Top Tips for Saving on Home Insurance this Winter

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With winter fast approaching, home owners are flocking to secure insurance for their properties. It’s no hidden fact that catastrophes can cause unexpected damage to all areas of your home – and insurance is one of the only ways to cover yourself against unexpected damage.

Sure, there are lots of things you can do to reduce the chance of the weather getting the better of your home, but sometimes, as unfortunate as it is, Mother Nature can’t be helped nor stopped. However, as long as you do your best, you can reduce the likelihood of having to claim, thus keeping your premium low for years to come.

It’s a known fact that winter can inflict damage on your house in more ways than one – whether it be burglaries due to the lower light levels, or cold weather wreaking havoc with your heating system or piping. This often results in unpredictability across the board, which in turn results in changes to the overall price of Home Insurance. This is mainly due to different companies having to pay out varying amounts for an array of different claims. Insurance companies will often base premiums on their experience of previous policies resulting in claims around the winter months. Subsequently, the pricing will increase or decrease to make sure that company involved would lose as little money as possible if they end up paying out, whilst remaining competitive.

Why Home Insurance Prices Rise in Winter

One of the main reasons for Home Insurance prices rising around this time of year, is burglaries, which have been known to increase by 20% in winter months. This can mainly be attributed to the fact that an earlier sunset, which brings longer nights for all of us, means that burglars have the added cover of darkness on their side. Known tactics of a burglar’s mind-set include such methods as forcing a window frame open, rather than smashing the window itself, to make as little noise as possible, and leave little physical damage, while still gaining entry. Despite a usual lack of evidence or excessive damage, the average burglary around winter-time is reported to cost £1,746, which is more than enough of a hole in anybody’s budget, especially with Christmas and New Year in close proximity.

However, October the 1st marks the start of National Home Security Month, which is a nation-wide campaign looking at the numerous characteristics of home security and how you can apply these to your own home. When looking at keeping the price of your home insurance down, it’s definitely not any recognised or certified method that you can announce to your insurer, however it can provide the peace of mind that we could all do with.

The other contributing factor to the rise in Home Insurance prices is the winter weather itself. Dropping temperatures, increased wind speeds, and higher chance of rainfall all mix together for some treacherous conditions – even from your home’s standpoint. Some of the most common issues that occur include blockage of drains and gutters by leaves and twigs that then freeze over, or burst pipes due to the changing temperatures caused by the hot water flowing through.

Check Your Roof to Prepare For the Future

Something interesting to take a closer look at is your roof. Checking any flashing and tiles for any cracks or holes, or even missing tiles altogether is essential. If any water damage is caused due to these damaged or missing tiles and flashes, it could hurt you in the long run, as in many cases, it has been known for insurance companies to decline a claim made for water damage, based on the neglect of the house’s roof by the owner. It’s not a huge job to check, so it’s definitely on the list of things worth doing, just to be sure.

Flooding is one of those unstoppable occurrences in life that you just have to accept is happening. Not a great deal can stop a flood – unless you have some form of purpose-built defence in effect – and the damage they can cause is nothing short of catastrophic. If you end up in a situation where you have no home insurance, and a flood hits, there isn’t a lot that can be done for your home or your possessions. As you can appreciate, floods don’t just invade your home, they damage anything on the ground, whether it be furniture, carpets, electrical appliances, plug sockets, ornaments, toys, you name it. With the option to cover specific items and contents on your home insurance, regardless how sentimental, it makes no sense not to have everything covered for your own sake.

Don’t Forget – Protect Your Garden Too

With the usual list of “ways to make your home winter-proof” comes some weird and wonderful methods of protecting even your garden from the winter’s wrath. Using cat litter as grit to clear your paths and drive of ice has become a popular approach, as salt can kill your plants and foliage over time, whereas cat litter does not. Even if you have a fish pond, you can easily protect it when the pond freezes over. All you have to do is simply place a tennis ball in it, and whenever the pond freezes over, simply pull the tennis ball out, and it will create a hole for oxygen to circulate back in to the pond, thus ensuring the survival of your fish.

All of the aforementioned aspects should help prevent any need for you to make a claim on your home insurance, and in the long run, that should keep your price down, as any company you’re with shall see that you are doing your best to not let winter get the better of you and your home. However, it is not a definite guarantee, as all insurance companies are different in the way that they rate certain areas of a policy.


