buildings and contents insurance « Home Quote Direct

Posts Tagged ‘buildings and contents insurance’

Comfort is the key

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

When it comes to furnishing a new home there is little more that’s important than creating a comfortable main living space. It is the place where the family come together most often and where comfort encourages relaxation and openness.

Make sure it fits

The seating in this room is crucial and worth spending a little extra on to get right. It is important to choose a sofa that will look good and be proportionate in your living room, so take careful measurements and make sure that what you are buying is the best fit for your home before you make a final decision. You will more than likely have buildings and contents insurance so make sure your sofa is covered by it, if not then remember sofas are easily damaged by children and pets and a household insurance policy or special cover by the manufacturers should be bought.

Check interior and exterior

Whether you have pets, small children, and energetic teenagers, or live a quiet retirement life, your sofa should be well made to give you maximum comfort and value for money. The frame should be sturdy, preferably made of kiln-dried hardwood and should be screwed and glued. The support should consist of proper springs, preferably 8-way tied, and the upholstery should consist of good foam – an inner core of foam with an outer wrapping of feathers is one of the best.

All shapes and sizes

For arm style you can choose from traditional rolled arm, curved English arm, a straight Parsons style or armless. Curved English arm is very elegant while straight arm and armless are suitable for contemporary interior. A skirted sofa may suit French style interior with lots of drapery. Otherwise you can choose from a variety of leg styles ranging from chunky to delicately tapered and carved.

Material choice important

Patterned fabric is not so popular at the moment but can cover the dirt and stains. If you want a soft and durable material choose chenille. Leather is also durable and looks attractive. Velvet has a nice texture but can wear out within a few years. If you are on a budget choose a simply designed sofa and add variations with cushion and pillows. Many furniture manufacturers offer custom-made slipcovers which you can use for a seasonal change or keep as an emergency spare.

Tags: buildings and contents insurance, household insurance, interior decor, living room, sofa
Posted in Contents Insurance | No Comments »

Take time in organising insurance

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

For those families lucky enough to be purchasing new home insurance for the first time it is important they consider how much cover they need and exactly what sort of cover is requires.

Legal requirement

Of course the mortgage provider will insist that the skeleton of the home (bricks and mortar, fixtures and fittings) will be covered by buildings insurance. The inside of the home is a different matter completely and it is up to the new home buyer whether they want to buy contents insurance. Most neutral observers would advise that covering such a prized possession by some sort of insurance is a wise choice.

Don’t forget apparel

Insurance does not have to be expensive, there are hundreds of different companies offering thousands of different policies, and cheap home insurance is relatively easy to find, although you should always bear in mind what exactly you want covering. A new home usually requires a considerable amount of expense to fit out and it may well be worth adding up all the bills as they come in just to figure out how much your contents are worth. New carpets, curtains, and electrical items will quickly start the figure rising and then you should consider clothing. The clothing you bring with you to your home may well not be new; however, it has value, often great value, and the cost of replacing such items in a fire for instance would be urgent and necessary.

Consider the extras

Home insurance providers will often put a ball park figure of around £40,000 to £50,000 on a conventional three bedroomed house but it is up to the homeowner to decide if it is enough, or indeed too much. Remember accidental cover will cost more, as will cover for items away from the home, and items that hold exceptional monetary value. Make sure items are not covered twice, for example your TV may be covered under its warranty for damage and therefore may not need to included in items of outstanding value.

Use expert advice

It is always worth taking a couple of hours making a note of the value of your home, and making a list by physically walking from room to room is often the best way of getting an accurate figure. Your household insurance provider will be willing to help in this matter and it is often worth listening to the words of experts if insuring your new home is your first venture in the world of insurance.

Tags: buildings and contents insurance, Home Insurance, household insurance
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Security the key to a successful move

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Moving home is said to be one of the most traumatic non emergency experiences we go through in the day to day routine of our lives. It is also a period when home security is more at risk than usual and is a time when homeowners need to be aware of the problems inherent with inviting strangers into ones home.

Household insurance a must

From the moment you advertise your home for sale you should realise that your daily routine is going to be disrupted. Depending on how long the house takes to sell will depend on how much disruption you have, but it is for sure that you will be encountering more visitors than usual. It is imperative to ensure in this period that your household insurance is up to date and covers accidental damage as well as other conventional precautions.

Choose wisely

The first stranger to visit will more than likely be the Estate Agent. It is always tempting to go with the agent who provides the lowest price estimate for selling your home but remember the agency may well be holding a set of keys to your home, bringing strangers to look around the home while you are not there, and generally have access to your property. It is far better to investigate thoroughly the credentials of the agent rather than go with the lowest bidder. Ask friends and relatives if they can recommend any from personal experience and also bear in mind that a company that has been around for a number of years must be doing something right.

Don’t invite trouble

It is also their job to vet any would be purchasers, but that does not mean you should presume that people coming round to look at your house are bona fide customers. Without being rude, because after all most people will be genuine, make sure you do not leave them unaccompanied. It is a mistake to take them a quick tour around your home and if they seem enthusiastic invite them to go round again on their own, by all means be pleasant and informative but do not give them free rein.

Keep on your guard

As the sale progresses you will encounter more and more visits, from people such as surveyors, utility companies, removal firms and even tradesman, measuring up for the new incumbents. At all times ensure your own security by checking their credentials before they enter, and when they do enter make sure they are suitably attired. The last thing you want is to make a claim on your buildings and contents insurance because of a clumsy workman with dirty boots. Moving home can be exciting as well as traumatic but it is always worth remembering to keep your security levels as high as normal in the run up to the big day.

Tags: buildings and contents insurance, Estate Agent, Moving home
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Accountants crystal ball not promising a rosy future for homeowners

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

New research by highly respected accountancy experts Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) suggests that prospective purchasers of new home insurance should be prepared to wait a long time before the property they buy, appreciates in value.

Cloudy Weather?

According to a long range forecast by the economists at PwC they expect the housing market to stagnate over the next decade and only in 2020 will homeowners see the value of their property be equivalent to its 2007 price. For the aforementioned first time buyers, they will probably see their home drop in value over the first three years and only then start to slowly gain value. Of course long range forecasts are not always accurate!

Industry pointers concur

PwC though are fairly sure they will be right. Certainly their forecast about the next few years will find agreement with many in the industry. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) are still releasing figures that show lending to be at a depressingly low level, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) report lacklustre action on house purchases and in fact reckon that prices have still some way to fall because there are so few buyers around.

Hard decisions to be made

Although the housing market has proved notoriously fickle over the years the current situation does leave first time buyers especially, with a conundrum.

Do they throw themselves wholeheartedly into saving for a deposit on a home that once they buy will actually drop in value? At the moment deposit requirements by lenders mean any conventional couple saving for their first home together will have to make many sacrifices to raise the cash for that important down payment. They must ask themselves the question is it worth it?

Alternatively they can take out buildings and contents insurance on a rented property that will leave them with money in their pockets to spend on furnishings, décor and nights out. Of course the frustration with this course of action is that tenants can very rarely set up home exactly as they choose. Most landlords will have some restrictions on just how the property is decorated, used and who exactly lives in it.

How many will own a home in 2020?

The PwC forecast did not put a figure on the percentage of the population who would own their own home in 2020. Perhaps they did not want to push their luck too far when it comes to predicting the future.

Tags: buildings and contents insurance, deposits, housing market, Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Posted in Contents Insurance, Home Insurance | No Comments »