House insurance premiums seem to be rising by the month, though a prudent financial approach may be all you need to secure cheap home contents insurance and general buildings cover. Here are a handful of great tips you can follow for the best deal.
The first thing to do is consider getting combined buildings and contents insurance. Many insurers are known to offer you a discount as high as 20 or 30 per cent for taking out both buildings and contents insurance with them at once. This not only saves you money but will also help cut down on red tape such as paperwork and admin costs, particularly if you have to claim on both at once. However, make sure the savings are bigger than any you might get for getting these forms of cover separately elsewhere.
Secondly, it is often a good idea to ensure your home is safe and unproblematic before getting a deal. By arming yourself with a number of facts, you will be able to provide plenty of evidence to potential insurers that will help them place their faith in you to a greater extent. If you have moved into a new house, for example, be sure to change the locks; previous owners may have given key copies to family or friends. It has often been suggested that you use a five-lever mortise lock for external doors, as well as two-bolt locks for windows.
Alarms are also popular among insurers. Some may prefer specific systems such as the NACOSS standard alarm, which has been known to lower premiums with ease. If you are also a member of a local Neighborhood Watch scheme, or you have motion-sensitive exterior security lights, you can also deter would-be thieves.
However, warding off thieves is not the be-all and end-all of reducing premiums. Limiting the chance of problems before they happen means you are a lot less likely to make claims, and this helps reduce the chance of things happening in the future. As such, think of insulating pipes, run the heating during cold spells, and checking regularly for the possibility of subsidence.
This post was brought to you by Castle Clover.