6 Tips for Choosing the Best House Insurance

Finding the best house insurance can be quite tricky as there are so many factors that you need to take into account when comparing them beyond the price, for example the claims service, the cost, the level of cover.

1. Claims Service

The claims service is probably one of the most important factors to think about when choosing the best house insurance policy as this is when you generally find out how good your insurer is. You need to think about where the claims units are based and how quickly straight-forward claims are settled. There are a number of review sites that you can look at to see how other people have had their claims dealt with.

2. Policy Excess

Another important point is to think about what policy excess you should go for. The policy excess is the amount that will be deducted from your claim. For example, if you opt for a £100 excess and make a claim for damage to a laptop which costs £300 to replace, you will only receive a cheque for £200. Whilst you can opt for a higher policy excess, we often find that the premium does not reduce by the extra amount so it is not usually worth increasing the excess. The best house insurance policies will have a standard low excess of £100 or £250. Please remember that if you select a voluntary excess this will be in addition to the compulsory excess, so you must read the small print to check the compulsory excess.

3. Level of Cover

The level of cover is also an important thing when trying to choose the best house insurance. A lot of people think that all home insurance policies are the same and will only compare the main contents and buildings sums insured. This is not a good idea as there are a lot of inner covers which vary a lot between insurers. For example, under buildings you may have underground pipes and cables covered. Some insurers do not include this; some may only pay up to £5,000 or another amount.

4. The Cost

The cost is probably the thing that you should think about last when choosing the best home insurance policy. Obviously everyone has a budget to work towards but it is usually true that you get what you pay for with insurance. If you go for the cheapest policy all the time do not expect to have the same level of cover within the wording as a more expensive policy.

5. Check review sites

It’s a good idea to check review sites to see what experiences other people have had with a particular insurer and you can also check the Defaqto star rating for each policy to see how comprehensive the cover is.

6. Independent advice on the Best House Insurance

Talking to an independent insurance broker is always a great idea as they can offer free advice on the best house insurance policy to suit your individual needs. In the event of a claim they can negotiate with the insurers to ensure that your claim is dealt with as quickly as possible whereas if you had to deal with a claim on your own it can be tricky to know what you should be doing next.