Some insurers may give a discount where the property is protected by an approved and annually maintained burglar alarm system. However, if a discount has been given the insurer may apply additional terms requiring you to set the alarm every time the property is left unoccupied and also when you retire for the night. If this term has been applied and not adhered to it may result in a claim being rejected or not paid in full.

In some instances the installation of an approved and maintained alarm system may be a requirement before cover will be granted.

Some examples of cover granted under Standard perils include loss caused by Fire, Explosion, Lightning, Storm, Earthquake, Theft, Malicious damage, Escape of water or oil, Subsidence, Heave, & Landslip and Impact from vehicles or aeroplanes. It would also include cover for injuries to visitors to the property where you, the policyholder was deemed liable. Full details of the cover provided will be included within your policy document but please ask our advisor if you are unsure.

In most cases, for an additional cost you can extend the cover provided to include Accidental Damage to property owned by you and other members of the family - please ask for details.

Accidental Damage cover provides protection against costs incurred through damage that you, your family members or visitors may cause to the structure of your Building or to your Contents. Examples of incidents which would be covered under this extension include putting your foot through the loft floor damaging the ceiling below, leaving a tap running leading to water damage or carpet spillages. Such incidents would not be included under a policy taken out to cover Standard Perils only.

Additional charges will apply and in certain circumstances this cover might not be available.

An excess is the amount a policyholder is required to pay towards the cost of any claim. You may be asked to pay this amount to a company that has carried out repairs on behalf of your insurer, or alternatively the sum will be deducted from any settlement received. The excess payable will be the combined total of the Compulsory and Voluntary Excesses applying on the policy.

Compulsory Excess
A compulsory excess is the excess applied by the insurer, it cannot be reduced or removed from the policy. In addition to the standard compulsory excess, additional compulsory excesses may apply in certain circumstances, ie. if there is a history of flooding or for subsidence claims. In the event of a claim all excesses applying to the section of cover under which the claim is being made are added to any voluntary excess selected by the client.

Voluntary Excess
A voluntary excess is an additional amount the policyholder chooses to pay in the event of a claim in order to achieve a reduction in their premium. In the event of a claim the voluntary excess will be added to any compulsory excesses applying.

We have a range of policies that can accommodate working from home. Please call us on 01224 848222 to discuss your requirements.

Our family legal protection will provide you, and anyone who is permanently living with you at your main residence within the UK, access to legal advice and assistance in exercising your legal rights in a range of situations. Some examples might include:

• Employment – a dispute relating to your contract of employment or unfair dismissal
• Contract – purchase or sale of faulty goods
• Property disputes – disputes with a neighbour regarding boundaries or noise
• Personal injury – obtaining compensation for personal injury
• Legal defence - defence of civil proceeding against you for motoring offences
• Identity theft – practical assistance and advice if your identity is used by another to commit fraud or other crimes
• Tax – practical assistance and advice if there is a formal investigation into your personal tax affairs

The cover also gives you access to a 24 hour helpline service providing advice on legal and tax matters and online access to over 150 legal documents for your use.

Your mortgage lender will be looking for your home to be insured for a range of perils and for their interest to be noted on the policy. You may need to provide them with a copy of your insurance schedule for their records.

The standard products that we provide will meet with the requirements of your lender. If any aspect of the risk has been deemed non-standard, resulting in the cover being restricted in some way, it would be important to discuss this with your lender before proceeding. Examples might be properties in an area deemed to be at risk of flooding where the insurer has applied a higher excess to that element of the policy.

You will need personal possessions cover, sometimes known as all risk cover, for items for which you require cover out with the home. Please provide details of these items at the time of quotation to ensure that the policy provided meets with your requirements.

This is dependant on the type of floor covering. The general rule is that if the covering is glued or nailed down and could not be removed without damage being caused to the flooring then it would be covered under the buildings section of the policy. Carpets and click locked styles of wooden flooring (so long as it is not glued!) would be included under the contents section.

Your home may be listed or in a conservation area, it may have unusual or bespoke features and may be of non standard construction, all of which must be taken into account when calculating your buildings sum insured for rebuild. A standard home insurance policy may not be suitable so it is important that a detailed valuation undertaken by a specialist is sought. Both the English Heritage and Historic Scotland websites may be able to confirm where your property is listed and if so the grade of listing applying. You will be asked for the listed building status of your property when obtaining a quotation.

All properties require regular maintenance, however older properties may need more attention and it should be noted that wear and tear is a general exclusion from home insurance policies.