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Riots make no impression on crime figures at Government website

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

At a time when homeowners across the UK are faced with rises in homeowners insurance premiums based on post code information collated by insurance providers, the latest statistics for August 2011 on the Governments internet crime maps make very interesting reading.

Scenes of mayhem

Of course, August 2011 was the month when many of the UK’s major cities fell victim to looters and rioters in their thousands. Graphic television newsreel showed hundreds of rioters stealing, breaking windows, setting fire to vehicles and assaulting innocent people in dozens of different locations. A quick perusal of the crime figures for the areas concerned on the Government website does not quite reflect the scenes of mayhem reported on news bulletins every night for a week, and in fact, some residents in the areas affected may even consider asking their home insurance providers to consider lowering their premiums as crime rates actually fell.

Crime rates drop at riot epicentres

Take St Anne’s Square in Manchester for example. Television cameras captured images of youths looting, setting fire to cars and pelting the police with rocks and stones at the height of the riots, yet according to the crime map for August the square enjoyed its lowest level of crime in four months! The Bullring in Birmingham was the setting where mobs in their hundreds sent horrified shoppers fleeing for cover as they set about wrecking the centre. In all police made over 100 arrests before calm was restored, but once again according to the Government website incidents in August were considerably down on those for July. Similar figures can be found at riot torn areas in London, Bristol, Liverpool and Croydon and one wonders how the police.co.uk website can report such low levels of criminal activity.

It’s all in the figures

Apparently it is all in the interpretation of statistics! According to a police spokesman the Home Office guidelines would deem a couple of dozen looters ransacking one store as just one crime! The judges who sat up all night handing down sentences to those caught may view it differently, as would the terrified bystanders caught up in the events. However, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Peter Fahy, says it is silly of us to judge the impact of the riots by the number of individual crimes that took place, I wonder if insurance actuaries take the same view.

Tags: crime, Homeowners insurance, London riots, Looters, Riots
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House prices set to rise?

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Although financial news from around the world seems to suggest that the next few years are going to be even more austere than the Government first warned, there appears to be a more upbeat attitude from the people in the UK looking to take out homeowners insurance on a property.

According to a survey carried out by the Building Societies Association (BSA) prospective homebuyers believe now is the perfect time to be investing in a property. Although 7 out of 10 said they thought it was harder than ever to get a mortgage, the rewards would be tangible if they did. And contrary to many reports we read, the young people of the UK have not given up on the idea of owning their own home. Eight out of ten said they still had ambitions to purchase a property, and four out of ten said they believed house prices would rise in the next year.

£100 a week!

They may be right because another report from online estate agents findaproperty.com suggests that property prices have been going up £100 a week throughout the year. Although it is hard to decipher whether the company are referring to asking prices or achieved sales. There is a massive difference. However, the difficulty prospective homebuyers have encountered in getting a mortgage has without doubt filtered all the way through the sector to builders, and the resultant shortage of housing will at some point affect the price people will pay.

Mortgage payments not the only worry

Of course it is not only getting a mortgage that is difficult. Although low interest rates mean that many people can pay their mortgage without too much trouble, soaring fuel prices, the cost of a home insurance quote and the uncertainty on the employment front will hold many people back from committing to a new home purchase. The housing sector has seen more than its fair share of false dawns over the last couple of years but perhaps the coming together of certain circumstances will bring a new day and a new life to the housing market.

Long way to go

Certainly some building societies are offering better loan to value deals to first time buyers but until this becomes commonplace with all of the big lenders, it is hard to see house prices getting anywhere near the 14% increase suggested by the Centre for Economics and Business Research by 2015.

Tags: Building Societies Association, Home Insurance Quote, Homeowners insurance, House prices
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Cushions don’t always cost pin money

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Decorating a home is very much dependant on the taste of the individual, homes across the UK are personalised in so many different ways that it is really difficult to put some into a category such as minimalist, contemporary or classic, and to be honest it doesn’t really matter.

Owner should feel at ease

The main concept when it comes to decorating your home is will it make you comfortable? If the answer to that question is yes then you are on the right lines. All that is necessary from that point on is to plan a budget and try and keep to it, it does not have to be a massive amount of money and where you can make or create items that decorate your home yourself then the finished product will not only be more economical but give a more homely feel. It is always advisable to set aside a little extra money to pay for extras such as homeowners insurance, as accidents do happen when you are decorating.

Soft furnishings

One item that many people can make themselves, and add massive amounts of personality to a room, are cushions. Cushions add so much presence to the room as well as colours and comfort. Unlike furniture or wall paint they are easy and flexible home décor elements.

Plenty of choice

All types of cushions are available to suite all tastes. Plain cushions will be very easy to coordinate and would suite all types of rooms. If you have country style interior then stripes, checks and floral print cushions would be suitable. If you want to add a luxurious touch, choose decorative and embroidered cushions such as silk, damask, brocade and crewel work. Velvets cushions will also add an elegant sheen. If you like something special, how about tapestry, faux fur or chenille cushions for extra texture and unique patterns?

Mix and match

While you can choose cushions which match the colour and style of the room, you can also choose completely different ones and use them as accents. A mixture of large and small cushions would be good for family/living rooms. Use riser cushions if your family members need assistance when rising from an easy chair. Draught excluders are alternative cushions which will keep out those cold draughts in the winter in a very attractive and stylish way.

All budgets catered for

If you are on a budget choose all-in-one cushions which are machine washable with polyester fillings. These types of cushions are especially suitable for children’s rooms. Other, more costly cushions come with removable covers with synthetic or feather-down fillings which can be either machine washed or dry cleaned. The prices range from £7 to £60 and so should be covered with some sort of affordable house insurance quotes. Online shops are probably the cheapest places to buy, but if you really want to be sure of the textures, volumes and colours then you should visit shops and check these yourselves.

Tags: Cushions, Decor, Homeowners insurance, interior design
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Centurions on the march

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

A report out today suggests the youngsters of today will be paying much more on products such as life insurance and home insurance in the years to come as they live much longer lives.

The study by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was based around figures provided by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and suggests that today’s youngsters will not only live longer but will have to work longer and pay more for their pensions if the fabric of UK society is to remain the same.

According to the study, 1 in 3 girls born in the UK this year will live to reach their one hundredth birthday, 1 in 4 boys will do exactly the same. The DWP say that this means there be at least half a million people in the UK over 100 by the year 2066. The figures suggest a child born in 2011 is 8 times more likely to live to 100 than a child born in 1930 and it doesn’t stop there. The report says a twenty year old today has double the chance of living to be 100 than their generation older parents. It is a remarkable figure and one that explains the DWP’s urgency to sort out pensions and retirement age issues quickly.

This year has already seen industrial action by workers in the public sector who are now being asked to pay a lot more into their pensions and at the same be prepared to work longer. It has come as a bitter blow to some, especially those in their fifties and near retirement age. Women in particular have been hit hard. Teachers, Nurses and Civil Servants expecting to retire at 55 on full pensions are now looking at retiring at 66. It has happened in a few short years and has caught many out. Not only are they being asked to pay more and work longer before they get a pension, but their present jobs are in danger and the prospects of finding something similar negligible.

Tomorrows Nurses and Teachers may well be looking at a 60 year working life and still a long and healthy retirement. It is a strange fact that as the human race manages to elongate its life expectancy to such high levels the material things we produce have a smaller and smaller life expectancy all the time. How many homeowners insurance and motor insurance policies will the little girl in her cot today take out before her life has run its course?

Tags: Department for Work and Pensions, Homeowners insurance, Life Insurance, Office of National Statistics, Youngsters
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