While the majority of homeowners take out home insurance alongside their mortgage, experts now say that this is not the best way to protect your house’s contents, and suggests that if house buyers take their time to shop around and assess several home insurance quotes, substantial savings could be made - particularly if you enlist the help of a specialist broker.
Using a broker could not only save you money, but a great deal of time as well; as the broker will have the means to search the entire market place for the best offer, both on the high street and online. This in turn ensures that the homeowner won’t spend time comparing quotes and then not even getting the cheapest deal. Brokers can also help you to ascertain how much cover you actually need too, avoiding the problem of over insuring your home.
High street and online companies offering home insurance encourage homeowners to make a full inventory of the contents of the home, just in case of the worst possible scenario of having to replace every item in the property. With a full inventory, arriving at a figure with which to get quotes will be far easier. Brokers advise that even small items, such as DVD’s and CD’s, should be on the inventory, stating that many people would be surprised over how much money these items are worth when added up.
Once a figure is reached it is then up to the home insurance broker to search the high street and online resources to secure the homeowner the best premiums possible. Buying insurance with the help of a broker is also beneficial for the fact that with every quote, the terms and conditions of the insurance policy will be made clear to the customer, thus ensuring that the cover offered fits the individual’s needs. Many brokers have encouraged people purchasing home insurance to be aware that certain items in the home may not be covered, such as art collections and office equipment, so perusal of the small print is a must when comparing quotes.
Experts estimate that millions of people in the UK are taking out home insurance policies along with their mortgage at their high street bank, perhaps out of apathy, but also due to many homeowners not being made aware that they can, in fact, shop around for a better deal. This leads to an astounding number of people paying far too much for their cover - a problem that could be solved if first time home buyers were encouraged to find the best deal for them, either with the help of a broker or by visiting high street and online retailers themselves. |
