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Alex Stutchbury | 
14th May 2012 at 15:03 | 3 views | 
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Holiday Home Insurance Tips
Do you own a holiday home? Why not consider Woodstock Insurance Brokers for your Holiday Home insurance needs. We are specialists in non standard home insurance and pride ourselves on offering the right cover for your property.
Some top advice for your holiday home insurance:
Many holiday home policies provide cover but various conditions must be complied with. Woodstock are qualified to give advice to ensure that cover is adequate irrespective if your home is used by you personally, family and friends or commercially let.
Depending on your sums insured we can quote you with your main residence and your holiday home under one combined policy.
A review of your policy by our staff will ensure that you fully understand the cover provided and conditions that apply, we will ensure that cover meets your demands and needs. Your sums insured should be adequate to reflect the full reinstatement value. Failure to insure at the correct level could invalidate your cover or lead to repudiation of a claim.
Cover can be extended to include accidental damage by tenants, valuables, personal effects and pedal cycles. We can provide cover in the UK or Europe for holiday flats, chalets and static caravans.
If your holiday home is commercially let you should ensure that guidance notes are provided to minimise any losses. You should know where your gas, electricity and water shut off points are and information made available to tenants letting the property. In the event of a water leak any delay in locating the supply cut off could lead to a minor problem becoming a major claim, which would have an impact on future premiums.
Alex Stutchbury | 08th May 2012 at 11:23 | 8 views | 0 comments(s)
We’re all pleased to see that the summer months are fast approaching and we all hope the cold weather is behind us. If you are currently the owner of a property that is unoccupied, you’ll be especially pleased that the chances of water damage or burst pipes appears to be behind you for another year.
However, you may not be out of the woods yet, when the pipes begin to thaw after a cold winter; they can still be at risk of damage. Even if you have taken the precaution of switching off the water supply to the property, there may be some water left that hasn’t drained properly and frozen over the winter. We would recommend acting with caution when restarting the water supply to the property.
The worst thing you can do is to turn on the water and just leave the property. Any damage could take a couple of hours to become apparent. Ideally you should stay in the property for a few hours and carry out the basic checks below to see whether any damage has been caused over the winter:
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Check the water pressure as soon as it’s turned on, then check again after a couple of hours. Any drop in pressure over this short period could indicate a leak in the system.
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See if you can hear the sound of water dropping or hissing out of a pipe
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Watch out for any early signs of a leak; sagging ceilings, damp spots on a roof etc
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Make sure the boiler is fully operational and not due a service. If you have any doubt, call a local heating engineer or plumber. Better a call to them than to an insurance claims department.
However, above all of this, you should make sure that you are complying with policy conditions, some insurers will require that the services are switched off all year round despite the weather getting warmer. If you have any questions, or you’re unsure then you should always refer to your insurer or broker for information.
Talk to Woodstock about unoccupied property insurance.
Alex Stutchbury | 16th Apr 2012 at 15:10 | 46 views | 0 comments(s)
There has been much attention in the media given to insurance renewal prices. It has been seen that prices have been increasing after the initial period of insurance has elapsed. Sometimes this increase is significant.
The reasons for such increases in cost can be manifold. Many insurers offer lower prices on the initial offer of insurance for new customers to attract their custom. After the relationship has been established the price will then revert to the standard rate. There can also be additional factors leading to the increase in cost to each case. For home insurance this can be due to the claims history or property location. An increase in the number of claims on policies in general has also contributed to rising premiums.
But all is not lost as there are a number of ways to gain the insurance you need for a competitive price:
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Ensure your current policy is what you really need. Do this by looking through your insurance policy documents and comparing your cover to your requirements.
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Make sure you understand the cover you have, including any excesses or exclusions which are within your policy. Higher excesses can lower the price but sometimes a more expensive policy may well provide you with the cover you really need.
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Ensure you have the most competitive quote for your individual needs after the end of your policy
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Contact brokers who are able to search a number of providers to tailor a quote to your specific policy requirements
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Disclose all relevant factors as any withheld facts may invalidate your insurance and make it more difficult for you to gain the policy you need rather than simply the cheapest available.
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Keep claims to a minimum. You must consider the effect of a claim on your premium and whether it makes financial sense.
Woodstock Insurance Brokers are experts in non-standard insurance offering a bespoke service tailored to your needs. We can offer policies from a number of providers to meet your individual requirements.
Alex Stutchbury | 23rd Feb 2012 at 13:34 | 64 views | 0 comments(s)
Flood risk in Kent reaches an all time high.
7 Ways To Save Money on Flood Insurance
Insurers use national statistics to determine how close your property is to a possible flood risk. These statistics are not on your individual property and focus on areas so may not be entirely accurate to your actual home. The normal distance from a watercourse insurers are concerned about is quarter of mile. However the amount of an incline between the water and your property could really affect the likelihood of your property flooding.
To save money on your flood insurance:
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Get up to date details of height above watercourse and distance from watercourse from local flood environment agency http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods . This information could mean the insurer is not concerned about your property at all in relation to flood risk. The flood environment agencies web site can help here.
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History of your property and area could mean it is possible to discuss premiums or conditions. Underwriters work on detail the more you can provide the better.
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Find a specialist broker as they understand insurers and can help get the best deal for your property.
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If the property has been previously flooded make sure you have full details of any claims with the full amount claimed.
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Always make sure preventative measures have been put in place -a good example are drains if they have been blocked before leading to flooding has this been reported to the council or corrected so it cannot occur again.
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Always disclose all information and search the market as different insurers deal with flood risk differently.
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If you own a new property without a postcode make sure you get an example as close to your area as possible. This will mean insurers will use your provided postcode rather than one that may be further away from your plot.
Woodstock Insurance Brokers specialise in flooded home insurance and can assist in getting the right policy for your property.