When you move into your new home, arranging building and/or contents insurance should be high on your to-do list. Sorting out insurance can help give you peace of mind in case the worst happens.
What’s the difference between buildings and contents insurance?
The difference between buildings and contents insurance is that buildings insurance covers the physical structure of the property including the walls, roof and floors, while contents insurance covers items inside the property, such as furniture and freestanding appliances.
When you compare buildings and contents insurance, it’s helpful to think about what could be considered part of the fabric of the property (‘buildings’) and what could reasonably be removed and taken to another property (‘contents’).
This means that the floor, roof, windows and walls of your property are covered by buildings insurance, while the furniture, appliances and decorative items are covered by contents insurance.
While this seems quite straightforward, some parts of your property can be more difficult to define. Insurance policies usually consider fixtures and fittings (for example a fitted kitchen or a bathroom suite) as buildings, while carpets are usually covered under contents insurance. Laminate flooring is likely to be considered part of the building, but it’s worth checking your policy to make sure.
Depending on your policy, external structures like garages and outbuildings may also be covered by your buildings insurance.
If you’re renting, and the landlord has landlord insurance, only items that belong to the landlord are covered under the contents part of the policy. You as the tenant will need to take out your own contents insurance to cover anything that belongs to you that you wish to protect.
Do I have to have insurance?
Legally, you are under no obligation to insure your home, unless you have a mortgage in which case the mortgagee will require you to have cover. It is not like car insurance, where it is mandatory to at least have third-party cover.
Equally, if you are a tenant in a rented property, there’s no mandatory requirement to insure your valuable contents; however it is very wise to do so. People are often surprised at the cost of replacing things such as mobile phones, tablets and PCs or laptops, entertainment systems, cooking utensils and cutlery, and clothes.
Nobody expects that the worst is going to happen to them, but when it does, they often find themselves in an awful lot of trouble and wishing they’d arranged cover. Why take that risk?
Contact us now so we can help you protect the things you love.
