Independent consumer guide to home insurance
Who we are and what we do We regulate financial services firms in Ireland including banks, building societies, insurance companies, brokers, moneylenders, investment companies, mutual funds and stockbrokers. It is our job to ensure that you, as a consumer, are protected in your dealings with regulated firms. We do this by monitoring the solvency of firms and by ensuring they comply with legislation and codes of conduct. We aim to help you make informed financial decisions by providing independent information about financial products in plain English. We also offer support and assistance to you in your dealings with regulated firms.
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 Contents Purpose of this guide 3 What are the benefits of home insurance? 3 Do I need home insurance? 3 Section 1: Home insurance policies 4 Buildings insurance 4 Contents insurance 6 Liability insurance 8 All risks 9 Section 2: Home insurance costs 10 Home insurance discounts 11 Where can I buy home insurance? 12 What can I do if I think I am being charged more than I should be? 13 Section 3: Making a claim 14 How do Imake a claim? 14 When could a claim be refused? 14 Is the claim payment made directly to me? 15 Could I get less money than I claimed for? 15 Questions to ask about home insurance 16 Dos and don ts when buying home insurance 17 Contents checklist 18 Shopping around for home insurance 19 Financial terms explained 20
Home Insurance 2 This is a general guide to home insurance. Nothing in this booklet is intended to be, or should be construed as: 1 An invitation, offer or inducement to you or any other person to enter into an insurance contract, OR 2 Advice on the merits of, or a recommendation in relation to, any particular product or product provider.
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 Purpose of this guide This guide describes home insurance and outlines what is likely to be covered by a typical home insurance policy. It gives general information only, and you should always check your own policy document for full details of your cover. Our other independent consumer publications include a range of cost surveys and guides on insurances, mortgages, personal loans, savings and investments. You can get copies of our publications by calling our consumer help-line on lo-call 1890 77 77 77, visiting our Information Centre, or by downloading the information from our website, www.itsyourmoney.ie. 3 What are the benefits of home insurance? You will sometimes face risks and events in life over which you have no control. Your home could be damaged by fire, for example, or you could be burgled and lose valuable possessions. Taking out home insurance won t prevent such events from happening but it can pay for some of the costs of repairing or replacing the things you value. Do I need home insurance? Home insurance is not a legal requirement. However, if you have a mortgage, your lender will insist on you having buildings insurance so that you can afford to rebuild the house if it is destroyed. Even if you don t have a mortgage, your home is one of your most valuable assets. It is wise to insure it so that you can pay for the costs of repair or replacement of buildings, contents and valuables in the event of a fire, burglary or other damage.
Home Insurance Section 1: Home insurance policies 4 A home insurance policy is a single policy that usually covers you for the following risks, within certain limits. damage to buildings; damage to contents; injury to others in or around your home and third-party property damage; and loss or damage to valuables. You may be able to take out a different policy for each of these risks. Sometimes separate policies with different insurers for buildings and for contents can be better value than a combined buildings and contents policy with the same company. However, the most common form of home insurance policy is one that combines buildings and contents cover with other benefits. Buildings insurance What is buildings insurance? Buildings insurance covers the items that cannot usually be removed and taken away if you move home. These include the property structure such as the roof, walls, windows and doors and some of the permanent fittings and fixtures such as baths and fitted kitchens. How much buildings cover should I have? You should insure your home for the amount it would cost to rebuild it. This is called the reinstatement value. It is different to the market value of your home, which is the amount you could get if you sold it. The market value includes the value of the site your home is built on, whereas the reinstatement value does not include this. To get a rough estimate of the reinstatement value, you can: arrange a survey with a local builder, architect or surveyor; or use the home building cost figures available from the Society of Chartered Surveyors. You can write to the Society of Chartered Surveyors, 5 Wilton Place, Dublin 2; telephone them at 01-676 5500; or look up the relevant information on their website, www.scs.ie/publication/online.asp
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 Most insurers will only insure buildings over a certain value. This means that there is a minimum cost (premium) for providing cover for any building. The building must usually have a value of at least 100,000 but this figure can be higher with some companies. 5 If you have a mortgage your lender has an insurable interest in your property. This is because as long as you owe your lender money on your mortgage they want to make sure the property keeps its value. So your lender may also require you to insure your property for a minimum amount. Remember that if you extend your home you will usually need to increase the amount of buildings cover you have. It is important to make sure your home is not over- or under-insured. If your home is under-insured and is damaged or destroyed by fire, for example, you could find your policy might not pay out enough to pay for the repair or re-building cost. If you are over-insured, your premium will be higher than necessary and you will not get any additional benefit if you have a claim. What is covered? Buildings policies differ, and you should always check the details on your individual policy. As a general guideline, you are covered for damage to the basic structure of the house itself, certain internal fixtures and fittings such as washbasins and toilets, the garage and certain outbuildings, together with walls, gates and fences. A buildings policy usually covers damage caused by: fire, explosion, lightning, earthquake; storm (usually does not cover storm damage to gates and fences); flood; riot, vandalism, strikes or other violent acts; subsidence (movement of the site beneath the building) may be covered but a wide range of restrictions generally apply; burglary or an attempted burglary your buildings policy simply covers damage to the house itself, not the contents; escape of water or oil from a fixed domestic appliance; impact this covers damage to buildings, walls, gates or fences caused by impact with, for instance, an animal, aircraft or road vehicle; and falling trees and branches.
