Home Insurance Fast Facts

Home insurance is a special type of property insurance, which undertakes the risk of protecting your home against unexpected loss or damage as a result of a covered peril, such as a fire, tornado, or hurricane as well as theft. Because home insurance policies vary between different insurers, you should always review the coverage offered before buying the insurance as it is impossible to obtain proper coverage for a damage already done.

Types of Home Insurance

When purchasing home insurance make sure to know what it covers. Home insurance policies cover against losses from a wide selection of perils.

a) Building insurance policies provide coverage for the building of your property against storm and flood damages, water leakage, fire, smoke and explosions, collapsing and vandalism. Furthermore, building insurance may include an option for alternative accommodation in case your home is totally damaged or coverage for lock replacement on the outside doors, if your keys are lost or stolen.

To determine if you need a building insurance policy, you should determine the financial impact of any of these perils on your property. Additionally, you should consider any rebuild costs, when getting a quote for the coverage provided. Because some areas have a lower market value, depending on the area that you live in, it may be less expensive to rebuild your house than to purchase a building insurance for potential damages. Finally, if you rent the property, you may not be eligible to apply for a building insurance policy.

b) Multiple-peril insurance policies provide comprehensive property damage coverage, including damages from volcanic eruption, falling aircraft, falling tree, riots, strikes, civil commotions, third party accountability for falling objects, glass and mirror breakage, food contamination, short circuit of the building electrical panel and so on.

c) Contents insurance policies provide coverage for the contents of your property, including furniture, clothing, appliances, and electronic equipment against theft, fire, natural disasters (earthquakes, storm, flood, and lightning), water leakage, riots, strikes, and vandalism.

With regards to contents insurance make sure to check any financial limitations for jewelry, art and electrical equipment items. There are different provisions among different insurers regarding these items.

Shopping Around for Home Insurance

When shopping around for home insurance you should consider the cost of policy relative to the competition. If your current provider offers adequate coverage for an affordable premium, you could possibly stay with them and renew your home insurance policies. On the other hand, if the premium is slightly increased for insufficient coverage, you should definitely shop around to establish an effective cost/benefit relationship with a new provider. In fact, raising premiums too much or too quickly creates the opportunity for competitive insurance providers to introduce their propositions and possibly steal the business.

You can use The Investing Site's Insurance Services section to find home insurance services. You can also use home insurance price comparison websites, including MoneySupermarket, GoCompare and Confused. Make sure to compare the policies provided by different insurers in order to understand your coverage and ensure that it is adequate for your needs. Invest some time to look at different quotes and policies on the market and see if your current insurance provider could match it. Also, consider the area you live in. It is estimated that the cost of insurance premiums has dropped by 13 percent since 2010, with the sharpest drop in average premiums in particular areas such as Kingston upon Thames, Halifax and Harrogate.

UK Legislation for Home Insurance

There are no specific regulations regarding home insurance coverage in the UK. However, although building insurance isn't compulsory, if you have a mortgage on your property, you may be forced to purchase home insurance because your insurer needs to cover for the risk they undertake to cover both for potential damages and the interest charges incurred of the mortgage. For instance, if your property destroyed and you don't have a building insurance, you would need to cover for the outstanding debt on your mortgage as if your property were still safe.

In conclusion, home insurance is extremely important for the protection of your property in case of unpredicted events. Home insurance policies can be modified during the lifetime of your contract provided you systematically review your insurance provisions and check for better deals in the market. Additionally, you should work closely with a skilled insurance professional in order to be informed about potential modifications in the exclusions of the contract. Exclusions are important because you are not covered and therefore not reimbursed for the excluded peril.

Resources

Find Home Insurance
PolicyExpert Home Insurance Guides
10 Places Home Insurance Premiums Dropped Most