Charlie Draycott is a devoted gamer who has a passion for finance and economics, especially the insurance sector. When he isn’t working for One Sure Insurance, you can find him playing video games.

Climate Science Prediction: How Updated Estimates Will Impact Homeowners Insurance Plans

Are global warming estimates too conservative? The scientific community has based global warming estimates on hard science, but because we have little hard data on previous examples of global warming episodes, they cannot truly predict the effects of global warming. In other words we may be able to predict the rate at which the earth is heating up within a few degrees centigrade, but we cannot truly predict what effect this will have on global conditions - particularly the weather.

If you want a recent example of just how little we can predict the effects of global warming, consider Hurricane Sandy that hit the east coast in October 2012. While it was traveling across water, it was regarded as being the largest hurricane in history. Even though hurricane Sandy brought New York to a standstill -- it was not as deadly as hurricane Katrina in 2005, primarily because the hurricane was moving so slowly that people had plenty of warning and places such as Coney Island were evacuated days in advance.

Two decades of scientific reports seem to have consistently underestimated the intensity of climate change and its rate. Even countries such as the United Kingdom, which has very mild weather when compared with the US, have experienced unprecedented flooding. The head of the climate analysis section, Kevin Trenberth, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said, "We're underestimating the fact that climate change is rearing its head."

So how does this affect your home insurance plans? What you must first understand is that as official sources begin to align their future predictions of the damage caused by global warming, with the data they collect every time a new storm occurs - the price of for home insurance will go up. This is because insurance companies will have to raise the cost of their premiums to cover the higher rate of insurance claims that are going to be submitted in the coming years.

Global warming and the potential damage it is going to cause, is going to create a number of changes in the home insurance markets. This is why companies such as InsuranceTown.com offer free insurance quotes, so that consumers need not be caught up in the ensuing anarchy by paying for their insurance quotes.

Let us take home insurance quotes for flooding as an example. In 2007, an IPCC report concluded that the Arctic wouldn't lose its summer ice until the year 2070, but recent data collected from the area shows that we might lose the Arctic's summer ice in just 20 years' time. As you can imagine, this is going to have a very large effect on the insurance premiums of some areas of the US that are already prone to flooding.

Scientists who study climate change have released conservative estimates with regards to the rise in sea level. For example, they claimed that sea levels would rise 2 millimeters per year, however, between the years 1993 through to the year 2006, sea levels rose by 3.30 millimeters per year. This means that areas which are not prone to flooding are going to start experiencing floods, which will affect the prices and scope of home insurance coverage offered by insurance companies throughout the country.

Jeff Mathis has been an insurance consultant for 20 years. He enjoys sharing his expertise on the subject by blogging for a variety of insurance and personal insurance websites.

Ensuring the success of your holiday home venture

With an increasing number of people opting for British staycations, a holiday home might be a great investment - especially if it is situated in one of the country's favourite tourist destinations.

If you have decided to buy a property or convert a second home for this purpose, there are naturally many factors to consider; including the decor, market and how much to charge, to name but a few.

Ultimately though, for your holiday home venture to be a success, just two basic elements need to be fulfilled: meeting your guests' expectations and your own peace of mind.

1) Meeting your guests' expectations

Your obligations as a holiday home owner start with the advertisement: you must make sure that your website and any other marketing material provide true representations of the actual property and its location. Include as many photographs as possible and a detailed description which includes features like steep, narrow staircases or uneven floors, so that people with mobility problems or young children are aware. To avoid disappointment, make clear which groups your property/ holiday is suitable for, as it's unlikely your home will be able to accommodate all. 

You are obliged to keep the property clean and in good running order, with appliances and furnishings that meet legal standards - which is as much for your own good as it is your guests'. Replace worn items and paint tired-looking rooms, as this will also make the property more appealing.

Naturally, it is essential that your property is cleaned in-between arrivals, so you'll need to schedule in enough time between departures and arrivals to do so. After all, how many times have you been away only to find your accommodation is dirty? How despondent were you? Don't let your guests' experience this.

