UK House Insurance - The Risk of Under-insurance

For many years in the UK, motor insurance has been a competitive marketplace. Consumers have been used to shooping around at renewal time with a host of direct companies available. The internet has further fuelled this change allowing more people to access better information when their policy is due for renewal.

House insurance has until recently been a much more stable financial product. The relative stability of pricing, compared to a very fluctual motor isnurance market, has meant that consumers have stuck with renewals because the pricing has remained static.

However the internet is also encouraging people to shop around for their home insurance too. The good news for the household insurance consumer is that there are savings to be made on your buildings and contents policies from simply shopping around.

Most people while looking for a cheap deal on their policy also consider the exact cover that they need. If you reflect that you need to be able to replace all of your contents at todays shop values, you might find that you need more cover than you originally thought.

Cutting costs by cutting corners can have a serious effect on a house isnurance claim. If you are deemed to be under-insured by your home isnurance company, they may apply the condition of average.

This works on the basis that if you did not insure for the full value of your belongings, the insurer will pay out only to the sum that you did insure and they will deduct a further payment from the payout equal to the percentage you under-insured.

This might be clearer in an example - Imagine you own £50,000 of contents in your home but choose to insure for just £25,000 because you thought that this was the maximum a thief could get away with. If your home suffered a catastophic fire and you lost all of your possessions then your insurer could apply the condition of average.

Under this right they can pay out only 50% of the sum insured because that is the value that you under-insured by. In this case they could pay just £12,500 even though you lost £50,000 of your contents.

Insurance comapnies will always take this on a case by case basis but the only way to protect your home contents is to insure properly to the full value.

Tim Larden has worked within UK insurance for many years with both motor and home insurance experience. UK House Insurance from yourhomeinsurance.co.uk aims to provide cheap UK house insurance quotes in the UK.

In The News:


KARK

FDIC approves $250000 insurance limit
International Herald Tribune, France - 56 minutes ago
AP WASHINGTON: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday formally approved the increased insurance limit of $250000 per regular account that was part of ...
US Weighs Backing Bank Debt Wall Street Journal
FDIC Easing of Trust Rules Increases Deposit Coverage (Update1) Bloomberg
$250K FDIC Insurance is Overrated Bankaholic
MarketWatch - Business Gazetteall 578 news articles

Reuters

Should You Worry About Your Insurance Company? Short Answer: No
TIME - 4 hours ago
Consumers could be forgiven for being jittery this week when news came that MetLife and The Hartford, two well known insurance giants, had experienced huge ...
Sector Snap: Insurance companies fluctuate Forbes
Market Place Insurance Industry Joins Banking Giants on the Hot Seat New York Times
Insurers' 3Q Investment Warnings Prompt Mixed Reactions CNNMoney.com
Barron's - Hartford Courantall 61 news articles

Telegraph.co.uk

Japan's Yamato Life Insurance files for bankruptcy
Hindu, India - 10 hours ago
London (PTI): Japan's Yamato Life Insurance has filed for bankruptcy with USD 2.7 billion in liabilities, to become the first financial sector casualty of ...
Japanese insurance co Yamoto collapses; files for bankruptcy Hindu Business Line
Yamato Life goes bankrupt The Daily Yomiuri
Japan's Yamato Life Files for Bankruptcy Protection Wall Street Journal
Financial Times (subscription) - AFPall 333 news articles

Examine the Hungarian Insurance Industry with this Essential 3Q ...
MarketWatch - 7 hours ago
Our Hungary Insurance Report provides independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on Hungary's insurance industry. The author has made some key ...
Research and Markets: South Africa Insurance Report Q3 2008 ... MarketWatch
Research and Markets: Mexico Insurance Report Q3 2008 - In 2007 ... MarketWatch
Argentina Insurance Report Q3 2008 Profiles 21 Top Firms Within ... MarketWatch
all 101 news articles

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. Estimates Impact from Third ...
MarketWatch - 49 minutes ago
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc., based in Worcester, Mass., is the holding company for a group of insurers that includes The Hanover Insurance Company, ...
Aspen Insurance hurricane losses reach $155M Forbes
Aspen Insurance 2008 hedge fund losses reach $47M CNNMoney.com
Aspen says market turmoil impacted performance of holdings in ... RTT News
Trading Markets (press release) - MarketWatchall 26 news articles

RTE.ie

Sector Snap: Insurance companies fluctuate
Forbes, NY - Oct 9, 2008
AP 10.09.08, 1:45 PM ET Shares of insurance companies fluctuated Thursday afternoon as investors' fears grew that the cash woes of conglomerate American ...
Taxpayer bailout tab could run into trillions CNNMoney.com
AIG Increases Borrowings While Racing to Sell Assets Wall Street Journal
Locally, AIG still writing insurance MiamiHerald.com
Daily Nation - TheStreet.comall 1,245 news articles

