Earths Atmosphere

Take photographs if you are able to as this could help your claim, and don’t just throw equipment away as it could affect a loss adjusters’ assessment. In the event of severe flood damage, you may have to be moved to an emergency shelter whilst restorative work is being carried out on your house.

Your house insurance provider will usually ask you to approve any temporary accommodation before your stay begins and will most likely have a limit on how much will be paid towards your stay. This will typically be around the 20% of the sum insured; if you spend more than this you are likely to be liable for the cost.

It could take months for insurers to process your claim and arrange payouts, however you may be offered interim payments in order to help you buy essentials and to help with short-term expenses. If you are unable to return to your home for a long time after flooding, the 20% limit should stand. Insurers have said they will continue to offer flood cover to as many homeowners as possible and many have said they would allow customers to renew their existing cover.

However if you’re looking to take precautions and take out home insurance to protect your possessions against flooding it’s best to shop around but also to be cautious - as you may be offered a policy that would pay out in other circumstances but not if you end up if you suffer flood damage.

Unfortunately there is little you can do to protect against severe weather conditions apart from making sure your property is kept well maintained in the case of the roof for example. You can however keep a close eye on the weather forecast for flood warnings if you live in a property built on a flood plain.

It is not too difficult to acquire sandbags and use these to protect your property once flooding becomes a strong possibility. Also, you can move possessions of a high value to an upstairs floor or attic to avoid water damage.

Water is not the only way in which to suffer massive damage to your home. You should always consider fire safety in a home and install at least one fire alarm on each floor and if possible one in every high risk area such as the kitchen and hallway.

It is prudent to have an escape plan in place in case you are trapped in a particular area of the house or on an upstairs floor.

The biggest factors that are taken into account when it comes to holiday house insurance is if the property is going to be left empty for a period of time. This will play an important part in the policy along with the amount of cover that will need to be taken out to cover liability.

Factors that should be taken into account when looking for the best holiday house insurance include does the policy have a no claims bonus, this works in a similar way to car insurance. You will of course need to have enough cover for such as fire, explosion, storm, flood and any malicious damage to the property. If you are renting out the property then you should also have cover for any accidental damage that is caused to domestic supplies such as water or gas cables and pipes and of course you will need content insurance for damage on the inside. Liability damage is essential particularly of you are using the holiday home to let, this not only protects the guests but also any staff.

There are lost of considerations to be taken into account when thinking about holiday house insurance and also when thinking about your mortgage for the property, seeking the help and advice of a broker is by far the best way to go, as a broker will be able to search for you and make sure that you get the best deal possible.

There are many factors to consider when applying for your policy, here are but a few of them; Check garden cover is included, check your maximum contents cover (calculate the cost of replacement of your possessions before hand, do not leave it to chance), find out the highest level of cover for an individual item, such as jewellery (take out extra cover if necessary on these items). Some policies offer cover for portable items, such as MP3 players, check if this useful eventuality is included. Remember to check what levels of security the company expect at your property; many companies require extra locking bolts to be placed on windows and doors and some will reduce your premium if you have an approved alarm system. Remember, insurance is a case of risk assessment, decrease the risk of your home being broken into and this should show direct correlation in your premium price. Be aware that simply having an alarm system is not enough; it should be fully working and must be set every time you leave the house. Failure to do so could result in your policy provider not paying out.

To use a scare tactic, for which I apologise as I deem it necessary in this case; It has been estimated that 6 million households are at risk from losing everything as they do not have cover at a high enough level or simply do not have cover in place at all. Can you afford to have this happen to you?

I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to check a prospective policies details when renewing your insurance. Of course you should aim to receive a cheap home insurance quote when searching, “but” and this is a big “but”; it should always cover all the key areas you are looking for, and provide cover at a level you are happy with. Always make sure you read your policy online, or upon receiving it and question anything you are unsure or unhappy about. This is the golden rule and after all you can’t beat peace of mind can you?