Home Insurance 6 What is not covered? A buildings policy does not usually cover damage caused by: acts of terrorism; wear, tear and deterioration in the structure or interior for instance, roof damage due to gradual wear and tear would be excluded, as would water damage due to a leaking shower; some risks such as flood damage or subsidence may not be covered if you live in an area prone to flooding or subsidence; and claims that are less than the excess on your policy. What is the excess? The excess is the amount of each claim that you will have to pay for yourself. It could typically be between 100 and 150 for standard claims on a home insurance policy. The excess for subsidence claims is much higher. You can often get a discount on your premium if you agree to a higher excess. So, for example you could get up to 15% off your premium if you agreed to increase your excess to about 1,000. Consider whether the saving you would make is to your advantage, as it will not be possible to claim for losses that are less than your excess. Contents insurance What is contents cover? The contents section of your policy covers the moveable objects in each room in your home, such as furniture, electrical appliances, pictures, paintings, clothing and other personal items. How much contents cover should I have? You should insure your contents for the amount it would cost you to replace them if they were stolen or damaged. To estimate your contents: use our contents checklist on page 18 to list all items in your home; include the cost of replacing carpets or other flooring; make an estimate of what it would cost to replace each item, and add up the total. check whether the contents of your garage or shed are covered under your policy and include them if they are;
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 There is usually a top limit on the value of any individual item generally around 1,000. So, higher value items such as jewellery or antiques may need to be listed separately on your contents policy. 7 As with buildings cover, most insurance companies have a minimum contents sum insured. This can vary, but is usually between 25,000 and 50,000. With some companies you have to choose a level of contents cover that is a set percentage of your buildings sum insured, for example 20% of your buildings cover. What is covered? Policies differ, and you should always check the details on your individual policy. As a general guideline, a typical contents policy would usually include the following: lost or damaged items on a new-forold basis this means you can claim the replacement cost of your items (up to certain limits), but you must also value your contents on this basis; tenant s liability to landlord if you rent a house, this clause covers you for damages that you may be liable for as a tenant, such as broken glass or a damaged appliance; food spoilage in fridge or freezer due to power failure or breakdown; loss or damage to contents temporarily removed from the house. This includes contents in transit during a house move, but usually excludes glass and other breakable objects unless they are packed by professional packers; accidental damage to TV, stereo and other household equipment may be covered on some policies, but may be subject to a higher premium on others; public liability cover for expenses that you could be sued for if an accident was caused by your negligence; and some cover for the cost of having to move out of the property and perhaps rent another home if your house was destroyed. limited cover for cash and bank notes, and unauthorised use of credit cards stolen from your home may also be covered;
Home Insurance 8 What is not covered under Contents cover? The following items would usually not be covered: any loss or damage that happens when your home has been left vacant for a set time usually more than 30 days; money or valuables stolen from your property without the use of force to gain entry; deeds, bonds, bills of exchange, promissory notes, cheques, securities for money, stamps, documents of any kind, manuscripts, medals, coins, motor vehicles and accessories; and damage caused by wear and tear. Liability insurance Most home insurance policies give you liability cover up to certain limits. This means that your policy would pay costs, expenses or fees that you were legally liable to pay to someone if they proved negligence against you. This could happen due to: an accident, death, illness or injury suffered by someone such as a visitor or an employee such as a tradesman or childminder in or around your home; or accidental damage to someone else s property arising from your negligence. If someone such as a painter or plumber is injured whilst working on your property, your policy could cover costs claimed by that person so long as they could prove you were negligent. Equally, you should always check that someone working on your property has his or her own public liability insurance cover in case he causes damage to your property and you need to claim against him. Some policies also cover damages that you are liable for but that occur outside your home. For example, you could be covered for damages if you negligently injured someone with a golf ball. Most policies do not give you liability cover for: accidents that happen to members of your own family; or damage that you do to your own property.
