What terms apply when the Home is not Occupied?
We have access to several Holiday Home Insurers and can negotiate terms that fit your requirements.
We can provide Full Cover while the property is not used but you must put into practice certain measures.
Examples – After 7 consecutive days of the property being unoccupied maintain the security at the home
The standard excess may increase for certain perils such as storm, flood, weight of snow, escape of water, escape of oil, theft or attempted theft, riot. 1st Nov – 1st April no cover for escape of water or oil unless the heating is on at all times at a temperature of 58 degrees OR the water is turned off at the mains and drained. The gas and electricity supplies are turned off at the mains when not used to maintain the heating and the security at the home.
Helpful Tips On Letting Your Holiday Home
PRICES
Make sure that the price is competitive. If the rental is too high it will not attract visitors.
LOCAL AGENT
If you do not live near the holiday property, you must employ a good local agent who can check your visitors in and out, arrange cleaning, routine repairs and replacements, arrange linen hire or a laundry service and keep an eye on the property when it is not occupied.
The agent should be able to provide a “Welcome Pack” if you want to provide one – bottles of wine for example or more if the visitors are arriving late.( milk bread, coffee etc) You should provide your agent with the visitor’s contact details and vice versa so that they can contact the agent if they are delayed or lost. You might also consider leaving a bottle or two of wine for all guests.
The agent can of course be a friend or relative living locally, but it should be a business relationship and the agent should be paid.
RENTAL AGREEMENT
It is advisable so that your terms of rental are clearly agreed.
The document need only be 2/3 pages in length and include the names of the visitors, the dates of the rental. The amount of damage deposit you are going to hold, The rental price, cancellation of rental charges. Additional costs e.g. electricity, linen hire etc.
INVENTORY
It is essential that you have an inventory of the contents that can be checked in with your guests. Either the owner or local agent should politely point out that if the visitors break equipment, if they are glasses for example then they should replace, if it is more serious – bed, window etc, then immediately report it.
PROPERTY HANDBOOK
Provide a ring bound folder with some notes about the property – how the hot water system works, where the rubbish should be put, information on local shops, restaurants and attractions etc.
AVAILABILITY
Ensure that the Availability dates are kept up to date where ever you choose to advertise your property.
PRESENTATION
(for web photos – brochure) Make sure that you submit good clear photos of the property. Sun shining on it, blue skies help. Make it look more inviting. Consider having the dining table set, a bottle of wine on the table as well. Beds should be made up, leave the television on and internal lights as well (particularly lamps on tables and units that can be seen in the picture). Try to avoid having people in the photos. If you need extra ideas, just take a look at some of the property lifestyle magazines available in newsagents.
ACCEPTING BOOKINGS
Take great care – if someone is making a booking well into the future, the ideal situation is to obtain a booking deposit at the time of booking and the balance two months before they are due to arrive. Stipulate those terms in your rental agreement and also on any printed booking forms.
Protect your home
Here are some ways that you can protect your property:
1. Security mark your property with a UV marker pen. You can use this pen to place an invisible imprint of your postcode and house number on your possessions.
2. Placing a sticker on a conspicuous window of your home that states your possessions have been security marked will also help to deter thieves. Ask for one of these stickers at your local police office.
3. Most house break-ins are committed by opportunist thieves who do not have to break-in due to a door or window having been left open, so keeping your home securely locked at all times is the best deterrent to thieves.
4. Speak to the crime prevention officer at your local police office about the safety devices (locks, timers, lighting etc) and procedures (closing curtains after dark, cancelling regular deliveries when you are on holiday etc) that you can put in place to increase the security of your property.
5. If other people – such as previous tenants – could be in possession of keys that fit the locks in your home, then change the locks. Do not give keys to tradesmen as they can make copies quickly and easily.
6. If you see signs of a break-in at your home – like a smashed window or an open door – don’t go in. The burglar may still be inside. Instead, go to a neighbour and call the police.
7. If you are selling your home, don’t show people around on your own. Ask your estate agent to send a representative to accompany anyone who wants to view the house. Opportunist thieves can use such opportunities to steal your possessions.
Properties being refurbished
Unoccupied Properties
We can provide limited levels of cover for unoccupied properties. If you are waiting for a tenant to occupy the property or in the process of looking for a tenant you can get covers against damage by fire, lightening, explosion, earthquake, aircraft, storm, flood or impact on a reinstatement basis (i.e. new for old).
Properties being altered or refurbished
We can also provide limited cover for properties that are undergoing alteration or refurbishment. Again this will be only basic cover until the property has an occupant, but the main thing is that the property has fire, storm and flood damage cover.
Accidental damage
What is accidental damage?
- Accidental Damage caused by a member of your family, living at the insured address
- Available on Contents and/or Buildings for an additional premium
Do I need it?
- Always a good idea for extra cover and piece of mind
- All our insurers provide limited cover as standard on both Contents & Buildings
- You decide if its worthwhile to pay the extra premium for the extra cover
What do I get for the standard option that is included automatically?
