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What is Building Insurance? - We have all heard of
building insurance and most
of us don’t have a particularly good view of it or consider it a necessary
evil.
In simple terms, insurance is a risk transfer mechanism; someone (The
policyholder) pays someone else (The Insurer or Underwriter) a sum of money
(The premium or consideration) in return for a policy, which will provide a
payment if an event (usually something unfortunate and unforeseen) happens to
the item, which is the subject of the insurance. Perhaps you worry about
your home being broken in to or being damaged in a flood or your car being
involved in an accident. What would you do if you were suddenly faced with a
large bill to replace or repair your belongings? Insurance can provide you with peace of mind as
well as help remain financially secure. In simple terms insurance works by
insurers pooling money from policyholders and then paying out to those that
are unfortunate to suffer a loos. The balance of any money left over is the
insurers profit. Insurers are very adept at calculating premiums and usually
aim to write a pool of Homogenous risks, here they can apply the law of large
numbers, insuring similar risks enabling them to accurately predict claims and
of course calculate competitive premiums for the policyholders. Could
you afford to rebuild the property using your own funds, could you afford to
pay back monies you have borrowed to buy the property in the fist place? Are you looking for an
online quotation?...
What is Risk? - Risk is present where ever humans cannot control or
foresee the future. Usually when offering an insurance policy the insurers
offer a range of perils, which are seen as the most likely events to occur.
In most circumstances, not all risks can be covered - for something to be eligible
for insurance, normally four conditions have to be met.
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Monetary Terms - the
object of insurance is to preserve your financial position, this is
obviously unaffected by loss of sentimental value or good character.
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Pure Risks - Insurers
do not usually allow speculative risks to be insured such as a business
venture, they prefer “ Pure Risks”
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A large number of
Independent Exposures - the insurer must be able to collect together a
sufficient number of similar risks of independent exposure units, which are
broadly similar. This is the law of large numbers mentioned before.
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Losses must be Fortuitous - losses must
be accidental or unintentional from the viewpoint of the policyholder.
Introduction to
Property Insurance UK - Probably the biggest investment in your life with be
your own home, it is important to protect this asset by buying a Buildings
Insurance Policy and of course to satisfy the terms and conditions of your
Mortgage which will undoubtedly require you to take out an Insurance policy
and name the lender in the schedule to satisfy the Contract rights Act 1999.
Your lender will use your property insurance uk insurance policy to protect the amount of money
advanced to you to secure the purchase.
What is the Definition of a Building? - For Insurance purposes, the “
Building” is defined as follows:- The home, the main structure of the
property, it’s permanent fixtures and fittings, patios, terraces, hard sports
courts, sunken swimming pools, ornamental ponds, fountains, cesspits, sceptic
tanks, central heating fuel tanks, paths, drives, walls, gates, fences,
railings and lampposts all contained or within the boundaries of the land of
the address provided to the insurance company.
How much do I insure The Building for? - You should insure your Building
for its full reinstatement value, that basically means the total amount it
would cost to rebuild the property in them event that it was totally
destroyed. If you have a mortgage on the property your lender will normally
give you advice on this matter. If you have no mortgage, you can calculate
rebuilding cost using the following tool as provided by the Association of
British Insurers.
http://abi.bcis.co.uk/ . It is vitally important that you calculate your
sum insured accurately, in the event of a total loss, the sum insured is the
maximum you will receive. In the event of a partial loss, your insurers may
apply an average clause, which will have the effect of reducing the value of a
claim in proportion to the amount of under insurance.
A lot of confusion surrounds the sum insured for insurance purposes,; the
market value of your home or indeed the Council Tax band valuation have no
direct relationship to the cost of rebuilding of your home. It is difficult
sometimes to grasp that a home for example in central; London may cost a huge
some of money yet in view of its size, the reconstruction cost may be a small
fraction of the selling cost. Similarly, in remote areas, the cost of rebuilding
may actually be more then the selling cost. If you are in any doubt as costing
a
rebuild of your home, remember, always seek professional advice.
Index Linking - Index linking is a method employed by insurance
companies to help ensure that the charge for a rebuild of your property is
increased in sufficient amounts to guard against under insurance. Almost all
insurance companies include index linking as part of their policy as it is
usually a requirement of lenders etc. It is worth remembering that no
amount of Index Linking will protect your property against underinsurance if
your sums insured are incorrect at the out set. Remember as well to tell your
insurer if you make improvements to your home such as add an extension, add a
loft conversion or carry out any work that increases the redevelopment cost of
your property.
What is covered? - Please refer tour section on what is covered to give
you a list of the usual perils provided by a Buildings Insurance Policy.
Almost with out exception, you will be offered a standard set of perils with
the only option extra being “ Accidental Damage cover. Be careful with
insurance companies when requesting Accidental Damage insurance cover as a
certain amount of Accidental Damage is included free of charge by most
policies. This should not be confused with full accidental damage cover, which
is an optional extra.
Insurable Interest - Most buildings are sold on a freehold basis, this
in simple terms means you own the land the property stands on as well as the
structure of the property yourself. This will give you the right to arrange
your own Buildings Insurance Policy, subject to contractual considerations.
You are free to accept a policy from your lender but you probably save money
if you shop around and find the best deal your self. Remember, the insurance
contract you purchase most be acceptable to your lender but nowadays most
policies on sale confirm to lenders conditions. |
Introduction
Contents Insurance
Buildings Insurance
Income
Protection
Mortgage Protection
Homes Abroad
Money
Saving Tips
Information
Required
What is
Covered
Making a
Claim
FAQ
Glossary
Flooding
Protection
Bogus Callers
Home Fire Safety
Property Maintenance
Subsidence
Use of
Force
Security &
Postcoding
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