Posts Tagged ‘home contents insurance’

« Older Entries

Why bike insurance is as vital as your crash helmet!

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Bicycle insurance is as crucial a piece of protection equipment as any padded garment or crash helmet according to the article “Instant Expert Guide to Bike Insurance”.

Bicycles are not cheap. Ideally you buy one and want it to last for as long as you want to keep it, so when it gets pinched you will naturally feel devastated! But what can you do?

Taking some extra care when parking your bike could help prevent the likelihood of it being stolen. Look for some good bike locks and attach it to anything you can find that is solid such as a roof rack on the top of your car.

The perfect back-up strategy is to take out some bicycle insurance. If your bicycle cost more than two hundred pounds you may have a problem with some insurance providers. In their world, a bicycle that cost over two hundred pounds is considered ‘high value’. Many prefer to add their bike to their home contents insurance – but as previously mentioned this is not a problem for bikes under the value of £200. For those who find adding a bike to home insurance policies a problem, check out some quotes from specialist bicycle insurance companies for satisfaction. Ensuring that you will be protected in the event of an accident occurring while riding or racing is essential at this stage.

When taking out some insurance on your bicycle it is vital to check the specific requirements of your policy. Make sure you are familiar with parking requirements (it may turn out your bicycle is not insured if parked anywhere other than inside your home). Check also that your bicycle is protected from anything happening abroad if planning on taking your bike on your travels.

Travel insurance is essential when cycling abroad. Many insurance plans will cover you for bicycle riding abroad but not mountain bike riding. By making sure on the outset that you and your insurance company have an understanding is the best way to avert disaster. Travel insurance is vital when cycling abroad because an accident could leave you with astronomical medical bills you cannot afford.

Bicycle insurance and travel insurance – a marriage made in heaven!

Tags: ,
Posted in Bike Insurance | No Comments »

No place like home – a sensible student’s guide!

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Starting university can be an exciting time! New course, new friends and independence – all good things come in threes. To help prepare you for your new life at Uni, there are one or two considerations you would be well advised to take on board, according to the article “Keeping your house in order – top tips for student renters!”

Students who rent will need to be prepared for contributing to a shared home, budgeting and cooking. It’s not very ‘rock and roll’, but keeping your home in good order is the best way to encourage everyone to commit to keeping things shipshape so that you get your deposit back at the end of the tenure.

According to the aforementioned article, there is an approved Government tenancy scheme, which has been devised to protect tenants deposits from unscrupulous landlords. It is this deposit protection scheme, mydeposits.co.uk – who offer help and advice.

First off, check how much money you will need from the outset and budget sensibly in order to be able to pay initial outgoings of deposit and first month’s rent. Protect your deposit by ensuring your landlord has signed up with one of the three protection schemes. Ask to see proof that your landlord is on the scheme before handing over any money. If he is unable to show proof, he is breaking the law and you should report him.

While renting a property you are entitled to privacy but a landlord does have the right to inspect his house or flat. Although this is the case he or she will have to provide you with at least 24 hours notice before setting foot in the property.

Keep your home in order or your landlord can hold on to your deposit. Fifty eight per cent of disputes at the end of a tenancy are due to damage or cleanliness so we’re telling you now, look after your new home or suffer the consequences!

Last but not least insure your belongings with home contents insurance. It is not the responsibility of the landlord to provide cover for your I-Pods and laptops so make sure you have taken this on board yourself. Additionally, always ensure your property is securely locked when not in occupation as unfortunately burglars like to target students.

Tags:
Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

Know the value of your designer wardobe?

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

How many of us forget about the credit crunch when shopping for new fashion acquisitions? As well as losing all our money saving principles when faced with the sale of the century at Top Shop we have short memories when it comes to adding clothes values onto our home contents insurance valuations.

A recent survey that took place online revealed that seventy two per cent of ladies taking part admit to purchasing fashion items that never leave the confines of the wardrobe! Not only that but a further twenty one per cent of participants reveal they will hold on to items in hope that they will one day return into fashion!