Washington Post

Report: Both candidates increase health coverage
The Associated Press - 19 hours ago
McCain has proposed a tax credit of $2500 for individuals or $5000 for a family that buys health insurance. The credit would replace the tax break people ...
Video: McCain, Obama Differ Dramatically on Health Care AssociatedPress
Greenwald campaign: Latham flip flops on McCain's healthcare plan IowaPolitics.com (press release)
Why Obama’s health plan beats McCain’s in a walk Tower Timberjay News
Chicago Tribune - Endocrine Todayall 1,695 news articles

Fewer Florida workers have health insurance
Bizjournals.com, NC - 4 hours ago
The number of Floridians covered by health insurance provided through their employer continues its slide. A new report by the Economic Policy Institute ...
Employers continue to drop insurance Myrtle Beach Sun News
Study: NC children are losing health insurance Asheville Citizen-Times
Employment-Based Health Coverage Shrinks in Oregon and Nation Salem-News.Com
Bizjournals.com - Bizjournals.comall 21 news articles

ChattahBox

Sen. Pete Domenici on Mental Health
TIME - 17 hours ago
It requires group insurance plans to cover mental illnesses the same way as physical ones (no more higher co-pays, deductibles and limits on hospital stays) ...
Bailout measure gives parity to mental health insurance coverage Kansas City Star
Tragedy Fuels Mental Health Parity Bill ABC News
New law mandates mental-health parity plan Great Falls Tribune
Times-Journal - Minneapolis Star Tribuneall 623 news articles

PEMCO Insurance and the Seattle Seahawks Team Up to Search for ...
MarketWatch - 1 hour ago
SEATTLE, Oct 10, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- PEMCO Insurance is calling all Seahawks fans to compete for the title of the ultimate "Supercharged ...
insurance - Google News

Discount Life Insurance Will Give You The Best Protection You Need

There is always a chance that there is a better... Read More

Check Out The Variety of Auto Insurance Texas Style

They say everything is bigger and better in Texas, and... Read More

Health Savings Account (HSA): How Do I Invest It?

The Health Savings Account (HSA) is an amazing tool that... Read More

Health Savings Account (HSA): Useful for Women in Childbearing Years?

The Health Savings Account (HSA) is an amazing tool that... Read More

What Price For Your Health?

How do you put a value good health? For many... Read More

The Ups and Downs of Temporary Health Insurance

If you're a recent college graduate, or in between jobs,... Read More

Auto Insurance Basics

Most people only think that insurance is something they need... Read More

Types of Life Insurance

There are different types of life insurance policies available. Shop... Read More

Everything You Need to Know About Life Insurance

Life insurance is a type of protection that can be... Read More

Student Possessions Insurance - Insuring the Contents of Your Room

In the UK each September, 350,000 new students embark off... Read More

What You Need to Know About Auto Insurance

Let's be realistic, everyone needs to have auto insurance. Aside... Read More

How Does Credit History Affect Car Insurance Rates?

Many personal car insurance companies consider your credit information when... Read More

Taking The Mystery Out Of Long-Term Care Insurance

Here's the good news: with improvements in medical technology and... Read More

Why Dont Insurance Companies Reward Us for Being Healthy?

Insurance is always a gamble, a bet actually.You are betting... Read More

Health Insurance Quotes Online - Tips On Finding a Good Provider

Since 2001, major health insurance providers have been allowing consumers... Read More

MSA or HSA: Can I Keep My MSA Or Do I Need to Convert it into an HSA?

The Medical Savings Account (MSA) is an older form of... Read More

Why Should I Go To A Life Insurance Broker?

A life insurance broker is a dedicated person that encourages... Read More

Finding Auto Insurance Comprehensive Coverage

You can go online to easily find and quote auto... Read More

Insurance Providers Weather the Storm While Consumers Flounder

We have just had the first year's anniversary of the... Read More

Keys To Controlling The Future of Health Care

Several key changes are necessary to get control of the... Read More

Which Car Should You Own To Keep Your Insurance Rates Most Affordable?

Do you consider the cost of insurance before you buy... Read More

Inexpensive Life Insurance To Protect What You?ve Earned

Adequate life insurance to cover your income producing ability is... Read More

Health Savings Accounts (HSA): Do I Still Submit My Bills to Insurance When Using HSA Money?

The Health Savings Account (HSA) is becoming well-known as an... Read More

Term Life Insurance - A Safeguard for Small Business Owners

Term life insurance can offer protection for a small business... Read More

Life Insurance Careers

Do you like to spend all day being sitting around?... Read More