Taking out a home insurance policy – useful questions

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Taking out a home insurance policy can feel like you’re walking through a maze. Here are some general tips that may prove helpful.

  1. The onus is on you the policyholder to calculate the sum insured on buildings. You can do this by using the cost calculator on the www.propertyclaimsdirect.ie or the SCS.ie website. If you insure your home for say 50% of the rebuild cost then any claim you have will be subject to average and you will only get a 50% payout of any partial damage claim. If you have a total loss (eg your house completely burnt down) then you will only get the amount you insured for.
  2. The sum insured for contents can be calculated as follows – go through each room and calculate the cost of replacement of all loose furniture, carpets curtains, clothes, electrical items , jewellery etc. Remember on contents every policy has a single item limit so if the limit is €2500 and your engagement ring is worth €3500 then you will need to specify this on your policy. Paintings , TV’s expensive clothing anything that exceeds the limit needs to be specified.
  3. The proposal form will have several questions about previous claims, occupation, is the house rented etc. You must answer these questions as honestly as possible. The insurance company will take your premiums and assume your answers are correct but if you make a claim everything will be checked. Your claims history can be checked regardless of who your previous insurer was. If you lie on your proposal form you are effectively not insured.
  4. Shop around and try and get the cheapest quote. Remember that not all policies are the same. The single item limit will be different, some policies cover gardens and landscaping and some don’t. Accidental damage is an extra peril that may draw a higher premium but it is a great addition to have as it covers so many things. If you’re unsure using a broker for specific advise can be beneficial.
  5. Some Insurance companies have their own builders network. If you have a relative or friend who is a builder you may wish to use them instead. Ask your insurer can you use your own builder.
  6. Some companies load their customers with additional premiums if a claim is made and some don’t. Ask the question what happens if a claim is made.
  7. There is a lot of flooding around at the moment. Every insurer will ask if your house is near a river or coastline or in a flood prone area. This is a unfair question for the general public as who knows whether and area is prone to flooding or not. The local authority should be able to advise you on the flooding history of an area. If your house floods most insurance companies will withdraw flood cover immediately. Its worth asking what is their policy on flood claims.
  8. Insurers don’t like flat roofs as they see them as a potential for leaks/claims. They may ask what percentage of your roof is flat. This must be declared accurately as possible. Again the policy could be voided if this isn’t accurate. Storm damage to roofs can be contentious. If you must make an emergency repair to your roof take lots of pictures before repairs are carried out. Don’t do internal repairs unless absolutely necessary. Insurers like to see the damage before they pay for it.

The Importance Of Maintaining Your Boiler

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As the cold season approaches, everybody with oil fired central heating should have their boiler serviced annually. The risks involved in not doing this can be immense. Colm Sheedy with Boilerfix (www.boilerfixdublin.com) reckons that the majority of Home Heating oil spills in Ireland could be prevented by annual maintenance.

So what happens if there is a spillage of oil?

Oil when it goes into the ground will take the path of least resistance. It could follow the stone fill surround on the supply and return pipework into the house from the boiler. If oil gets under the floors in your home, the consequences can be disasterous, not only to the structure but to the general health of the occupants of the house.

The good news is that Property Claims Direct have the solution to these problems. We can survey the damage and report the claim to your insurance company. We will meet the representitives and ensure the claim goes smoothly.

The clean up company we would recommend to clean up the oil spillage is Microclean Environmental. (www.microclean.ie) We have been dealing with Microclean for 10 years now and have yet to receive a complaint about their finished product. Oil spillage on any property can be a major crisis but with Property Claims Direct on your side it will seem like a minor drama.

Please see below case studies of works carried out by Microclean.

Oil Spillage County Meath 1

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Photograph 1 shows the site upon arrival by Microclean after a leak from the oil feed line. Note the dieback of the lawn between the oil tank and boiler unit. Significant hydrocarbon contamination was encountered along the entire length of the property boundary wall.