According to the article “Brits unaware of the value of their home wardrobe!” Britain’s shoppers have not stopped bargain hunting in the face of the credit crunch – far from it! The insurance company Swinton have observed while continuing to shop we are acquiring purchases that should be added to the value of our home contents. Recognising that high street fashions can be as pricey as larger one-off purchases that we automatically add to our contents value, they are keen to remind us that our latest fashion accessories and designer labels should all be added to the grand total of the value of our home contents insurance.

Surprisingly, it is not just the ladies who are keen to buy fashion items but fail to wear them as fifty two per cent of men in the survey revealed their wardrobes contained clothes that have never seen the light of day! It is not just those ladies’ wardrobes that bump up the value of our home contents as sixty per cent of men revealed they had at least the one expensive designer suit!

Swinton are keen to stress that we should all renew the values of our contents insurance following all our clothes shopping sessions because if we don’t our value summations are at risk of falling considerably short of what it should be.

Tags:
Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

Money back from our insurance companies anyone?

Friday, June 12th, 2009

When it comes to saving cash Martin Lewis is always on the money! The Money Saving Expert has more to say for himself in the article “Martin Lewis:Insurance cashback” and this time we stand to make some extra pounds from our insurance companies.

The idea is that certain insurance companies will YOU for the privilege of covering you! Look out for the sites that display paid links from retailers and services providers. When you register with these companies and click on the product they get their payday. You then receive from them a cut of the revenue they receive in order for you to get the same product. While Martin Lewis states you should never choose an insurer on the basis of a cash back entitlement, if the one you pick (the cheapest) does pay out you could do very nicely out of this. It is all worthwhile especially as from time to time it has been known for customers to benefit to the tune of between £75 and £100 cash back! Check out the moneysavingexpert website for a comparison of who pays out the most amount of cash back today!

Finding the cheapest insurance provider is easy when you have the internet. Check out the comparison websites to save even more time browsing through insurance websites. Whether you seek home contents insurance, motor insurance or travel insurance, this is in deed a beautiful technological age and we are duty bound to always make the most of the internet! If you haven’t heard of them, why not check out the screenscraping comparison sites to shave off even more time from the process of browsing.

Remember to always check the cheapest quote you have found on a comparison site with the insurer’s official website just to be on the safe side.

One last show stopping Martin Lewis ‘special’ is to pay out for your insurance in one go otherwise you will pay extra in monthly payments.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

When festival fun turns to carnival madness!

Friday, June 12th, 2009

Hundreds of thousands festival people are at this moment packing up their bags ready for the seasons events. With Glastonbury just around the corner and the stages of RockNess and the Isle of Wight Festival within hours of exploding into life here comes another word of warning from the cautious ones amongst us, our insurance companies!

According to the article “Ensure your festival fun is covered this summer” festival go-ers ought to be on their guard especially as theft reports increased at Glastonbury last year by fifty per cent!

The insurance website moneysupermarket.com are here to urge all who enjoy the summer festivals to lend a thought to the protection of their possessions before they get stuck into all the fun!

If you haven’t insured any of your possessions before and are a bit wary of the whole ‘insurance game’ don’t be because it’s easy. In most cases, your possessions can be tacked on to your usual home contents insurance for a very small cost and to do this all you need to do is to give your insurance firm a quick call. Easy.

According to the head of moneysupermarket music festival almost encourage criminal activity because theft is so easy within the music event confines. Revellers head off for various music stages leaving many of their worldly possessions behind to the delight of a thief. The music festival offers easy pickings aplenty!

Insurance costs for your favourite belongings such as an I-Pod, camera and mobile will only set you back a few pounds extra on your home contents insurance. Get yourself hooked up to some of that for piece of mind and in addition try not to leave things lying around in unprotected tents. Better still try attending the festivals with the basic minimum. Is there any reason why you can’t live without your I-pod for a weekend? You are afterall at a MUSIC festival!

Tags: ,
Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

Top Tory has bike stolen again!

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

David Cameron leader of the Opposition has lost his bike to thieves, again! For the second time, the leader of the Conservative Party has fallen foul to opportunist bicycle criminals according to the article “Protect your pushbike as Cameron falls victim to bike theft…again!”

