance
Mortgage providers will insist that you have home buildings insurance so make sure you have it.
Aspects that will affect your house insurance premium include location, number of bedrooms, property type and age of your property.
Shop around - There are various buildings insurance policies available so make sure you search all available options and remember that you may be able to get insurance discounts with a provider if you have other policies with the same insurer.
As mentioned above after the significant outlay you have made in purchasing your home plus the additional house expenditure on furnishing and decorating it, you can insure yourself against risks with a home insurance policy. Home insurance policies are split between two types - buildings insurance and home contents insurance. The buildings insurance covers the house itself in terms of its structure. The home contents insurance covers the possession contained within your home.
Contents insurance covers your possessions inside your home including your furniture and all other property. Most cover is provided either on a 'like for like' or a 'new for old' basis where a like for like basis will provide you with financial compensation equivalent to the value of the item in its state before the claim and new for old will provide you with monetary recompense allowing you to replace the damaged item with an equivalent new item.
Always remember to read the small print of your policy carefully to check whether it covers all the items you require to be insured, including items that might be garaged or in an external building on your property, personal money, garden utensils, frozen food and loss of any energy supplies. If you have any house items that are particularly sentimental to you then you may want to ensure that they are covered by your standard house insurance policy or if necessary arrange additional insurance to cover your possessions.
Always shop around for cheap house insurance quotes. Often there is always insurers that are able to offer enhance cover or cheaper premiums than that provided by your mortgage provider who may have instigated the initial home insurance policy after the mortgage was taken out.
Insurance premiums are affected by the area in which you live. If you live in a low local crime rate area then your insurance premium will be reflected accordingly. Your claim history will also affect your home insurance policy. Also review your home security for the purposes of your house insurance policy where if you Install and maintain a NACOSS approved alarm then some insurance companies may discount house insurance premiums where you have a house with an approved alarm system. If you join your local Neighbourhood Watch house scheme then some insurance companies will also discount home insurance premiums.
The opinions expressed are those of the author only. The material is for general information only and does not constitute legal, financial or other form of advice. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation by an FSA authorised company where the market is FSA regulated.
Asrecommended insurance offers house insurance via selected house insurance providers to give you the best house insurance quotes to suit your needs. If you are looking for buildings insurance, contents insurance or a combined policy then our providers can help. Get a home insurance quotation online or over the phone.