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Here you can:

• Read a selection of articles designed to help you get the best deal for you on house insurance
• Get the most up to date house insurance related news
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• Use our quote finders to compare prices and find the best quote for you
• To get you started, the HouseInsurance.co.uk Guide To Insurance, below, provides some useful hints and tips to consider when choosing the kind of insurance which would best match your needs

Please feel free to browse the site - we hope to be able to answer at least some of your insurance queries, and to help you find your best deal.

What type of insurance is best for you?

Houseinsurance.co.uk guide to house insurance

The first thing to note is that over 100 insurance companies offer house insurance in England, Scotland and Wales and each companies' policy wording can be different - so always take advice and, if in doubt, make sure you ask!

This is meant as a general guide and is by no means a definitive, legal guide - so please ensure that you use it for information only. We will briefly cover the following questions:

• What is Standard Cover Home Insurance Cover?
• What is Accidental Damage Cover?
• What are Standard Perils?
• What is Personal Possessions Insurance Cover?
• Can I buy Buildings and Contents Insurance separately
• What type of house insurance cover is best for you?
• Why do costs of house insurance cover vary so much?
• Any other things I should be aware of when choosing my house insurance?
• And finally, shop around…

There are two main types of house insurance policy, namely: Standard cover and Accidental Damage cover.

Each of these different types of cover can be briefly explained as follows:

What is Standard Cover House Insurance Cover?

Buildings

This covers the policyholder for their Buildings on a new for old basis against loss or damage to the buildings of your home by standard perils, however a deduction may be made for wear and tear if the building has not been maintained in a good state of repair or the sum insured does not represent the full rebuilding cost at the time of the loss. Cover automatically includes index-linking, accidental damage to fixed glass and sanitary ware and accidental damage to underground services. In additional cover in respect of alternative accommodation costs (Individual limits apply).

Contents

This covers the policyholder for their contents on a new for old basis (except clothing,Linen and Pedal cycles) in respect of loss or damage to the Contents by standard perils.

What is Accidental Damage cover?

This covers damage caused by accident to either your buildings or your contents ie : Putting a nail through a water pipe or putting your foot through the ceiling under the buildings section, knocking over a television or ornament etc under the contents section. This is by no means exhaustive and cover differs dependant on the individual insurer.

What are Standard Perils?

Standard Perils under the buildings and contents section are Fire, Smoke, Explosion, Lightening, Earthquake, Storm, Flood, Riot, Malicious persons, Subsidence, Escape of Water or Oil, Theft, Collision by vehicles or animals and falling trees.

What is Personal Possessions cover?

This covers Loss or Damage to Valuables, Money, Credit Cards and Personal Effects belonging to you whilst you are away from home and up to 60 days abroad in any one period of insurance.

Can I buy Buildings and Contents Insurance separately?

Yes you can! This gives you the freedom of choosing the right policy for you. However some Companies give a discount for having both your Buildings and Contents under the same policy.

What type of House Insurance is best for you?

This is a more difficult question to answer than you might think at first sight. Obviously, everyone's circumstances are different and again, you should take care to make sure that you ask the right questions to get the right cover for you.

Of course, when you ask for a house insurance quote, you can always ask for HouseInsurance.co.uk on Standard Cover terms and HouseInsurance.co.uk on Accidental Damage terms - that way you can look at the difference in cost of each type of cover, and make up your own mind as to which policy best suits your particular needs.

Why do costs of house insurance cover vary so much?

Each Insurance Company employs underwriting staff who are responsible for underwriting the costs that the insurance company may have to pay out to the policyholder. Underwriters have a wealth of statistical information, and it is from this that they calculate the likely (risk) cost of insuring a particular House or Contents in a particular area for a particular individual.

You may disagree with some of the points below. However, the cost of house insurance in the UK is largely dependent upon the following main factors:

• The area in which you live - Are their any risks nearby ie: Rivers, risk of flooding, Near to a cliff, High theft area?
• Your age - Many companies offer discounts to the over 50's
• No Claims Bonus / Discount - Each year that you insure your Home, and do not make a claim on your policy, you receive what is called a "no claims bonus" (or discount). So, the more "no claims bonus" that you have, the cheaper the cost of the insurance.
• Benefits included in your house insurance policy - Many insurance companies offer benefits that other insurance companies do not offer. There is a cost associated with the benefits that you receive in your house insurance policy. The more the benefits, the higher the price that you will pay.
• The excess charge that applies to your policy - Insurance companies issue policies that have a "compulsory excess" (and often allow for a voluntary excess). An "excess" is the amount that you are responsible for, in the event of you making a claim on your policy. Lets take the example of you having a policy with a £100 excess. If you have to make a claim and the repair bill is £500 then you have to pay the first £100 and the Insurance Company will pay for the balance of £400. Policies that have large excesses are often less expensive than policies with smaller excesses.

It's a sad fact that theft and break-ins are commonplace within most towns and cities. If you have an alarm fitted to your home it is less likely that your home will be broken into - you can therefore expect to pay less for your house insurance policy than someone who has no security device on their home.

Any other things I should be aware of when choosing my house insurance?

Yes - lots of them, lets go through the most important ones:

A house insurance policy provides you with cover (and therefore peace of mind) against potentially very high costs. After all, you never know when a storm might occur, or your house might be struck by lightening - the claim can run into thousands of pounds.

Proposal Forms - written and verbal - When you arrange your house insurance you will either: complete and sign a written Proposal Form; or you will complete the Proposal Form verbally (over the telephone with a sales operator - in which case the telephone call will be recorded and can be replayed if required). Each of the questions that you answer at the Proposal Form stage is the basis of the insurance contract. So, if you have answered any of the questions incorrectly then the Insurance Company can declare the policy null and void from inception. So, always make sure that you answer every question accurately (and honestly).

Your house insurance schedule and Policy - Your house insurance schedule is often a "shortened" one-page document and is normally accompanied by your insurance policy document (which can often run to many tens of pages). You must study your policy, as this is the document that forms the basis of the contract between you and the Insurance Company. There are many different types of policy wordings/rules so make sure that you read it and that you have asked about the policy conditions at the time you take it out.

Value (cost) of your House - The value that you put on your House at the time you take out the policy is not necessarily the amount that you will receive if your House were burnt down. Loss adjusters would take into account the land that the property is built on and the costs of removing any debris before rebuilding.

Multiple policy discounts - Many Insurance Companies will offer you a discount if you have more than one policy with them (for example you may have your household insurance policy and car insurance policy with a different insurance company, as they were the two best quotes that you obtained when you took out your insurance). It's worth checking out when you next obtain a quotation.

And finally… Remember to shop around and get the best cover at the best price (if something appears to be cheap, you may well regret it if you come to make a claim and find policy exclusions, large hidden excesses, poor claims service etc.). An independent intermediary (like us), agent or broker is always worth trying, as well as one or two of the "big name" direct insurance companies. Remember, there are over one hundred companies out there, all trying to make a profit out of house insurance - and each of them will have a different set of underwriting criteria, such that what may be deemed to be a poor (and high cost) risk to one insurance company may be seen as an acceptable (and low cost) risk to another insurance company.

The old adage about "you get what you pay for" is never more true than when choosing your insurance cover - make sure that you get the best cover at the best price.