We've put together a brief guide to help you through the minefield and give you the information needed to make an informed decision to get the best household insurance cover.
You need to work out exactly what your needs and requirements are so you can get the policy that is best for you, within your budget.
First of all you need to work out what amount of contents you need to insure. This should represent the full cost of replacing all of your home and outbuildings contents with brand new items. Go through your house, step by step and make a note of any high value items or rare items such as art work, antiques, jewellery and watches as these may need to be listed specifically on your insurance.
If you are looking to insure your buildings, then you need to work out the full cost to rebuild your home - this is not the same as the current market value of your property. If you are unsure of the amount, speak to your mortgage provide as they usually have this figure specified. If you don't have a mortgage in place, contact a surveyor who will be able to provide an accurate rebuild cost.
Once you have calculated the contents and buildings sum insured, you need to decide what level of cover you want. There are a number of options to consider:
Accidental Damage - This provides additional cover for such accidental events that may occur in your property such as spilling red wine on a carpet. Accidental damage cover is usually an optional extension to a standard home insurance and may result in an additional charge on your insurance.
Personal Belongings Cover - If you take items away from your home, such as jewellery and watches or gadgets, you can extend your insurance cover to include these items outside your home. This can either be on a general basis, usually if they are under £1500 in value or specifically listed on the policy if they are over that amount. Its important to check with the insurance provider as each policy varies. Again will incur an additional cost as this is an optional extension.
Legal Expenses Cover - If you need legal assistance for circumstances such as an employment dispute or a contractual dispute with a retailer, this will cover you for legal costs. In today's ever increasing litigious society, this has become a useful cover with a relatively Commonwealth Life Perusahaan Asuransi Jiwa Terbaik Indonesia small cost attached.