Home insurance quotes

[MontyVeda]

I'm looking at home insurance quotes (on moneysupermarket) and they range from just over £200 a year to an eyewatering £900 a year.

The higher quotes include Legal Cover and Home Emergency Cover whilst the lower quotes are for building and contents only. Since I don't have a wad of cash stashed away (yet) I think it might be wise to get Home Emergency Cover, although i can't imagine a scenario when I'd need it. The same goes for Legal Cover... when would i need it?

I'm not looking for the cheapest quote but i am looking for a provider that won't mess me around should i need to make a claim. I'm looking for a good insurer.

the less costly providers listed on MSM I've never heard of; Frontier, InsureMy, HomeProtect, Arorn, Intelligent Insurance. I did get a quote from the Co-op and that was £550 a year which is around £200 more than i was expecting.

I guess the question is, how do I decide which insurer is better than another?

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I've used Admiral for three houses for a few years. Good levels of cover and easy claim handling. Once for a substantial theft after a break in (~£30,000) and twice for storm damage. Premium went up only slightly, then fell in line with competitors a couple of years later.

(Edit to add: All three claims were for one house.)

 

[Dave7]

I always add legal cover** for both house and car. Never needed it but, for me, its peace of mind.
**IME the cost is less than £30 a year.

 

[ColinJ]

I always add legal cover** for both house and car. Never needed it but, for me, its peace of mind.
**IME the cost is less than £30 a year.

Legal cover extended to include cycling would be a good idea?

 

[PaulSB]

I use Aviva for Building and Contents but don't bother with the Emergency Cover or Legal Cover. Those are the items that represent additional profit for the insurer which you are unlikely to use.

I pay £385 for full cover, new for old, worldwide and, crucially all my bikes. Two years ago I was in a major RTC. Bike, kit, helmet, Wahoo, bar bag, the works were written off. The only things to survive were me and my shoes. I got a full payout for full replacement in two or three weeks. There was no quibbling. £7400. Cash!

My premium increased by £60 the following year so you'll probably find it for less than £385.

Like you I wouldn't touch any of those mickey mouse brands with a barge pole. It's cheap until you claim and then it gets expensive.

 

[PaulSB]

Legal cover extended to include cycling would be a good idea?

If you want legal cover for cycling join BC. They handled my compensation claim very well.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Our contents and building policies are separate as we could not get the combinaed cover for the price we wanted to pay from a single supplier.

Contents renewal came through yesterday and has gone up by nearly 50% since last year with no claims or changes. Went through a price comparison site and got identical cover with the same company at almost the exact same as we paid last year.

 

[Dave7]

Legal cover extended to include cycling would be a good idea?

Indeed. I need tgat once when sone barstewards broke into my garage via the tiled roof and nake off with a carbon road and a new hybrid.....insurance paid out no problem.
NB
We/police knew the culprits but had no proof

 

[Binky]

Be careful before you buy, read small print of what's included and what isn't.
I recently had to change my house and contents cover as they wouldn't cover my new bike.
Do your research for what you need
Like PaulSB I have Aviva.

 

[MichaelW2]

Ive been with NFU for many years. Good sevice.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

WHen I take out - or renew - house insurance I always check directly with them about the bike

OK OK - ebike

They generally ask a few question about where it is stored and what the locks are like and then include it for no extra
most have include theft outside the house as well
and theft outside the house is normally on the basis of
"as long as it is locked up"
when I have checked they say any lock is fine
including a cheap cable lock from Tesco

whereas "proper" cycle insurance insists on a well defined and specified type of lock - normally Sold secure Gold for me

which makes me wonder what would happen if someone with a good disc cutter stole it - how awkward might they get about proving it was locked up and proving the lock was good enough
for example - I am not sure where the packaging for my main lock is - so how would I prove it was Sold secure Gold??

but teh house insurance - because the insist on less - they have less room to argue!


maybe

still worth making sure you contact them and specifiy the make and model - just incase

 

[Drago]

Im with Swindles, building and contents.

Just had my renewal for £270, a couple of quid less than last year so dodnt even bother shopping around.

Modern house with integrated smoke alarms, sold secure locks and professional installed and monitored NSI approved intruder alarm.

Legal cover but no home care type thing - daughter and her feller own a building company and in an emergency they'll have a tradesman here faster than you can say "Accynhas bough new shoes."

60k contents. All items over a grand, watches, basses and bicycles, listed on the schedule. A bit of a ball ache to set it all up but good value.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

We use MBNA owned by Lloyds Bank.

£308 this year which is £20 less than last year.

 

[MontyVeda]

the main hurdle I'm facing is the question Has the property ever suffered from subsidence? ...and the answer is Yes.
This is followed by either We can't insure you, or call us for a tailored quote.

I'm finding this particularly annoying because yes, the house has subsided slightly, it's also been underpinned and according to two structural surveys conducted this year, the house has shown no signs of movement in the last 25 years... but they don't seem to be interested in whether or not the subsidence has been dealt with.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

the main hurdle I'm facing is the question Has the property ever suffered from subsidence? ...and the answer is Yes.

My property started out as a goat shed in around 1850 and was only converted into residential dwelling in the last decade. When I got asked that same question my answer was “how the heck should I know?”.

They seemed happy enough and insured the place anyway 😂