If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone as more and more people are waking up to the fact that they just can’t leave their bicycles propped up against a shop’s exterior wall.

If you don’t yet have insurance cover for your bike, get it added to your home contents insurance. One big step for bike security is only a phone call away.

This is a warning that arrives ready for those ‘now is the time to dig the bike out from the shed’ efforts – a time when we are all thinking about swapping the four wheels for two!

Time to stop handing the bike thieves our wheels on a plate! Here’s how to go about it. While ensuring our bikes are adequately covered on the home contents policy, we need to begin to think about serious lock devices. Stop leaving those bikes propped up against the walls…it’s too easy!!

Use bike parking racks in the town and city centres and make sure you lock you bike too. When putting your bike away at night, make sure you lock them in a secure outbuilding or in the house.

In the event that your bike is stolen, by marking your vehicle with an ultra violet marker pen you will stand a better chance of having your bike returned to you. Better still take some photos of your bike for identification purposes.

Last but not least, make sure your insurance is everything it should be. Some home contents insurance cover provide cycle protection only as an add-on (so don’t assume it is already taken care off!)

Tags: , ,
Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

Green Finger protection against Sticky Fingers!

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

Not even our gardens are safe from thieves. According to the article “Two thirds of households forget garden insurance” garden theft is a very big issue especially because people tend to overlook the necessity of insurance for the garden.

As a nation, we love our gardens! On average we spend in excess of seven hundred pounds on our garden yet over sixty per cent of us have no insurance in place for it. Why are we not insuring our gardens?

The reason we are failing to insure our gardens is not because we are unaware of garden crime. Over seventeen per cent of people in an M&S poll stated they knew of someone who had plants, trees and shrubs stolen. The problem is a bigger one in the north where almost a quarter of the poll knew someone who had been a victim of garden crime. Garden crime is not just about stolen plants and the like but can also include criminal damage by intruders so it is all the more surprising that people are missing the point of garden insurance. Gardeners love nothing better than to enjoy hours of every day nurturing their gardens to the extent that their patch of greenery of certain dimensions becomes a prized possession.

We lock away our precious jewellery and our cars but what of our gardens? Many gardens lack security of any kind and prove enticing to the passing thief and vandals.

When looking into garden insurance, do bear in mind that garden furniture should be covered by home contents insurance, while patios and conservatories can be covered by your buildings insurance. It is essential to shop around for the best insurance to suit you and your needs because some companies will not cover you for plant replacement while others will.

Tags: , ,
Posted in General, Home & Contents Insurance | 1 Comment »

Roll up! Savings to be had by becoming a property guardian angel!

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

We are all looking for ways to save money now more than ever so this article should strike a note in many a credit crunching ear! Why not consider becoming a property guardian?

According to the article “Knock 75% off your rental costs!” several property companies like Ad Hoc, Ambika and Camelot have come up with a unique way for tenants to save money on rent by being property guardians! But don’t forget to take out your own home contents insurance!

How the scheme works is by becoming a property guardian, you are essentially protecting a property. An idea that originated from Holland where the scheme is well underway and successful, becoming a property guardian could literally save you hundreds of pounds. Not for everyone, being a guardian means a certain lack of security of tenure. The property company you are dealing with may require you to move into another property at a couple of week’s notice. Although you will be encouraged to make it your home, guardian are not allowed pets, children, parties, smoking and you will initially be requested to pay a deposit as well as admin charge. Increasing all the time in popularity, these schemes are rapidly becoming subscribed, attracting in particular guardians who are police, doctors, nurses, teachers and actors.

The property company acquires empty buildings. Some of these buildings require renovation or redecoration before they are suitable for letting. What happens next is companies like Camelot Property Protection approach the building’s owner requesting a fee for protecting the empty property from any kind of damage as well as squatters. To achieve this, the property company will install a property guardian. The ‘guardian’ (or caretaker) will pay a living fee to the property company every month, which is a fraction of a normal rent by occupying the building. Where many properties occupy prime city locations, property guardians will only pay living fees in the region of sixty pounds a week shaving a huge chunk of normal rental charges.

