Frequently asked questions

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how to get an insurance quote

Absolutely! We can insure houses that are used as holiday homes, let to tenants, properties under probate, empty homes up for sale and others. You can get your quote online at a time to suit you. 

What does referred mean? If you have just found out that your quote has been “referred” or “sent for referral”, the details shown here should help explain what that is and what to expect.

We appreciate you were probably hoping to obtain a quote quickly, however, in this instance your quote has been sent to our in-house underwriting team to be checked to make sure it provides enough cover for your insurance needs.

Finding out that your quote has been referred means that your quote is being checked by our team of in-house expert underwriters. The accurate insurance risks of your property and/or your circumstances will be taken into account in the calculation of your personalised policy.

Quotes are referred to the underwriters if: your home is undergoing renovation, your property has prior subsidence, has been underpinned or if you have had a high-value claim or a large number of claims previously. Other situations requiring referral include: a very high value of contents or a very high rebuild cost for your building.

Normally we will be able to get back to you with an answer from our underwriting team within 2 working days. However, if you urgently need to sort out your home insurance please do contact our new business team and we will do our best to prioritise your referral accordingly.

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Or if you have questions and you would prefer to speak to one of our team, please contact us here then select option 3 to speak to the sales team. We’re here taking calls 9am to 8pm weekdays and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Get a quick and easy quote online, start here

Or you can phone our friendly team on 0330 660 1000. We’re here taking calls 9am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 1pm on saturdays.

Homeowners can take some steps to reduce the cost of their insurance premium:

• Install security features; burglar alarms, fire alarms and even CCTV can all make a difference to your premium.

• Invest in specialist paints like flame retardant coatings.

• Regularly clearing gutters of debris and checking for damp or cracks in the structure can also keep you aware of issues before they escalate.

• Get an accurate rebuild cost; this is not the market value of your home. You should arrange for a chartered surveyor to give you an accurate figure instead of over-estimating the value of your home and paying more than you need to.

• Pay annually, if you can afford it.

• Increase your voluntary excess; it can be anything between £50 and £900.

• Look into flood resistance measures if you live in a flood risk area.

• Slim down your cover to suit your needs; do you really need to take out accidental damage cover, legal cover, home emergency cover and lost key cover?

• Think twice before making a claim; if it’s a minor repair which you can afford then making your own arrangements might be better to protect your no claims discount.

• Inform your insurer of safety measures you have installed at the time of comparing quotes or taking out a policy.

Premiums for insurance policies are based on the risk presented and assessing the probability of that risk materialising.

Underwriters use all available tools and data to assist with this complex assessment to arrive at a premium.

The tools used for this risk assessment include government and industry statistics, claims and underwriting experience.

The process of ‘accumulation’ is also utilised by underwriters in the risk assessment. This means that one insurance provider will limit the number of properties it will insure within the same area.

There are certain measures you can take to improve security in your home, such as installing a monitored alarm (choose an NSI, NACOSS, SSAIB or BSIA system), installing window locks, installing 5 lever mortice deadlock (conforming to British Standard BS3621) locks on all external doors. Depending on your circumstances, such as the location of your property, these measures may or may not alter the cost.

However, you can take out a higher voluntary excess (in addition to the compulsory excess), as this will decrease the premium. This means that if you need to claim that you will pay a higher sum towards the cost of the claim.

There won’t be a discount provided for having BSI (British Standard Institution) door locks, however, it may lessen the restrictions on the policy.

There won’t be a discount provided for having window locks, however, it may lessen the restrictions on the policy. 

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