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 All-risks All-risks covers you for loss, theft or accidental damage to certain items outside the home as well as inside. For this reason, you will pay a higher premium to insure an item for all-risks than you would to insure it under normal contents cover. If you have a claim, your insurer may choose to give you the cash value of the items or pay for its repair or replacement. 9 What is included in all-risks cover? You can specify the items you want covered and their value. Or, you may just want to choose an overall value for unspecified items where you would not need to list the items. Most policies also have a maximum value per individual item. Examples of such items could include jewellery, clothing and other personal effects, sports equipment or electronic goods. You may be covered for the same loss under more than one policy. For example, money stolen on holidays may be covered by your all-risks household policy and also by your travel insurance. You cannot claim under more than one policy for any loss, so give careful consideration to which policy you claim against. Please note that insurers have different restrictions on what can be claimed. It is important to check not just what is covered, but also what is not covered by reading the policy details.
Home Insurance Section 2: Home insurance costs 10 The premium you pay for your home insurance depends on: the sum insured (and whether it covers buildings only or buildings and contents); where your home is located; and the type of cover and discounts you get. Sum assured and cover The greater the sum assured (the insured value of your buildings and contents) the higher your premium will be. Some insurers offer a no frills type of policy that gives you cover for buildings and the main contents of your home, and nothing else. Others may charge you a higher premium in return for extra features, which you may or may not need depending on your circumstances. Location Insurers may charge more for homes in certain places if they experience a higher level of claims in those areas for example if there is a high rate of burglary in the area or the region is prone to flooding or subsidence. If you live in a city you will usually have to pay more than you would in a rural area due to the higher level of burglary claims in cities. Discounts Insurers also differ in the range and value of discounts they may offer. A discount reduces your premium by a certain percentage. For example, if your premium was 300 and you got a 10% discount, you would pay 30 less. The following table sets out the possible discounts you might be entitled to on your household policy.
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 Home insurance discounts 11 Typical Discount factor Description discount Your age You may need to be over 50 or 55. 5%-10% Burglar alarm If monitored and approved by National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) 15%-25% Standard alarm, not monitored. 5%-10% Smoke alarm At least two must usually be installed. 5%-10% Security locks Approved locks on windows and doors. 5% Neighbourhood Your home is located in an area with watch a neighbourhood watch scheme. 5% Loyalty If you have other policies with the same insurance company. 5%-20% Sums insured If your Buildings or Contents sums insured are over certain amounts. 5%-10% No claims Discount for no home insurance claims in the last three years. 10%-20% Voluntary excess If you agree to pay an excess over a certain amount. (see page 6) 2.5%-15% You can reduce your premiums by installing security devices such as a monitored alarm system and smoke detectors. Not all devices will qualify for a discount, so find out which ones your insurance company recommends, how much they cost and how much you could save on premiums. There is usually a maximum percentage of around 35%-45% that any insurer will allow for discounts.
