How to Get Cheap Building and Contents Insurance Policy

Building and contents insurance is essential for any property owner who wants to have peace of mind regarding the huge investment they have made in their property. These kinds of insurance policies protect the owners of home and business properties from financial disaster if the building is damaged, destroyed, or burgled.

By paying a small premium each month, you can rest assured in the knowledge that your building insurance policy will pay out if your home is struck by a fire or flood. While the premium might seem like a small price to pay in comparison to the risks of remaining uninsured, there is no sense in paying more than you need to for building insurance. Here is your guide to finding the best value insurance policies for protecting your home or business property.

Compare Policies and Providers

Thanks to the prevalence of comparison websites, it is now easier than ever for consumers to shop around when it comes to choosing a building or contents insurance policy. By using a comparison website, consumers can input their details and see all the policies that would be suitable for their situation. It is then possible to compare the prices, terms and conditions of the various policies and pick the one that offers the best deal.

As well as comparing policies using a comparison site, it also pays to do your own research on the various insurance providers. Read reviews online to find out about the levels of service that the various insurance companies provide to their customers. Consumer surveys can also be useful in gauging how each provider fares on customer satisfaction. There is no point in choosing the cheapest insurance policy on the market if doing so will mean finding out later that the company you have to deal with is unresponsive and unhelpful. Look for an insurance company that has good levels of customer satisfaction and you will be glad you did if you ever need to make a claim against the policy.

Secure Your Property

Have you ever wondered why different people are charged such wildly different amounts for policies that on the surface look very similar? The amount charged by an insurance provider is partly determined by how big a risk they consider a particular customer to present. The good news is that you can reduce the risk of your property being broken into – and therefore also reduce your insurance premiums – by adopting a few simple security measures.

Install security lights outside of your property. These lights are motion activated and come on when they detect somebody moving close to the building. Therefore, security lights prevent people from using the cover of darkness to approach your property without being noticed.

An alarm system could also reduce your risk of burglary. The most effective alarms are remote monitoring systems, which send an alert to the alarm company’s monitoring team when they detect an intruder. The staff can then assess the threat and contact the police if necessary. However, any kind of burglar alarm can act as a deterrent. Ideally, you should advertise the fact that your home is protected by an alarm system by displaying an alarm box prominently on the outside wall of your property.

Sturdy locks on your windows and doors also make your home more difficult to break into. Thieves are always on the lookout for easy targets, so by securing your property well, you can deter them from trying to break in.

By adopting all of these basic security measures, you may be able to negotiate a better deal on your buildings and contents insurance. You will also reduce the risk of having to endure the trauma and inconvenience of dealing with a burglary.

Increase the Excess

One way to get cheap building and contents insurance is to choose a policy that has a high excess. Taking this approach means that you will have to pay more in the event of a break-in, flood, or fire, but it does mean that you will be protected against financial ruin without having to pay large premiums. If you are confident that you can meet small expenses and only want coverage for large claims, then a high-excess policy could be the right choice for you.

Author Sam Jones always recommends the online price comparison facility at uSwitch.com for cheaper buildings and contents insurance