Author: David Thomson -br
Source: articledashboard.combr
br
Buying insurance can be a tricky subject, over insure and you risk paying too much in premiums, while under insuring can also be a disaster should the worst come to the worst. So how do you know what is just right?

Obviously the most important tip when it comes to deciding on the amount of cover you need is to take your time and go through your home valuing your belongings. Along with this you can follow the tips outlined below to give you some idea of how much you might need.

Never go rushing and guessing the value of your possessions, you could be surprised how far out of range you are by making a guess. Take a notepad and walk around your home writing down the cost of everything. And by everything I really mean everything, from CDs to clothing to furnishing to your pet cats wicker basket!

Once this is done, you can make an educated decision as to how much contents insurance you need.

Also, do bear in mind that if you buy additional items you should always take these into account when it comes to renewing your home insurance. As an example, even just buying two CDs and a DVD every month can soon mount up to well over an extra ฃ350 a year – a value that should be included in your contents.

Make sure that you understand what the insurer means when they use the term valuable. If your policy states that you wont be covered for items worth more than ฃ1,000 and you havent declared a possession that is over that amount, then it simply wont be covered.

If your policy is new for old then this means that you will get the cost of replacing items with new ones. You should always take into account the rise in cost of items every few years.

Many policies you take out will include items such as patio furniture and garden equipment so always ensure that if these are covered by your policy, then include them in your evaluation.

Take into account any items which may be difficult to put a value to. For example, you might have a large collection of books or CD`s which you need to cover. If this is the case, then make sure these are noted and that a price has been agreed upon by the insurance company.

If you work from home the majority of policies will cover such items as computers or fax machines, so include these in your estimate if they are covered by your policy. You should also enquire as to the limit of such equipment as most policies will have a limit for items such as these./pbr
br
br
br

buildings and contents insurance, home insurance, House Insurance

Author: Tom Jones
Source: articlemarketer.com

There are many reasons why you need insurance for your living accommodation and the goods inside it. Having sufficient cover is essential to ensure should you need to make a claim you are not caught out by the small print restrictions, terms and conditions that you may be blissfully unaware of.

The insurance market is extremely competitive, therefore it is a good idea to carry out some research before deciding which insurance company to opt for. As with many other types of insurance such as vehicle insurance, many reputable insurance companies offer some very competitive deals which can be adjusted to suit your individual requirements.

Additional or increased premiums may be payable, however trying to cover all eventualities can save you a lot of stress and worry for things such as:

* Temporary accommodation if your home is damaged by a storm and for example a tree falls onto your house, many insurance companies will ensure you have somewhere to stay. Restrictions and conditions will be applied to this type of extra cover.

* Lock and key replacement, with many insurance companies this comes as inclusive with your house insurance policy and will automatically provide payment for replacements, again restrictions and terms and conditions will be applied. However, should you lose your keys to prevent unauthorised entry by anybody who finds them and takes it upon themselves to help themselves to your belongings the peace of mind which this cover provides is invaluable.

* Accidental damage for your plasma TV, home entertainment systems such as DVD players and games consoles may be very beneficial to those who have children or families who have many parties!

* All insurance companies will provide cover for MP3 players, with some insurers it possible to have further cover for any music downloads you have paid for. Pre-set limits are usually imposed on this additional option.

* Those who have their house full of guests at festive and cultural periods such as Christmas it is possible to take out additional cover specially for these periods of time or to increase the sum insured by an agreed percentage.

* For those who have reasonably large amounts of cash in their homes may benefit from having cover for this, limits are set, however this is just another worry off your mind if you do have to keep cash in your house.

* Garden equipment and garden furniture can also be included on a contents insurance, but this is not always automatically included, therefore will need to have this as an optional extra cover in many cases.

Home insurance covers your home and the outbuildings against theft, flood (this may be dependant on where you live), storm damage and subsidence. This insurance also covers for frozen pipes, permanent fixtures such as kitchen units, bathroom suites and wardrobes which are fitted as permanent. You should also check to see if the policy covers for accidental damage to glass.

Contents insurance includes all of the contents of your your home, including jewellery and other personal belongs, excess limits will be applied.

Having a combined buildings and contents insurance policy can save you money as many insurance companies offer generous discounts for joint policies.

For more information regarding buildings and contents insurance go to http://www.swinton.co.uk/home/buildings_contents/

buildings and contents insurance, contents insurance, insurance companies, insurance companies offer, insurance covers

Author: Hayley Connolly
Source: articledashboard.com

Lets start by making one thing very clear – Banks are only good for Banking, and Supermarkets for Groceries.

You should arrange your insurance through and Insurance Company and no less. Would you buy your Bread and Milk from your High Street Bank? I think not, it just wouldn’t be the same! Would you open a Bank account at the corner shop? I wouldn’t trust them personally! Apply that logic to buying your Home Insurance.

The consequence of buying your Home Insurance from the wrong shop is that you will pay inflated premiums for a very average Buildings and Contents policy, that will not be covering you for everything you thought it would. You will also fall victim to marketing gimmicks and administration fees.

Why do people continue to make this massive mistake? I can tell you why – I hear it every day at Homeshield Insurance – “I’ve banked with them for 15 years now”, I’ve always used that supermarket, I like it there”, “it was just easier”, well wake up! Can you afford to be making these lousy excuses? I know I can’t, and all the time people do – Insurance premiums will be on the rise.

Your banks and Supermarkets are rewarding your loyalty by charging you over the odds, and hoping that you won’t bother shopping around. First time buyers always use the excuse “we didn’t know any better at the time”, I can understand that to a degree. When I brought my first house I was wowed by our Mortgage Advisor who said that she had taken care of everything we needed – little did I know the estate agents that she worked for had struck a high commission deal with a high street building society and my policy was going through them without any consideration of how comprehensive I wanted my policy to be, not to mentioned the ?40,000 of contents cover that I did not need, but never the less paid for 4 years!

Over the next few years my premiums crept up and up without me noticing because the payments were “bundled” on my bank statements, and when I received my renewals for the insurance, the premium was part of the small print. I eventually realized when it came to re-mortgaging. I was devastated because at a time when every penny counted, I was being ripped off!

There is of course always an exception to the rule. There is one and I mean just one high street bank which is so proud of its policy and premiums that it has made its products available to Insurance brokers. ALL the rest of those trustworthy banks and supermarkets keep their policy and rates all to themselves – because they have noting to shout about.

I found a great little Insurance Brokers who offered 12 Insurance quotes from Insurance companies to compare. I compared premiums and policy small print. By shopping around Insurance companies I saved ?300 per year, got myself a far more comprehensive policy which covered everything I wanted it to, and got a far more realistic amount of insurance (I actually only needed ?20,000 for my contents back then), all within my budget!

The only good news about my first policy was that the mortgage advisor got paid a huge commission wedge for the lousy expensive policy the Building Society offered – good for her! Buying my first house absorbed most of my income, and wasn’t an easy time financially, and for those buying houses in today’s market – good luck!

“Bundling” payments, hiding premiums within small print, and leaving my renewal to the last minute and most recently “cash Back” gimmicks are all clever tactics to prevent customers having the information and time to shop around.

Big Insurance providers don’t do this, You wouldn’t catch an Insurer like Zurich, probably the most respected Insurance provider – offering a cash back gimmick! It’s purely those trying to cash in on an industry which is growing as we build more houses. My advise to you would be to contact an Insurance Broker with a large panel of real Insurance companies, offering you a real quote on real insurance, a good old fashioned honest premium.

buildings and contents insurance, home insurance, insurance companies