Bit ot: home insurance

[Joseph Craine]

As some may know my daughter is moving into a new flat and i've been tasked with findingout about home insurance. *gulp*

I get mine from my car insurnce company.

I did a quote on a comparison site and the AA came up at £42.60 I thought wow thats cheap for a year and contents insurance.

I'm just wondering if I'm being and old fool here and seeing all the good and wondering if its actually a good deal. Its been so many years since I have looked at home insurance and with getting old the mind is not as sharp as it once was sadly.

Can anyone offer me any advice on home insurance for a flat, just the contents as the landlord covers the building.

Do you think what the AA offer is any good, anyone with them and can recommend them ?

Advice very warmly appreciated.

[F]

You really do need to read the small print as the 'standard' offering often has clauses/limits/requirements that are not very friendly.

Once you've found a policy (do it under a false name, but not false details, so the next bit works), exit the site, fire up a different browser (or delete cookies) and go back to the company through TopCashBack or Quidco. Significant commission to be had from some companies including £30 from the AA for contents only...

[mogga]

What does it cover her for? Any valuables listed (laptop computer jewellery etc)

[Tim W]

Joseph Craine wibbled on Wednesday 02 December 2009 16:28

As others have said, the coverage varies.

I usually get mine via a broker - for years they have matched or beaten the quotes I've had online and they are damn useful when you actually need an intelligent answer to a question (eg is a bike chained up outside covered? Is the same covered if chained at the station etc). Can be very helpful if you need to claim.

This year my usual lot failed to beat Diamond's "women special" on car insurance (which I benefit from too) but the got the house and buildings insurance.

[Peter Scott]

Yes me too. I use Academy Insurance and have recommended them to lots of people. Very helpful, short waits to be answered and they always seem to come up with the best quote. 01188 586777. Peter Scott

[Tim W]

Peter Scott wibbled on Wednesday 02 December 2009 18:09

Mine are

's nice to actually speak to the same person each time and they're good if you need something a bit less usual like unoccupied cover and suchlike. Same as yours, phone is answered quickly.

[Joseph Craine]

I'm replaying here as my newsreader has deleted the thread bar the last

3 posts! damn thing.

I have found the policy details for contents here

I'm about to have a go at reading :)

[ARWadsworth]

I wonder if this bloke gets a special discount?

[F]

Just in case my earlier post was one of those deleted...

Once you've found a policy (do it under a false name, but not false details, so the next bit works), exit the site, fire up a different browser (or delete cookies) and go back to the company through TopCashBack or Quidco. Significant commission to be had from some companies *including £30 from the AA for contents only*...

[David Perry]

What makes you think people would know that level of detail.

Price comparison sites only offer products from companies that pay the most to advertise. That is why people don't use them now, they go to the companies direct for the best prices.

You need to check the terms and conditions. That will tell you what is covered. Each policy is different.

No, I can tell as you posted in a DIY newsgroup.

No, it depends on what you need to cover.

I wouldn't recommend them.

Get your daughter to do it, she can't always rely on you to do everything for her.

[george [dicegeorge]]

[Joseph Craine]

Top man for re-posting that :)

I'll have a look at quidco :) sound good.

[geoff]

In message , Joseph Craine writes

The AA have a reputation for offering good quotes ... for the first year

The bottom line is - what's actually covered

one point to remember is, don't get insurance for what you don't need or can replace easily, its very tempting to try and cover everything

for example, a company phoned me up recently trying to offer me parts cover for my motorbike, so if say, the faring gets broken, they'll pay for a new one ... but how likely is that to happen and can I afford to pay for it, the answers are not very and yes

I try and keep insurance for what I would be financially hard placed to replace

[Peter Scott]

Right. Thanks.I'll give them a call next time as well.

[Appin]

The message from geoff contains these words:

They're almost all up to the trick of upping the premium after a few years. And if you should claim at all, you go on a register of claimants which is used by most companies and will bump up your premium and may prevent you switching companies.

That's one point.

Another is the question of how likely are they to pay out anything meaningful if the insured has a claim. Let's face it, insurance companies are masters at

• having huge excesses

• repudiating claims on the ground that the item should have been specified

• employing loss-adjusters who decide that the item in question wasn't worth much anyway

• on "new for old" policies (the old "replacement value" policies) wangling it so that the replacement value paid out is not the true replacement cost

Generally speaking, you're better self-insuring for contents. Spend the money on better security.

I speak as one who in a former existence was a qualified underwriter and also as one who had a flat burgled ( :-( on both counts)

[F]

They're not the only ones.

We got a good quote from Direct Line and went with it. The next year they wanted stupid money. I rang to check it wasn't a 'mistake' and before I finished asking the question they offered 25% off. It was still well above that year's best quote so I went elsewhere.

A couple of hours on the web and the phone each renewal has always paid well.

[matthelliwell]

I got mine online through Liverpool & Victoria (lv.com). By far the cheapest for the first year. The second year the bumped up the premium by a huge amount. However if I went online and took out a new policy with them, rather than renewing, then the premium came back down again.

Clearly some sort of poor ploy to get in new customers.

Matt

[Fergus O'Rourke]

[snip]

The cheapest is not the best, you know. The policies vary considerably and different insurers vary in how willing they are to pay claims.

But, if it is cheapest you want, I'll match anyone's lowest quotation.

There is just one proviso: I don't pay claims. Ever.

[Huge]

I'm very sorry, but the "NullRimborso Insurance Corporation" was my idea.

:o)

[PeterC]

Some chap on TV said that insurance companies are in the business of avoiding paying claims; to continue the analogy with taxation, 'evading' might be nearer the truth.