 

 

 

 

 

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Photograph 2 shows the contaminated area during the remediation works. Treatment solutions were applied on a regular basis to impacted area to degrade the oil in-situ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Photograph 3  Please note the reinstatement works completed at the property upon conclusion of the remedial programme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oil Spillage County Meath 2

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Photograph 1 Initial findings from a site investigation oil spillage incident in Meath. Heavily contaminated soil and groundwater encountered within the rear of the dwelling.

 

 

 

 

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Photograph 2 Photograph showing the ongoing remedial works conducted at the property to remove the contamination.

 

 

 

 

 

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Photograph 3 Please note the reinstatement works completed at the property upon conclusion of the remedial programme

 

 

 

 

 

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Photograph 4 Please note the reinstatement works completed at the property upon conclusion of the remedial programme

 

Insurance Companies Increase Excesses

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Since our last news article we are glad to see Insurance Companies have revised their stance on enforcing their builders on clients in the event of a property damage claim.  This practice was negatively received by clients and insurance companies were inundated with complaints of poor workmanship by some of their builders.

We are however noticing a serious increase in policy excesses particularly for water damage.  We would strongly advise all members of the general public to ask the following questions when taking out a new property insurance policy.
1. What are the excesses on the policy  – standard? subsidence? water  damage? . What happens to these excesses in the event of a claim?
2. Can I use my own builder or am I forced to use a network builder?
3. In the event of a claim and if I’m underinsured and you apply average can you hold back a retention?
4.Define non standard construction ? I’m not an architect/engineer/surveyor
5. In the event of a claim can my reinstatement works be supervised by my own architect/engineer/surveyor ?
6. Are all contents new for old ?
7. What is the single article limit on contents?
8. Can I check my own claims record ?
9. Is it just the claims on this property I must declare or claims on all my properties.
What we need in Ireland are new insurance companies entering the market so that we can see excesses return to normal levels.
If you have any questions or concerns about the above article, please don’t hesitate to call us on Lo Call 1890 711 711 or 01 897 0700.  Property Claims Direct Ltd. act for members of the general public when they have a property damage claim for Fire, Lightning, Smoke, Storm, Flood, Riot, Water/Oil from heating pipes, Subsidence, Theft, Stealing, Impact Damage to all types of properties.

Increase in Burglary Claims

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We have noticed a significant increase in burglary claims in the past few months and want to advise you how to best protect your property and valuables against opportunistic burglars.

Domestic property insurance policies will only cover burglary claims if there is evidence of forced entry. It may seem obvious but the best deterrants are often the most obvious. Chubb locks on all external doors, window locks and serviced alarms are effective in keeping the burgler at bay. Establish a routine of checking doors & windows when leaving the house and set the alarm.

Isolated houses in the countryside can be more vulnerable. We had one instance recently where thieves broke into a house where a teenage daughter was alone in the house. They worked their way through the house and discovered and removed a safe from the master bedroom. Then then realised that the girl was in the house and left without harming her. It is probable that they left without challenging the girl because they had what they were looking for.

From our experience the best advice is;
1. If you must keep cash and/or valuables in the house install a dummy safe in the master bedroom/closet with a small amount of cash in it.
2. Install the real safe under a floor, not in any of the bedrooms.
3. Leave car keys on the hallway table at night, discouraging the intruder from going to bedrooms.
4. Cash and gold jewellery are the main targets. Better to leave some around in the event of no safe. Note that when making a jewellery claim the following items can be very helpful for each item of jewellery;
a. original receipt if possible
b. new valuations
c. photo of item – party and wedding photos usually show the jewellery items

If you have any questions or concerns about he above article, please don’t hesitate to call us on Lo Call 1890 711 711 or 01 897 0700. Property Claims Direct act for members of the general public when they have a property damage claim for Fire, lightning, Smoke, Storm, Flood, Riot, Water/Oil from heating pipes, Subsidence, Theft, or Impact Damage to all types of properties.