How to protect your home and avoid claiming under home insurance

Having buildings and contents home insurance in place is very important, to cover you for the occasional mishap that would otherwise cost you a fortune to put right. Say, for example, that your house was set on fire, or suffered flooding, or that a burglar stole all your expensive belongings: could you afford to repair or replace all that you’d lost?

Yet claiming against your home insurance for smaller matters might not be the best option. For one thing, you’ll have an excess to pay (which may be quite high if you’ve opted to take a voluntary excess to reduce your premium), and for another you’ll lose any no-claims bonus you might have built up. Your following year’s premium will therefore be higher, and that cost could outweigh the amount you claim for to repair or replace something minor. If you had to make a claim under your buildings and contents insurance (say, in the event of a flood that damaged the fabric of your house and damaged your belongings) you would have to pay two excess amounts (one for your buildings insurance, one for your contents insurance) but that would probably be proportionate to the amount it would cost to put your home back to its former condition. Incidentally, if you were to take out a combined buildings and contents policy you would only have to pay one excess in these circumstances. To avoid having to make a claim, you should keep your home well-maintained, and boost your security arrangements. Fit a good-quality alarm and locks, and ask a neighbour to check whether there’s anything untoward if they hear your alarm when you’re not at home. If you have contents insurance, make sure it’s on a ‘new for old’ basis or you might find yourself out of pocket if you had to claim and only received a second-hand value for your lost items. Also fit smoke alarms, and ask the fire brigade to carry out a free fire safety check (it only takes perhaps 20 minutes, but it could save your life and reduce damage to your property in the event of a fire). If you live in an area that suffers flooding, check weather reports and sign up for Met Office text alerts for your area to be forewarned about any likely flooding, so that you can get your possessions to higher ground.
Check your roof regularly for wear and tear, particularly if you have a flat roof anywhere – most insurance policies specifically exclude damage caused through rainwater standing on a flat roof. Remember that flat roofs can be found above bay windows as well as on garages or lean-tos, so be sure to check that they are waterproof and in good condition on a regular basis. Finally, check your water pipes outside your house to see if they are leaking onto the ground, which can cause or contribute to subsidence.