Home Insurance Guide Blog

Why June is a bad month for Halifax

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:24:59 BST

This June may have been blessing us with some great weather, but not everyone is happy. In fact Halifax Home Insurance has just revealed that this is a decidedly bad time for some.

The reason? Stray tennis balls. It seems that as the sun comes out and Wimbledon gets into full swing, all those aspiring Roger Federers go outside with their rackets and balls which can lead to a busy time for home insurance companies as they are forced to deal with a lot more claims for broken windows.

The company has released its own figures for claims made during different months of the year, and revealed that stray tennis balls were responsible for a 34% increase in overall claims last June when compared to claims made in January.

The head of underwriting at Halifax, David Rochester, said that “accidental breakages” were a lot higher during the summer months and advised people to take care when playing with tennis balls. He also encouraged people to check whether they have insurance for accidental breakages should a ball not hit its intended target.

The company also revealed the top spots for breakages in Britain, with the highest number of claims arising in Ipswich. Within the top ten areas, four of them were in Scotland, perhaps reflecting the success of Andy Murray at this year’s Wimbledon championships.

So if you are heading out to get into the spirit of the summer and practise your backhand, make sure that you take the advice of the Halifax and check that you are insured before that inevitable accident occurs.

DIY beauty responsible for much home damage

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:35:59 BST

In the current economic climate it comes as no surprise to learn that many of us, in an effort to save money, are cutting down on our trips to the beauty salon in favour of DIY pampering.

One in three of us are spending more time and money on home products with which to preen ourselves, with one in five of us spending over three hours a week on the process. This comes at a cost, however, (and I’m not talking about streaky fake tans or alarming hues in our hair) and it may surprise you to learn, courtesy of research from Sheila’s Wheels, that in doing so we risk causing all sorts of damage to the fabric of our homes. Insurance companies are reported as noticing a corresponding increase in the number of claims arising from spillages and burns.

Almost one in three of us has damaged something whilst indulging in the DIY beauty process with the biggest casualty being carpets, the damage usually arising from curling tongs being left on, with nail varnish and hair dye following closely behind. Fake tan also poses a menace to beds and bed linen with over half pleading guilty to this particular blunder.

Trying to disguise the damage can often make it worse so it is well worth having accidental damage cover added to your home contents policy in case disaster strikes, especially when one considers that the claims received by insurance companies often run into hundreds of pounds.

Beware of house guests too – one in ten of us has made the guilty confession that we have caused damage in someone else’s house but not owned up to it!

Direct Line slashes home insurance price by half

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:36:42 BST

Direct Line is now offering home insurance to new customers with a massive 50% discount. The move is seen as a way to increase its ability to compete in an incredibly competitive market.

The offer is available from now until the end of September, and only applies to new customers of Direct Line who want to purchase either just contents insurance, or both contents and buildings insurance. The reason behind this is to allow both property owners and tenants to take advantage of the discount while it lasts. It has also stated that the 50% cut is not the only deal, and that customers can make even bigger savings when they purchase more than one policy or when the cover is bought online.

Andrew Lowe, the head of home insurance at Direct Line, highlighted the need for a cheaper deal over the summer months as a result of the “unexpected costs” that we all face, such as holidays or children’s entertainment while they are off school. He said that “we want to help people cut costs where we can” and the new deal has been designed for exactly that reason.

Interestingly, Direct Line, which was established in 1985 and is part of RBS Insurance, does not appear on any of the comparison websites that have sprung up recently. For this reason it is perhaps more compelled to make cuts to its insurance packages to make up for the decreased visibility that it has as a result of not being on the comparison sites.

With news emerging that home insurance is less popular than ever now in the middle of the recession, anything that gets people to take out a home-insurance policy has to be a good thing.

Cyclists urged to check cover after Cameron theft

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:53:07 BST

At the very first signs of summer sun, Brits tend to jump at the chance of making the most of the relatively nice weather. Shorts and sunglasses are unearthed from the depths of the wardrobe, sun cream is dug out from the bathroom cupboard, and rusty barbecues are wheeled out of the garage... along with the trusty bicycle.

As the weather improves, many commuters choose to ditch the car in favour of the bike and this trend is set to continue in earnest this year with many workers keen to offset the effects of the recession by saving cash on petrol.

However, before you go searching through the house for your cycling shorts, bear in mind the advice provided by the head of insurance at Confused.com following the theft of David Cameron’s bicycle last week. Darren Black stated that “bikes are easy pickings for thieves as people often leave them unlocked”.

As well as taking proper precautions against bike theft, such as locking it up securely in busy city centre areas and making sure it is marked with an ultraviolet pen, it is important to double-check your insurance policy to ensure that it covers your bicycle.

Proper cover can minimise the pain of personal property theft but many insurance policies do not offer bicycle cover as standard. Furthermore, several of those companies which do offer cover as standard may not include thefts which occur away from the home.

In addition to checking your policy, make sure you take a few good photographs of your bicycle from all angles, just in case you do need to make a claim.

Tesco offers a 45% discount

Fri, 15 May 2009 16:08:17 BST

At this time of economic doom and gloom, it’s refreshing to see a company going out of its way to offer customers savings. Last week, Tesco Personal Finance announced that it will provide new customers purchasing home insurance over the internet with a massive 45 per cent discount. The discount applies to its Value, Standard, and Finest policies and the offer will last until the 27th of May.

Since the recession began in earnest at the start of this year, many people have been trying to reduce their expenditure by cutting down on expenses perceived as non-essential. Unfortunately, many Brits perceive insurance, whether it be home, car, or travel insurance, to be such an expense. The truth of the matter remains, however, that an initial saving made through not paying for a policy is, more often than not, offset by a large expense resulting from not having an appropriate level of cover.

Home insurance is particularly important because although you can do all you can to minimise the risks around the house, you cannot always avoid a burglary.

The head of Tesco Home Insurance, Jim Bruce, revealed that he was “aware of the strain on people’s finances at the moment”. Bruce believes that this latest move from Tesco is an attempt to “reduce one of the necessary living costs”. Referring to an insurance policy as a “necessary living cost” may not be music to the ears of those struggling to keep up with the bills at the moment, but proper cover could save you a bundle in the long-term.

Home Office warn us to hide our electronics

Fri, 08 May 2009 14:59:18 BST

The days of burglars darting from our homes and climbing over the back fence with our television sets and video recorders under each arm might be coming to an end, but that’s not to say we have to relax the protection we have for our electronic items. As technology has advanced, goods have got smaller and are therefore much easier to steal. Research from the insurer Norwich Union, now known as Aviva, has show that over 33% of stolen goods from our homes are DVD players and consoles. Much of the reason for this high figure is simply that the items are far too visible through our windows and doors for potential robbers to resist.

Other possessions high on the list of most-stolen are mobile phones, computers - especially laptops – and digital cameras. It seems electronic goods are the most sought after for the Artful Dodgers of this world. So what can we do to prevent it?

Norwich Union has urged homeowners to think very carefully about security at home. All windows should have adequate locks on them and not be left open. Doors should also have substantial locks on them, preferably ones with bolt-locks, which one has to turn with a key rather than just close with a latch. Sheds too are very commonly unsecure areas of the home and many people fail to properly protect their garden equipment, which is often more expensive than items in the house.

The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has told the country that information will be distributed to homes to inform people on more adequate ways to secure their possessions and special government vouchers will be issued to help those that need assistance to upgrade their locks.