When it comes to home insurance, we know the lingo, the fine print and how to find the best policy for your budget, lifestyle, and your home. Follow our 3 expert tips to finding a plan that’s right for you.
We get that life is complicated, which is why we do everything we can to make sure insurance isn’t. From the big words and complicated contracts, the process of finding a home insurance policy that’s right for you can be quite the task!
But fret not our fine home-loving friends, we have asked around, done the research and wracked our own insurance-obsessed brains and put together these top tips to insuring your home with the right provider.
1. Put together a list of your top home insurance choices
The first place to start is to ask your friends and family who they insure their homes with. After you have a few names of companies, then do some of your own research into their reviews and social media feedback online.
You can tell a lot about an insurer by the way they handle criticism online and by what their clients are saying about them. Narrow your list down to 2 or 3 insurers. Once you have your top choices, get some quotes and phone their call centre to get a first-hand experience of what their customer service is like (make sure you read step 2 and 3 before you get quotes).
2. What kind of home do you live in?
The second thing you need to think about is your home (obviously). What size is your home? What sort of home do you live in? What is your security like? FYI – if you decide to beef up your home’s security, this can help lower your monthly premium. The better your security, the lower your premiums are likely to be.
Our advice would be to install some home security features such as an alarm system, burglar bars and security lights. This will impress your insurer and might even result in you paying less for your home insurance. Keep in mind that your neighbourhood and whether or not you live in a secure complex or estate will also have a role to play.
Discover: 4 tips on how to stay safe as a woman living alone
The items in your home
While we’re on the topic of your home, you might want to give some thought to the expensive assets in your house. Do you have expensive items that might need their own insurance policy? For example, some insurers will not cover portable items such as your phone or laptop under your home insurance policy.
These will need to have their own form of insurance cover as you take these out of your home. Chat to your potential insurer about additional insurance products they have in place to cover more expensive items or portable possessions.
If you’re renting and not a homeowner
If you are renting a home, then you will not have to cover the insurance costs for the building itself. This should be covered by your landlord (however, we suggest you make sure your landlord has insured the building itself). It is, however, your responsibility to insure the items in your home.
Bonus tip: make sure you do not UNDERINSURE your home. This is something a number of homeowners make the mistake of in an effort to try and save money. However, when it comes time to claim, they are sorely disappointed as their insurance provider will not cover the replacement value of expensive items in their home.
Read this blog on why you still need home insurance, even if you are renting.
3. Make sure you read the fine print
Once you have gotten a few quotes from your top insurance choices, make sure you read the fine print. Really spend some time going through your policy and highlighting anything that does not make sense.
The most important thing to know is what you are NOT covered for. Some insurers might sell on you cheaper premiums, but this often means that their cover lacks in benefits and their list of exclusions is rather long. When it comes to any type of insurance, cheaper is never better.
With Oneplan, we give you total control and access to your cover. We let you choose a percentage of cover you want (from 30% to 95%) and calculate your premium according to this – making Oneplan Car and Household Insurance 100% flexible and 100% comprehensive, no matter what percentage of cover you choose.
Your Insurance Family,
Oneplan
