Posts Tagged ‘home insurance’

8 Easy Tips For Reducing Your Homeowners Insurance Costs

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

No one enjoys paying for homeowners insurance but it is a necessary evil for most of us. That does not mean you need to pay through the nose for it though and here are 8 very easy tips to lower the cost of your homeowners insurance.

1. Take your time and shop around. If you compare prices from several insurance companies  you will most likely be able to reduce your premiums by a substantial amount. This could seem obvious, but research reveals that a surprisingly large proportion of people either just renew their existing policy or ask for only one or two quotes. A lot of online insurance sites automatically compare dozens of plans for you so making this one of the simplest ways to reduce your insurance bill.

2. Buy your plan online. If you buy your policy online you will often find that you can get a discount of up to 20% on regular prices because there are lower administration costs involved in purchasing online and the savings can be passed on to you.

3. Combine your buildings and contents plans. A lot of insurers will allow you a discount when you arrange both forms of household insurance with them and this commonly works out cheaper than buying the two plans from different insurers.

4. Pay upfront. Despite the fact that the vast majority of insurance companies allow you to pay your premiums in monthly installments many of them will charge interest for this privilege. So, if you can afford to pay a full year’s premium in advance, this will work out less expensive in the long run.

5. Don’t claim for small amounts. Making many small claims might increase your insurance costs as your insurer might see you as a higher risk and increase your premiums. You will also lose any no claims discount that your policy has. Of course, you are entitled to submit a claim for anything your plan covers but you should ask yourself whether submitting a small claim is really worth the hassle and any possible future rise in costs.

6. Consider taking a substantial voluntary excess. Insurance policies feature something known as an ‘excess’ and this basically means that the plan won’t pay for claims below a certain value. in some cases if you choose to increase your excess your premiums will be reduced.

7. Increase your home security. Beefing up the security of your property with better window locks, door locks, outdoor lighting, and alarm systems will normally result in lower premiums.

8. lower your level of cover. A lot of policies carry benefits which you may not need like cover for personal possessions when you are traveling or ‘free’ legal advice. Study your policy and see what parts of it you really need.

Reduce the premiums on your homeowner insurance by asking for a free and no-obligation home insurance quote without delay.

8 Simple Tips For Lowering Your Homeowners Insurance Costs

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

Nobody likes having to pay for homeowners insurance but it is a necessary evil for most of us. That does not mean that you have to pay through the nose for it and so here are 8 very easy tips to reduce the cost of your home insurance.

1. Take your time and shop around. If you compare prices from a number of different insurance companies  you will almost certainly be able to reduce your premiums by a considerable amount. This may seem to be obvious, but research suggests that a surprisingly large number of people either just renew their existing plan or ask for only one or two quotes. A lot of online insurance sites automatically compare dozens of plans for you thereby making this one of the simplest ways to reduce your home insurance bill.

2. Purchase online. If you purchase your plan online you will frequently get a discount of anything up to 20% on regular prices because there are less administration costs involved in purchasing online and the savings can be passed on to you.

3. Combine both your contents and buildings policies. Most insurance companies will allow you a discount when you take out both types of household insurance with them and this generally works out less expensive than getting the two plans from different insurers.

4. Pay your premiums upfront. Although the majority of insurance companies allow you to pay your premiums monthly many of them will charge interest for this privilege. Thus, if you can afford to pay a full year’s premium in advance, this will work out less expensive in the longer term.

5. Don’t submit claims for small amounts. Submitting many small claims will often raise your insurance costs because your insurer may view you as a higher risk and increase your premiums. You may also lose any no claims discount that your policy has. Naturally, you’re entitled to claim for anything your plan covers but you should ask yourself if submitting a small claim is really worth the trouble and any possible future rise in costs.

6. Consider taking a high voluntary excess on your plan. Insurance policies feature something which is known as an ‘excess’ and this means that the policy will not pay for claims under a certain value. On some policies when you elect to raise your excess your premium payments will be reduced.

7. Increase security for your property. Raising your home security with better door locks, window locks, outdoor lighting, and burglar alarm systems will frequently result in lower premiums.

8. Reduce your cover. A lot of plans feature benefits which you may not need like cover for personal possessions when you are traveling or ‘free’ legal advice. Study your policy and see what parts of it you really need.

Reduce the cost of your homeowner insurance by getting a free, no-obligation home insurance quote right now.