Daily Digest – 2012-04-18

Posted by Active under Latest News, Property News, Public Liability, Unoccupied Property News

Looking in the London Metro newspaper (18th April edition) it was interesting to see just how many insurance related articles were reported. The Metro reported that according to the watchdog Which?, water companies are encouraging customers to spend £100 million pounds a year on pipe insurance that, they say is needless when water firms offer free repairs anyway. Apparently, 667,000 homes in the Anglian, Southern and United utilities are paying £35 per year for this cover to a firm called Homeserve.

Which are calling on the regulator to take action. Some home insurance policies may cover this anyway so it is worth checking your policy. Where someone has an unoccupied house insurance policy or an empty home insurance quote, it is rarely covered.

In other news, a policeman accidentally tweeted that an aircraft had crashed in Camberley, Surrey. Apparently he actually meant to just update his status about his beat – most odd, but aircraft damage is covered by most policies in any case – except sonic booms.

The weather has also hit the news with “marble-sized”hailstones and an inch of rain in the South of England today along with winds of up to 60mph. Thankfully the strength of such winds would be classed as storm under the majority of house insurance polices. It is forecast that there is more to come, despite a hose-pipe ban.

It was also reported in the Metro that organ traffickers are suspected eyes of two deceased people in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Theft is a huge problem but is there nothing sacred?

A gas fitter has been jailed for manslaughter following sub standard work on a home that subsequently killed an occupant with carbon monoxide poisoning. Whether he had liability insurance and whether or not insurers would have indemnified him is unclear but the judge obviously took a dim view on his rushed boiler installation and sentenced him to three years imprisonment for manslaughter by gross negligence.

And finally, the Metro printed a picture of a car in the middle of the New Mexican desert, clearly with nothing for miles around and hit what looks like an isolated telegraph pole. Typical that there happened to be a photographer there….

Vacant Home Insurance Cover

Posted by Active under Property News, Unoccupied Property News

Many home owners realise that buildings and contents insurance cover is essential for their financial protection. What home owners are not aware of is the fact that most home insurance policies will not provide any cover if the home is vacant or if they do provide cover then this if often very limited. Typical home insurance policies will allow full cover whilst the property is vacant for up to thirty days. However this is not the case with all home insurance providers, so do check your documents if you home is going to be vacant for any length of time. There are specialist vacant home insurance providers who will provide cover for unoccupied buildings and the contents within the premises.

So why do most conventional home insurance providers do not offer any cover on houses that are vacant. The main reason is that vacant homes pose a greater risk for claims resulting from theft, malicious damage, escape of water and vandalism. Most home insurance providers only specialise in standard risks and as such offer no cover on vacant homes. They still offer a certain number of days of cover whilst your home is vacant but each insurer have their own limits on the number of days the property can remain unoccupied for. Some will restrict the level of cover to a very basic cover whilst the home remains vacant.

Insurers that specialise in vacant property insurance will normally provide an annual policy but there are some unoccupied property insurance policies available for shorter terms such as 3, 6 or 9 months. Most of the vacant home insurance policies will have some conditions which the policy holder has to adhere to. These can include for the vacant home to be inspected at least once a week by yourself or an authorised representative. You will be informed of all the conditions that apply to a vacant home insurance policy during the initial quote stage. If you obtaining the unoccupied home insurance quote online then you must read the documents and make sure you understand exactly what the policy provides cover for and what your duties are.

Numerous reasons exist as to why a vacant home insurance cover is required. A long holiday or a temporary job employment overseas could result in the property being empty for an extended length of time. Perhaps the property is on the market to be sold or you are a landlord and are looking for new tenants. Whatever the reason maybe, you must make sure that you have adequate buildings insurance cover in place and that the insurance policy will offer protection in the event of a disaster occurring such as fire.

As with most types of insurance, increasing the policy excess can reduce the premium of the vacant property insurance. Underwriters will also provide favourable terms for empty homes that meet their full security requirements such as a working intruder alarm system and key operated window locks fitted on all accessible windows.

An important point to note is that you must provide accurate information to the insurers when getting a quote for your vacant home. Any material fact that is withheld and not disclosed could lead to a claim or part of a claim not being paid.

Active Insurance (Agents) is a UK leading specialist vacant home insurance broker for both residential and commercial unoccupied properties. Compare, quote and buy online.

Short Period Unoccupied Home Insurance

Posted by Active under Unoccupied Property News

Active offers from a basic level to full perils unoccupied property insurance cover for vacant homes that have become empty due to a number of different reasons. For this reason you can obtain an instant online short term unoccupied property policy for 3, 6 or 9 month cover.

The empty home insurance policy can be purchased online by using our easy online quote system thats powered by the CETA quote engine. For any online policies we do not offer advice or recommendations. Please ensure that this product meets your requirements prior to purchasing the unoccupied home policy.

A property may be unoccupied due to:

• The home is unoccupied because it is on the market to be sold
• The property is vacant due to the landlord awaiting for new tenants
• The house is empty due to probate
• The home is a new purchase and will be unoccupied until renovation work is completed.

If you need to speak to us regarding a vacant home policy quotation, you need to take a note of your quote reference and then call CETA directly on 0845 458 3068,