Is Your Home Insurance Out Of Bounds?

Long range weather forecasts are for more storms in Britain, but despite having buildings and contents insurance cover for their homes, many homeowners may find that these policies do not cover the boundaries. Fences and gates are often not covered by buildings and contents insurance, a leading financial comparison site has warned.

Most standard policies do not cover the perimeters of a homeowner’s property, so it’s best to take steps to make these secure before the storms arrive. Securing loose fence panels and other items will help to limit the damage both to homeowners’ property and their neighbours.

It’s worth checking on exactly what your policy covers. While many of the major insurers will cover furniture and shrubbery as standard, the level of the cover varies considerably. Some insurers will cover for items kept in the garden, but not floods or storms. Others will insure against flood and storm damage. It’s also worth checking whether sheds and outside buildings are covered by your buildings or contents policy.

Many homeowners are going green and buying wind turbines at a fantastic rate however, if these environmentally friendly devices are not properly secured, a gale force wind could dislodge it and do more harm than good. And not all buildings insurance policies will cover this piece of equipment, says the financial comparison site. Halifax, Norwich Union, MORE THAN, Churchill and Direct Line will, but Endsleigh will not.

With flood warnings in force, this is another potential issue for homeowners, especially those who live on the coast. Homes in Hull and Grimsby which are prone to flooding are among the most expensive in Britain to insure. The best advice for homeowners is to check weather alerts and their policies to make sure they have adequate cover for likely events and to make their homes as secure as possible.