The Variety of House Insurance Policies

There are various different types of home insurance that you will need to ensure you are adequately covered in the event of loss, theft or damage. The basics to keep in mind are:

Buildings Insurance covers the physical structure of your home and is required by law and includes gates, hedges, walls and any additional structures within the boundaries of your home such as garages and sheds. All permanent fixtures within the house are also covered – this will include all fitted units such as kitchen cabinets, wardrobes and bathroom suites.

Contents insurance, unlike buildings insurance, offers cover for items found within the home but not for the structure of the building, therefore it is important that you are insured for both to ensure you are fully covered. Contents Insurance offers protection for household goods such as white goods, electrical equipment and even money.

The majority of Insurance providers will also offer extensions that would not normally be included within the policy. These will often come at an additional cost but will provide extra cover for valuable items such as antique jewellery or a particularly valuable piece of art. These items will be covered within your contents insurance but only to a certain amount as standard so it is worth checking you will receive adequate compensation should something happen to it.

Many Insurers are now also offering an increase in the sum covered for the weeks either side of celebrations such as Christmas or a family wedding, if a member of your immediate family is getting married it is important to check if you are covered and then notify your insurance company immediately.

A large number of eventualities will be covered by your insurance policy such as theft, fire damage and damage caused by flooding. With all policies it is likely that there will be some exceptions under which you will not be insured, these may include loss of an item outside a certain distance from your property – for this you will most likely need personal possession cover - and damage caused by DIY. Certain elective aspects of your policy may increase your premium so it is important to check that you are only paying for what you need, if you only have a pet goldfish, for example, it may not be worth paying for a policy that extensively covers damage caused to your property by a household pet.

Kwik Fit Insurance offers a few benefits with their various packages, including new for old contents cover and up to £500 free replacement locks cover, which means the cost of your original item is updated as time goes on. You can obtain quotes online or over the phone and there are a variety of flexible payment options available. Also, if you choose to combine buildings and contents insurance you will receive a 15 per cent discount. Kwik Fit Insurance offer house, buildings and content insurance policies, which ensure your possessions are ‘well protected from the unexpected’ - a reassuring statement indeed. For information on their specific house insurance policies, check out the Kwik Fit Insurance website.