Home Insurance www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 12 Where can I buy home insurance? As your home insurance has to be renewed each year, you can shop around at each renewal to get the best value. Even if your policy was first arranged through your mortgage lender, you are free to replace it with a policy of your own choice at the next renewal date. There are two main ways of shopping around for home insurance: buy directly from an insurance company; or buy through an intermediary (broker or financial advisor). In either case, you can get quotations either in person, by phone or online using insurers or brokers websites. If you are part of a group insurance scheme through your work or other association, you may be able to get a cheaper premium or special discounts that are not available elsewhere. Mortgage lenders also sometimes arrange home insurance cover when you first take out your mortgage. Lenders usually offer a policy from one particular insurer and earn commission from that insurer on each policy. The range of cover and the premium may not be the most competitive available. Remember, you are not obliged to accept your lender s recommendation. You can shop around for your own quotations from insurers or from a broker. Your lender s interest will have to be noted on the buildings policy you choose. When shopping around, get as many quotes as you can from as many sources as possible before making a decision. Use our Shopping around for home insurance chart at the back of this guide and get a copy of our most recent home insurance cost survey to help you compare premiums charged by different insurance companies.
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 What can I do if I think I am being charged more than I should be? 13 Under current equality legislation, when you buy goods or services you cannot be discriminated against purely because of any of the following nine grounds: age sexual orientation gender disability race religion marital status family status membership of the traveller community. In the case of home insurance, you cannot be refused cover or charged more solely on any of the above grounds unless the insurer can show that the difference in treatment is reasonable and is justified for underwriting or other commercial reasons. If you feel you are being discriminated against, you can seek advice on what do do by contacting the Equality Authority (lo-call 1890 235 545; www.equality.ie).
Home Insurance Section 3: Making a claim 14 How do I make a claim? You should call your insurer as soon as you discover a problem. Many insurers now have a free-phone emergency helpline in place, which you may wish to save in your mobile phone. Report brief details of the claim and request a claim form. Depending on the type of claim you have, you will get some advice on what to do next. For example, if you have suffered storm damage you may be advised to get some emergency repairs done. For larger claims, you may wish to appoint an assessor. An assessor works on your behalf and will often negotiate with your insurance company in settling the claim. Assessors fees are not covered by your policy, so you will have to pay for this service. Note: an assessor is not the same as a loss adjustor, who is employed by the insurance company and works on their behalf. If the amount of a claim is small, consider whether to claim or not. If you make a claim, you may lose a discount with certain insurers and you will usually find it more difficult to shop around for cover the next time you renew your policy When could a claim be refused? Claims can be refused for a variety of reasons. The most common are: the damage being claimed for is not covered by the particular policy; one of the conditions in the policy is not met; the damage was considered to be caused by wear and tear rather than a specific risk under the policy; and with some policies a burglary claim may be refused if your alarm is not activated whilst your home is unoccupied.
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 Is the claim payment made directly to me? 15 Claim payments are usually made by cheque payable to the policyholder. If your insurance is arranged through your mortgage lender, the insurance company usually pays any larger buildings claims to your lender, or in the joint name of yourself and your lender. Your lender will then pass the money to you. Could I get less money than I claimed for? Yes. If you under-estimate the value of your home and your belongings, your claim could be scaled down as a result of the average clause included in some policies. How the average clause works Suppose your house would cost 200,000 to rebuild, but you only have it insured for 100,000. If your house is completely destroyed, you would get at most 100,000 from the insurance company leaving you with substantial building costs to pay for. Even if you claimed on the policy for fire damage of, say 40,000, the insurance company will look at the overall sum insured on the policy and will still consider that you are only half insured. So they may pay out only 20,000 half of the total damage. It is very important that you are not under-insured.
Home Insurance 16 Questions to ask about home insurance What do I need to cover? Is it just buildings, or do I need buildings, contents and all-risks? How many quotations did my broker look for? What extra services will my broker provide for example, claims assistance? What, if any, fee will I be charged by my broker or bank? Is this instead of commission or will he or she receive commission also? You are entitled to be given this information. What is included in the policy, and what is not included? Remember, the policy offering the lowest premium is not always the best value for money. If one item of a suite of furniture or a bathroom suite is damaged, will the policy cover the cost of a complete suite or just the damaged item even if a good match cannot be obtained? Some policies do, some don t. How can I reduce my premium? Would I save money by installing an alarm? Are there other discounts that I might get? Is my premium being loaded (increased for a specific reason) because of the area I live in? Loadings very often apply to certain areas but different companies may have different loadings.