Exceeding expectations is in the detail. Leave a welcome pack which explains how the heating/oven/washing machine works, provides local information and suggests things to see. Put out fresh towels, replace toiletries; maybe even leave a bottle of something bubbly as a nice touch. Respect your guests' privacy by maintaining your distance, but leave your contact details in case of an emergency.

Remember these points and your guests should leave happy, hopefully recommending you to their friends.

2) Your peace of mind
Of course you hope your guests enjoy their stay, but most holiday home owners can't be happy until they know that their property is safe, respected and most importantly, protected. Therefore, obtaining comprehensive holiday home insurance could help you sleep more soundly at night. What should you look for, not simply in a policy, but in an insurer, too?

To ensure your property, house contents and garden are adequately covered against accident and incident, it's essential that you seek out an insurance partner who will not only listen to your individual requirements, but provide you with the right product. This will mean that if the unexpected happens, your investment is soundly protected.

When selecting an insurer, it's a good idea to choose a company that is based in the same region as your holiday home; a partner that possesses local knowledge of the area and is easily accessible - which are all valuable assets. You would additionally want a policy which can be tailored to your specific requirements, as a one-size-fits-all insurance approach simply won't do.

Developing and maintaining a relationship with your holiday home insurer is important, as they will be able to provide you with advice, guidance and inform you of any regulatory amendments. This will help ensure that your operation is safe and legally compliant.

Ideally, the company's insurance experts would physically inspect your holiday home. That way, you can be sure that every aspect of the building is taken into account and is reflected in your insurance policy - providing peace of mind.

Ultimately, your insurer should instill you with the confidence to let your holiday home happily, enabling you to then meet your obligations. If this can be achieved, there is no reason your venture shouldn't be a success.

Finley Talbot is a student with an interest in law and insurance. Other than studying, he keeps himself up to date about anything and everything related to insurance. In his spare time, he loves to catch up with friends and a game of squash.

Home Insurance and its Advantages

Insurance Companies are sprouting in the business industry nowadays. This just proves to show that the call for the insurances (future security) is getting louder and louder, which was indeed heard by many business owners. Indeed having a security over any property against other possible damages in the future is not just merely a fancy but a necessity because investments are rightfully protected. This is the reason why most businesses nowadays revolve around insurances, because they can see the different probabilities that might come their way in the battlefield of all odds.

Owning your own house is also yet, and probably the greatest investment you had ever made. Which would just then connote that protection of it is a thing that you should heavily consider. Home Insurance policy is the type of policy that would get you covered when your home happened to have experienced an unexpected loss. Such examples of these losses may be, thieves, calamities, Fire and many more. Your investments or properties might be covered when it comes to financial assets (when you really have a stable job), but it is indeed not secured from all other perks that might come your way. In fact, statistically, most people would purchase a home insurance policy because of the natural calamities that are occurring nowadays. Especially, in this generation that no one can truly predict when it will happen; even the safest thought geographic locations are not secured. Calamities like earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches and many more are some of the unexpected situations that may occur. More and more of these occurrences are indeed showing up and they do not choose a certain place to attack. Therefore, true enough that these peoples' decisions in purchasing a home insurance is but a wise decision.

In addition, having a house is stressful but overwhelming. These types of emotions could not truly escape from the property holder at the first place. Thus, its security is nothing but also a protection from all the hassles the property owner has gone through just so he/she could provide himself/herself a house. Thus, in looking for insurance companies, a person must research about the company's credibility and reliability. Because of the various companies that are mushrooming in this industry, it is truly important to distinguish the ones that are dedicated in service, from the ones that are just there to get the money of the clients.

Don Bullard is one of the most known insurance companies there are. That not only they have been popular in this industry because of their number of years in experience, but because of their excellent customer care and services offered. True enough that Don Bullard Insurance Company (started in 1972) have grown over the years and their policies have gotten even better and client-friendly. They also render such services like combined policies which would give the clients the benefits in choosing their own insurance policies under one general policy. Minding not only the financial restrictions but also the preferences of the clients, Don Bullard is the company to be for ideal home insurances indeed.

About the author: Madeline Smith is a top-notch agent for a insurance company for 5 years. Insipred by  one of the  leading insurance company; Don Bullard Insurance; she help her clients narrow down their choices so it will be easy for them to pick the kind of insurance that suits them.