The UK Insurance Blog

In a recent article “Nationwide provides advice for homeowners affected by floods” practical tips are provided as to what to do in a flood emergency should you have one.

The tips are delivered to you on behalf of the Nationwide Building Society and should be noted in case what has been happening up and down the country should happen to you too.

First of all, get in touch with your insurance company. Above all else, make them aware your home is flooded. If there is a 24 hour helpline, now is the time to use it.

If there is anything you can do to prevent even more damage from occurring, get that underway as soon as possible ensuring permanent work is not being done without at first arranging this with your insurance company.

Although it is tempting to throw out damaged furniture, it is important you hang onto it until the insurance company have inspected it.

Everything that you’ve bought, keep those receipts and for damage limitation move all valuables out of reach of the water. Keep food upstairs out of the way of water damage too.

Do not use gas and electricity or drink tap water until you are told it is safe and pull all furniture away from walls.

Alternative accommodation may be included in your insurance, so make sure you look into that.

Under your comprehensive car insurance, claim for damage to your family vehicle(s).

Once the floods have subsided, these tips should make life that bit easier for those affected. Add oil to hinges and locks. This will prevent corrosion.

Drying out the house will be a lot easier if you keep windows and doors open when it is safe to do so and when you’re around to keep an eye on things. Never leave them open if you have to go out.

Once the insurance company have visited you, you will be free to remove any carpet or floor coverings as well as washing the walls and surfaces down with disinfectant.

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In his article, “Caught short in Europe”, Ali Hussain urges motorists to check their insurance cover before they set off for Europe.

Check your fully comprehensive driving insurance before you go, it may not be as fully comprehensive as you would like it to be! Many travellers find themselves abroad with less cover than they need or worse, without cover at all!

Do not assume anything! Many companies including the RAC, Norwich Union Direct and Direct Line provide third party cover ONLY once you leave the UK. An additional premium is necessary in most cases while some companies require you to inform them prior to your trip.

Sheila’s Wheels’ research revealed that out of the 4.3 million British motorists who are set to drive in Europe this year 15% ASSUME they have full cover from their insurance company. This is frightening! Always ring up your insurance provider informing them of your trip and that you will need to extend your cover.

Do not assume anything! The market analyst, Defaqto revealed that 61% of comprehensive policies do not actually cover breakdown in Europe. Those offering cover for Europe as a standard feature account for only 11%. Third party cover is only standard thanks to EU law, where damage is paid only to another motorist when involved in an accident. This type of cover does not protect you against accidental damage, theft and personal injury.

While comprehensive insurance can be provided as an extension, how much insurance companies charge for it can vary considerably.

Direct Line, Admiral and Diamond offer differing rates that depend on the length of cover required. Barclays charge about £21.90 for 90 days of cover. Diamond will sell annual cover for an extra £34.50. Admiral will charge £9 for four days and £17 for thirty days. Marks and Spencer, Churchill and Endsleigh offer free comprehensive cover for up to 90 days per year.

Free annual cover is available from Ecar and SAGA. Don’t rely on price comparison websites because they can be deceiving. The insurance companies featured can often provide different versions of their policies so they stand out on the tables. For example, the Norwich Union Direct charge £26 extra for 90 day cover abroad although via a broker, the whole trip cover is standard with no extra charge. The cost for normal cover is more likely to be more expensive overall however. While you are at it, check there are no restrictive clauses concerning numbers of consecutive days you can drive abroad.

A couple of other things mentioned in the article, that we should all be aware of when driving abroad include alcohol levels, speed limits and general safety.

Europe is much tougher on alcohol levels than the UK, that everyone has to wear a seatbelt and that speed is monitored regularly. If caught driving 25 kilometres per hour more than the speed limit, you could face an on-the-spot confiscation of licence and you’ll certainly get an on the spot fine (yes, they do take credit cards). Do yourself a favour and read up on the European Highway Code before you go.

Liverpool Victoria have introduced a pet insurance policy that has no upper age limit. Pet insurance policies vary widely from insurer to insurer but generally you’ll find that a pet insurance company will not take on a new dog after age 8 or 9 and maybe a couple of years longer for a cat. They will often renew an existing policy beyond that age but with restrictions on certain parts of the policy.The new Liverpool Victoria policy allows you to take out insurance on a pet of any age over 8 weeks, but of course there are restrictions.

Cheaper (or should that be less expensive) pet insurance policies tend to fall into two camps, either they restrict payment on any single ailment to 12 months or they restrict the maximum amount that they will pay out for each condition - or even a combination of the two.

The new Liverpool Vic product offers both choices. Cheaper of the two restricts payment to twelve months on any single ailment with a top limit of £5,000 whilst a more expensive option offers a total of £5,000 for a single ailment with no time limit. In both cases the excess payable on any claim is £60. An average annual premium for a 10-year-old cat on the Essential plan is £106 and £146 on Premier whilst a Labrador dog (prone to leg ailments in old age) is £198 and £306.

Now, as with most insurance, you have a decision to make. Does it make sense to insure or would you be better off sitting it out and stumping up for the vet bill?. It really is a toss of the coin thing, who knows what’s going to happen in the future?. For sure, there are certain people who much prefer to know that whatever happens to their pet, it will be paid for by the insurance company and obviously for those people pet insurance is essential.

In my own case I bought my dog, A Hungarian Vizsla, from the breeder when he was 4 months old. The breeder had insured him for a year and when that expired I let the policy lapse. Up until about age 9 he didn’t have any unexpected visits to the vet, just the normal booster injections etc which aren’t paid for by pet insurance in any case. Then at about 10 years of age he developed a limp in his shoulder. A few visits to specialists who all scratched their heads and said that they couldn’t see what the problem was ate up a thousand or more. Medication has cost a bit more. To be honest I don’t know if I’d have been better off with insurance. What you do have to remember that the insurance company will not cover existing medical conditions, so you can’t wait until the dog starts hobbling before insuring him. My fella’s now over 14 and he’s been worth every penny, he’s my best friend.