The types of property available for property guardians vary from regular semi-detached residential property to a church or a commercial property. The property will be habitable with the usual facilities and utilities such as hot running water, lighting and heating. All you will need to provide are furniture, cooking utensils and all your usual bits and pieces.

Being a property guardian does not mean you are providing a security service and expected to tackle intruders or burglars! Your presence in a property is generally deterrent enough. However in the event of break-ins, you would be expected to act as you would anywhere else and dial ‘999’.

Though you are performing the role of a property guardian, your property will not be protected or insured by the company who employ you. Prior to moving in ensure you have good home contents insurance and carry out the usual security measures such as not leaving valuables on display and ensuring windows are closed and locked.

As the credit crunch gets worse, this is the kind of project that is likely to take the nation by storm, as you too can become a property guardian!

Tags: ,
Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

The return of the 7 inch single!

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

Welcome back the seven inch single! This month the vinyl single commemorates its 60th anniversary and according to the article “Music to my ears!” there is no sign of it ever departing from this music-loving world!

We thought we’d said goodbye a long time ago to the little old single because music lovers seem to prefer to groove to the sound of downloads. Sales for downloads were in excess of one hundred million in 2008 but lookout for the seven inch vinyl becomes it is mounting a comeback! With over one million 7 inch vinyl sales taking place throughout last year in the UK alone the mighty single is set to return with gusto as people come to appreciate the benefits of the limited editions of vinyl especially to music collectors.

We, the listening public are not the only ones getting more turned on and tuned in to the vinyl seven inch as bands like Girls Aloud, and White Stripes are laying tracks onto vinyl as we speak and have been doing so for the last year and a half.

But with vinyl comes the need for care. Singles on vinyl are fragile and require proper protection and owners lucky enough to have good collections of singles are urged to seek out adequate insurance. The importance of home contents insurance or possessions insurance is especially paramount because vinyl is becoming so valuable on the music markets. The chance of a top evaluation is dependent upon the condition of the vinyl over a period of time (and we could be talking decades in some circumstances!)

Some tricks of the trade for vinyl collectors include stacking the records side by side (never on top of one another!), keeping records away from heat, get adequate insurance cover and take special care of the sleeves.

One last preservative measure for all would-be vinyl collectors is to ensure all new purchases are documented and recorded by photograph. Happy vinyl hunting!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

Sign up NOW for chocolate explosion/floating cow insurance!

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

We need to be constantly sure our insurance policy details are accurate according to NFU Mutual insurance. In order to be fully protected against all kinds of eventualities, there is an absolute necessity to review our policies for amendments on a frequent basis.

The NFU Mutual is talking from first hand experience for being a rural insurance provider all kinds of interesting situations can rear their (in some cases bovine) distinctly heads!

According to the article “Will your insurance cover a cow in your swimming pool?” any number of crazy situations can occur in the heart of the countryside. Although extremely cute sheep can be a nightmare, as one customer of NFU Mutual discovered when he had to claim for his broken false teeth after being rammed by an excitable ram!

What about the customer who was enjoying a nap by the pool? Did he expect upon awaking, a cow floating about in his pool when a herd of cows enjoyed a spot of recreation in his garden?

When you live in the country, all kinds of eventualities can occur although some are just errors in judgement like the wife who threw what appeared to be an old unwanted envelope onto the bonfire but turned out to contain two hundred and fifty pounds worth of cash?

“Never work with children or animals” as one magician once rightly advised me due to the outbreaks of unpredicted chaos that often ensues. The NFU Mutual concurred recalling an incident at a children’s party where a chocolate fountain exploded covering everything and everybody within close proximity with runny chocolate. Cheers all round please for the fact that despite efforts to remove the chocolate the carpet was replaced within two weeks (however nobody mentioned whether cleaning the chocolate covered children proved all that much of a problem!)

According to a recent NFU Mutual poll, over fifty three per cent of us have fail to review our home contents insurance every six months! The point to these stories here is that we need to regularly spring clean our insurance policy documents to cover ALL eventualities!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Home & Contents Insurance | No Comments »

« Older Entries