Advice for homeowners Seeking Home Insurance

Having a safe place to hang your hat at the end of a long day is important, you need somewhere to leave all the items you have accumulated in your lifetime. Our lifestyles may have changed over the past number of years, however, the need to keep your home and valuables safe remains a constant. That’s why it is vital to contact an insurance broker about home insurance.

Owning a home can mean that you are exposed to property damage, theft and more. Your home and your belongings are probably the most important assets you have. Many properties require specialist home insurance which is why we offer affordable home insurance cover specifically tailored to your needs. Choosing the right insurance for you can be a difficult task when you don’t know what you need or where to start.

We’re here to uncomplicate it a little bit. If you would like to discuss your options with an insurance broker, please contact the LHK Personal Lines team. In the meantime, we provide answers to some frequently asked questions:

How Much Should I Insure My House for?

It is hard to know how much your house and belongings are worth without a proper professional evaluation. There are a lot of factors to consider when applying for home insurance, some may lessen your premium.

These are a few things that may reduce your premium

• Are you entitled to an age discount?
• Year your property was built?
• Do you have an alarm?  Is it NSAI approved? Is it connected to a monitoring station?
• Do you have smoke alarms and key-operated windows?
• Are your doors locked by 5 lever mortice locks?
• What is the square footage of your house?  Check www.SCSI.ie for current re-build costs for your area.
• Is your rental property let to a family or couple?
• Do you wish to increase your excess to reduce your premium?
• Are your contents cover too high?

In short, the value of your house should be taken from the reinstatement value. A common mistake is that people assume it should be insured for the market value but this is not true.

What is building value and how do I price it?

As stated in the title, the building value is the value of your building. How old is your building? Did you do any construction or groundworks on it? Consider how much the kitchen cost to renovate. How much was each item in the kitchen? How much did the wardrobes in the bedroom cost? Is there a new fuel store, or is it a few years old? Is there a garden shed or a garage? Have you installed a new heating system?

Having more heat efficient systems built into your houses such as heat pumps, insulation in your roof, walls and floors and double or triple glazed windows will increase your building value too. As well as having renewable energy electricity sources such as solar panels, hydro or wind turbine systems.  All of these are important factors to take into account when figuring out the value of your building. If you’re unsure, contact an insurance broker about your home insurance.

To ensure you have the correct price of your home you can get it assessed by a professional to see how much it may be worth in today’s market, alongside any improvements and changes you may have made to it.

What about items not attached to the house?

If you want anything covered outside of the house you will need to specify these items to your insurance broker. You must receive a tailored plan that suits your specific needs, as every person is different and has a special hierarchy of which things in life take precedence. The LHK Personal Lines team can provide a bespoke personalised service. 

For instance, if you are looking for protection on electronics, we would recommend gadget insurance. This can cover water damage, broken screens, theft, and whatever else may cause your gadgets to cease working.

Do I Need to Write Down All Of My Valuable Items?

Again, this is something that you must discuss with your insurance broker. If you have items of significant value then you should speak about them in detail. If the item is worth a substantial amount more you may need to come to a special agreement, and note it as a specified item on your policy. 

What If We Move Out While Under the Same Insurance Policy?

If your house/property becomes unoccupied you must be sure to inform your insurance company, via your insurance broker. This includes a change in tenants, building use etc. It is important to provide your insurance providers with this information in case something happens, or your plan needs to be changed. Keeping your broker in the loop means that you will have the most successful results when it comes to making a claim.

Why LHK as your Insurance Broker?

From houses in a flood-risk area to those with a thatched roof, we work with top insurance providers in the UK and Ireland to bring you some of the very best home insurance quotes on the market.

To ensure your assets are adequately protected, it’s worth using an experienced and reputable insurance broker to arrange home insurance and contents insurance on your behalf.

We also can offer a quote for your holiday home insurance or rental property insurance.

LHK has helpful professionals willing to help you make sure you have the best deal for yourself and your home and belongings. Using an insurance broker to help you to get the insurance you need saves you time, stress and worry.

In addition to household insurance our experienced team can arrange cover for you across the following products for you or your business:

We have Car insurance, Gadget insurance, Marine insurance, Personal accident insurance, Self-build insurance, Travel insurance, Commercial legal expenses, Commercial liability insurance, Commercial motor insurance, Commercial property insurance, Contractors all risk insurance, Credit insurance, Cyber insurance, Directors and officers insurance, Engineering insurance, Farm insurance, Group personal accident insurance, Marine cargo/ goods in transit insurance, Moter fleet insurance, Moter traders insurance, Office insurance, Professional indemnity insurance, Shop and retail insurance and Special types vehicles insurance.

If you are ready to get in touch with us about insuring your home, belongings and valuables then contact our Personal Lines team at LHK Group.