Buying Home Insurance: What Details Do I Need to Bring?
When you’re about to buy home insurance, there are a number of details that your insurance provider will require in order to process your policy successfully. Some may seem straightforward, whereas others may seem a little time consuming. Nevertheless, they are all important things to collect for your provider, so in this month’s article we’ll be detailing the information you need to be collecting in order for your policy to be processed.
Property Details
The most exhaustive list of details you will have to collect are the ones relating to your home itself: the property. Things such as the type of property, the type of house, whether you own or rent it, when it was built and how long you have lived in the property are all areas of interest for the insurer, so you’ll need to have these to hand. Other things you should have noted include:
- If the property is in a good state of repair or not
- If it has ever been flooded
- If it has fully functional smoke detectors fitted
- What the rebuild cost of the property is
- Whether it is near water or not
- If it has suffered from subsidence
And many more besides. It is worth asking your insurer prior to a meeting as to what and how much information you need to bring.
Contents Cover Details
Home insurance doesn’t just cover the property itself; it can also cover the contents of your home, too. Of course, the addition is optional, but well worth it for those who can afford it. The details you will need to provide include, primarily, a total cost of all of your possessions. Just like a rebuild cost for the building, a replacement cost is necessary for contents cover.
You may also be asked what the value of your most high-risk items are and to note specifically what these might be. Insuring specific items, however, is an optional extra. Finally, you may be asked if you own any bicycles, too. Bikes are a prime target for thieves as not only are they valuable, they also provide a method of escape as well. Again, this is optional.
Security
To insure your property and contents effectively, your insurer may ask for details regarding the security of your home. Areas of interest would include what types of locks you have on your doors, if any are on your windows, if you are part of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme and have a burglar alarm, or when you are normally present in the property.
Personal Details
Finally, you will have to provide your insurer with an extensive list of personal information to complete everything. Details such as your name and the names of everyone living in the property, how old everyone is, your marital and job statuses is the main kinds of information you can be expected to provide, but others may not seem so obvious. Though not limited to the following, these do include:
- Whether you will be out of the home for more than a month
- Whether you have made a previous claim on your home insurance
- If anyone in the property smokes
- Whether you have ever been bankrupt
- Whether an insurer has ever refused, declined or voided a policy you have taken out with them
For a full list of the information you will need to gather for your insurer prior to taking out a new policy, be sure to contact your insurance provider and ask them for a comprehensive list.
The Insurance Store offer unbeatable home insurance policies from our base in the St Albans and Harpenden area. Whatever your insurance needs, we’re here to help. We pride ourselves on our ability to beat quotes given by price comparison websites and our professional team are excellent at seeking out the perfect package for your needs. So for friendly advice or a no obligation quote, contact our team today.