UK residents are not legally required to take out home insurance, but it s a risky business if you don t. If money is no object then we suppose it s up to the individual to decide where their priorities lie but how many people are in that position? Could you afford to lose the roof over the head of you and your family?
Normally mortgage lenders will insist that you cover your home for full buildings insurance. It s a completely understandable requirement to protect them as in the event of your home being totally destroyed you would need to be able to fund the repairs. However, you don t have to stay with the original insurance company that supplied the policy when the mortgage was taken out. It could be that you had a mortgage deal where there was an agreement to buy their specific home insurance, but this is not very common, and if this is not the case, then you are free to look around and find the best terms at any time. You have only agreed to insure the property, after all, so as long as it s fully covered, that will satisfy your lender.
It doesn t matter whether your home actually belongs to you or you still have a mortgage on it, it s likely to be the most expensive thing you own. It s essential that you protect it. The old argument that if your house burns down you still have the plot of land it stands on is not a lot of consolation when there’s no roof over your head.
Whilst buildings insurance covers the actual buildings aspect of your home, which is more or less what you bought in the first place and before you moved any belongings in, this insurance won t cover your contents. For this you need contents insurance. Possibly you don t consider that you have very much in the way of belongings but the only time this is likely to be correct is when you very first buy the property and as you start to get things together.
It s sensible to go through your home in your mind. Make a mental list of the contents and then see what it would cost to replace everything. It could be quite an eye opener. As people go from the first time home stage, through the birth of their children, there are more and more reasons to increase the amount of the contents insurance. Take into account the value of presents received, expensive TV s, games consoles and computer equipment. A couple of teenagers in the home could result in three computers and all that goes with them.
As Christmas comes, don t forget it s not just the things that you ve squirreled away for the family that have increased that contents value yet again. What about the presents you ve bought for gifts for other people, brand new and probably already wrapped for the burglar.
Something else you may have overlooked over the years you could have been given family treasures, things like paintings and jewellery. You may not even realize the value, so a valuation session would be useful. That tatty old painting could be worth so much more than you think, so make sure it s insured.
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