Contents:
- Audio and visual equipment
- Televisions
- Dvd players
- Home computers
- Hi-fi’s
- Video recorders
- Mirrors
- Glass tops in furniture
Buildings:
- Fixed glass
- Double glazing
- Sanitary fixtures
- Ceramic hobs
- Solar panels
What do I get for the extended option?
The extended option gives you more cover and protection. For instance, if you spill wine on your carpet or knock a vase over you will need the extended accidental damage to cover this.
The extended option on Buildings will protect you against accidents such as putting your foot through the floor when you are in the loft.
How much does the extended option cost?
The costs are not great. On average you can expect to pay in the region of £50 on top of the standard policy for contents and £25 for buildings. It is best to view the options when you buy your policy as premiums vary from one insurer to another.
Correct Sums Insured?
It is vital you get this right. There are many thousands of people throughout the UK under insured on contents and buildings. The danger of being under insured is that should you come to make a claim it can have a major impact on the amount you are paid.
Contents Insurance
- A lot of our insurers will automatically cover you at their set levels.
- if you request the contents you require at £15,000 the insurer will rate at this amount but cover you up to £40,000.
- This is a positive move by the insurers to give you a more comprehensive sum insured.
Not all the insurers will do this though, especially under the buildings, so it is still important you investigate for yourself.
Buildings Insurance
- You are insuring the rebuild cost of the property not the market value
- The rebuild cost will need to cover you against the fact that the building has to be demolished, the site cleared and then your property rebuilt.
- You wont have to buy the land again, so as a result the rebuild cost is typically much lower than the market value.
More information on rebuild costs can be found at the following sites:
Building Cost Information Service
Association of British Insurers
Family Legal Expenses
Legal disputes can happen at any time, typically arising from:
- Faulty goods or workmanship
- Accidents and injury
- Ruined holidays
- Unfair dismissal from employment
The costs of legal action can be prohibitive. Recent changes to the legal aid system means that very few people qualify for assistance in civil legal proceedings.
Insurance Choice Family Legal Care is an insurance policy that provides cover for legal fees incurred in a wide range of personal legal disputes. It also gives you expert legal advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- Convenience of obtaining legal advice 24 hours a day without leaving your house
- Personal injury
- Consumer disputes
- Home rights
- Taxation
- Employment
- Defence against criminal prosecution
- 24/7 Home Emergency Service
- £75,000 protection against legal fees
- Protection for family members, including children under 21, who live with you
This legal service is a valuable part of us providing you with the protection you and your family require. This is why our legal protection will be included within all our standard home insurance policies.
Is thatched property insurance expensive?
Don’t assume that thatched property insurance is necessarily expensive. If you choose to approach an insurer with no background or experience of thatch the premiums quoted are likely to be excessive.
Fortunately, we have access to a number of specialist insurers who understand thatched properties and provide competitive premiums based upon real risks rather than assumptions.
Discounts
Home insurers offer various ways of reducing your premium.
Security
Insurers differ on what security requirements they prefer but generally if you fit the security detailed below you can expect a discount of up to 15%
- Final exit door Fitted with a lock conforming to BS3621
- All other outside doors Fitted with a lock conforming to BS3621 OR Any other lock and key operated security bolts at the top and bottom
- Metal framed patio doors Each door must be fitted with any of the following:
- The manufacturers key operated deadlock
- The manufacturers key operated security bolts
- Any key operated security device fitted by a qualified locksmith
- Windows All ground floor and accessible windows to be fitted with any of the following.
- Key operated security bolts
- Key operated window locks
- Permanent or key operated window stops
- Adhesive on glass louver window panes to prevent glass panes being removed easily
- Alarm Systems An alarm maintained by an installer approved by the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) or the Security Systems & Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB)
- Neighbourhood Watch – If you are an active member of a neighborhood watch scheme in your area
No claims bonus
Like car insurance for each year you go claim free you earn a percentage discount. Example 1 year 10%, 2 years 15%, 3 or more 20%.
Occupancy
If the property is usually occupied during the day. As the risk of theft is reduced you can enjoy an additional discount of up to 5% with some insurers.
Voluntary excess
£50, £100, £150, £200 or £250 on top of the standard excess. This means you agree to pay a higher amount to-wards any claims. It depends on the amount you want to pay to-wards a claim but it can be up to 10% discount.
Combined Policy
If you arrange the buildings & contents at the same time under the same policy the insurers will reward this with an additional discount. Usually in the region of 10%.
Sums Insured
Play around with the amount you require. A lot of insurers offer a bedroom rated policy. This means they will automatically give you a fixed sum insured.
Example If you enter a sum insured of £41,000 contents then this will eliminate the insurers that go up to £40,000. Try entering £39,000 instead, if you are confident this is sufficient it can make a huge difference to the premium you pay.
The same principle applies under buildings. Making subtle changes to your sums insured can reduce the premium by up to 20%
You may find the following links useful:
Neighbourhood Watch