Home Insurance www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 Dos and don ts when buying home insurance Do Don t 17 Do take the time to shop around at each renewal. Do get quotes from as wide a range of companies and brokers as possible and through a wide range of sources. You can get quotes in person, by phone or online through insurers and brokers websites. Do make sure you are covered for the things that are important to you for example a music or book collection, or an expensive set of tools stored in your garage. Don t skimp on the shopping around. Don t forget that you are the purchaser in the transaction. You may be able to bargain for a better deal. Don t be tempted to under-insure in order to get a lower premium. Any claim will be reduced by the amount you are under-insured if your policy contains an average clause. Do check if you are entitled to any discounts. Do check the value of your contents and the likely cost of rebuilding your home to make sure that you are not under- or over-insured. Do answer all questions on the proposal form fully and honestly. If you give false or misleading information, you may not be covered even if you pay your premiums. Do read the policy details and not just the summary of your insurance cover. This may highlight cover you were not aware you had.
Home Insurance Contents checklist 18 Kitchen Dining room Lounge Hall, stairs, landing Bedroom 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Other rooms Bathroom(s) Garage, outbuildings Floor covering Furniture, household goods and appliances inc. TV sets etc. Curtains, fittings, cushions, drapery, sheets, blankets, towel etc. Food and drinks, crockery, Cutlery, glassware Clothing and personal effects, sporting equipment Valuables i.e. jewellery, silver, clocks, pictures, ornaments,etc. Miscellaneous: workshop and garage, tools, garden equipment etc. Total Overall total
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 Shopping around for home insurance Date: 19 Contact details 1 2 3 4 5 Company or broker name Phone no. Contact name Quotes Buildings cover (Sum insured ) Contents cover (Sum insured ) All risks cover (Sum insured ) Benefits & notes Policy excess Public liability limit Accidental damage to contents Accidental damage to buildings Glass breakage New for old replacement Bicycle cover Subsidence/flooding cover Other Payment options Credit Card Laser Instalment plan available Total cost with instalment plan (compare with quotes above) Deposit required
Home Insurance Financial terms explained 20 Commission: Percentage of your premium that your broker or advisor receives from an insurance company for introducing your business to that insurer. Excess: The amount of any claim that you have to pay yourself. It is usually a fixed sum. It may be higher for certain types of claim, for instance subsidence. Exclusion: Things that are not covered by your insurance for example damage caused by gradual wear and tear and not a specific event covered by the policy. Intermediary: A firm (broker or agent) regulated by us (the Financial Services Regulator) that provides advice about or sells investment, mortgage and/or insurance products on behalf of financial institutions (product producers). Loading: An extra premium charge applied because of something specific like the location of a house or a previous claim. No-claims discount: A percentage reduction in premium based on the number of years since a claim has been made. It is usual on motor insurance policies and occasionally given on house insurance. Non-disclosure: Where someone who is applying for insurance leaves out relevant information. Non-disclosure may invalidate a policy. The insurance company can cancel cover or refuse to pay a claim where non-disclosure occurs.
www.itsyourmoney.ie S lo-call 1890 77 77 77 If you need to find out more, contact our consumer helpline on lo-call 1890 77 77 77 visit our website www.itsyourmoney.ie or drop in to our informationcentre College Green, Dublin 2 We have produced this publication using guidance on plain English techniques from the National Adult Literacy Agency.
Because it s your money, contact us: Consumer help-line: lo-call 1890 77 77 77 Information Centre: College Green, Dublin 2 E-mail: consumerinfo@ifsra.ie www.itsyourmoney.ie If you would like to receive this information in Irish or if you have difficulty reading this information and would like a version in large print or Braille then please contact us on lo-call 1890 77 77 77. Údarás Rialála Seirbhísí Airgeadais na héireann PO Box No 9138 College Green, Dublin 2, Ireland T +353 1 410 4000 F +353 1 410 4900 W www.ifsra.ie Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority CG 10/04 GHI