Car Insurance
What is the difference between comprehensive and Third Party Fire and Theft?
The main difference between these two cover options is the level of protection given to your own vehicle. A Third Party Fire and Theft policy covers any damage to a third party, or their property, resulting from an incident. It also provides cover for damage to your own vehicle, caused by fire or theft. Meanwhile, a Comprehensive policy will cover all of the above, plus the costs of damage to your own vehicle, if you’re involved in an incident.
What is a ‘No Claims Bonus’?
Your no claims discount, or ‘Bonus’ as it is often called, is the amount of years you have held an insurance policy and not claimed on it. Based on the number of years you have been claims free your insurer will reduce your premium.
What is named driving experience?
Named driving experience works on a similar basis to no claims discount. If you are named as a driver on someone else’s policy, you will earn a discount for your claims free years on that policy. You should contact your insurance broker to confirm your named driving experience entitlement.
Why do I need bonus protection?
Once you build up several years of claims free driving, your No Claims Bonus will help you get a reduction on your premiums. Because of this, many drivers will want to protect their no claims bonus. There are two options which allow you to do this, Full No Claims Bonus Protection and Step Back Bonus Protection.
What is the difference between Step-Back and Full Bonus Protection?
What Step Back Bonus Protection actually means : If you make a claim or someone else makes a claim against you, you will lose part of your no claims bonus. For example, if your no claims discount is 50% and you have a claim, then it could step back to as low as 30%. Therefore, giving you less years no claims to avail of higher discounts on your policy. On average, in the event of a claim, drivers with Step Back Bonus Protection lose two years no claims i.e. their bonus may be ‘stepped back’ from 5 to 3 years, which in turn will affect the no claims discount.
With Full Bonus Protection, in the event of a claim against your own car insurance, you will not lose any of your built up years of no claims. In turn, this means that the discount you receive from your insurer will be protected in the event of a claim. Always read the small print of your policy documents for any exclusions or limitations on your policy regarding No Claims Bonus Protection.
Home Insurance
What is accidental damage on a policy?
Accidental damage cover provides additional protection for things you might do by accident in your home.
These include:
- Spilling paint on the carpet.
- Drilling through a pipe.
- Hammering a nail through an electrical wire.
- Putting a foot through an attic floor
How much do I insure my buildings and contents for?
To calculate how much you should insure your buildings for, you need to calculate the rebuilding costs of your home. This is the amount of money needed to rebuild your home from scratch.
When calculating this amount you will need to take into account the price of labour and materials as well as the cost of the site clearance. The calculation should also include any outbuildings/ sheds boundary walls located on your property.
If in doubt we recommend visiting the Society of Chartered Surveyors website and using their calculator to work out the rebuilding cost.
Contents insurance covers the financial cost of repairing or replacing your household personal possessions and furnishings, such as curtains, furniture, TV, electrical appliances, clothing, jewellery, sporting equipment and even toys. So to get a sum to insure we would recommend going from room to room in your house with a calculator and adding up everything, this way nothing will be forgotten.
Are the contents in my garage covered?
Yes, the standard home insurance policy with buildings and contents cover also extends to any outbuildings located on your property, which also includes the structure and the contents of your garage or shed. The contents that covered in your garage would be only your own DIY tools and materials.
What exact contents are covered in my house?
Typically, items covered by a home contents insurance policy include furniture, clothing, electrical items like televisions and jewellery. Contents insurance can also cover fixtures like carpets, rugs and curtains.
What is a policy excess?
An excess is the first amount of any loss that you are responsible for in the event of making a claim. This amount is deducted from the total claim settlement figure.