The cost of home insurance in general is quite high in the United Kingdom, especially if you live in one of the major cities like London, Oxford or Winchester among others. There is, of course, a direct correlation between the average cost of home insurance and that of the local real estate in any area, so we are not likely to see home insurance costs coming down significantly anytime soon. If anything, all trends point towards both home and health insurance becoming even more expensive in 2021.
But despite that fact, there is still an opportunity for homeowners to save money on their insurance premiums, as long as they know how to cut costs without cutting the necessary benefits. Here are a few tips that should help.
Don’t Trust Any Insurance Agent Blindly
This is a difficult task because insurance agents are convincing professionals who will be looking to sell you the best deal that they can. It’s a “best deal” scenario for the agents and their employers, but not quite for the customers in most situations! This is not to say that every insurance agent will always try to upsell, but that is a very likely scenario, given that it’s their job to do so.
Every insurance agent works for an insurer and they have targets to meet. Therefore, there is no possible way that an agent will help you find the best home insurance deal across all insurance companies in the UK. At best, an honest agent will guide you in finding a good policy from their company, which could suit your needs quite well. That is not exactly a bad deal either, but it’s nowhere close to the kind of money you could be saving by comparing quotes from separate insurance companies.
So, don’t just listen to agents blindly, but compare home insurance online first with a site like Quotezone.co.uk. This is a neutral platform that anyone can use for an unbiased home insurance comparison. You will receive quick quotes from multiple insurance companies simultaneously, and will then be able to compare the quotes side-by-side. They help homeowners find the best possible deal, by letting customers use the competition between top home insurers in the UK.
See If a Combined Policy isn’t Cheaper
Home insurance policies are often divided into insurance for the structure/building (house, apartment, etc.) and insurance for the contents within that insured building. Combined policies are usually cheaper, because you will be getting both building insurance and content insurance from the same company. The homeowner will still need to compare their quotes online to find the very best deal, but combined policies are almost always cheaper than insuring the building and its contents separately.
Do be careful in ensuring that the policy doesn’t ultimately end up adding unnecessary for optional extras you don’t actually need, though.
Make a List of the Coverage Your Home Insurance Policy Should Have
There are several advantages to having a list which clearly highlights all your home insurance needs. It will make it easier for you to:
- Prioritise what you need the most, instead of being swayed by an agent’s own interests
- Find policies that cover most of those benefits within the base plan
- Find policies that cost the lowest after adding benefits which you must, if applicable
- Compare home insurance policies online with better results, based on the previously mentioned steps
Avoid Paying Unnecessary Interest on Your Premiums
Monthly, bimonthly or quarterly home insurance plans will almost always cost more than if you pay annually or biannually instead. This is because insurers will charge anything between 5% and 10% interest on the total premium when you opt for a payment plan.
If you own property in a prime location, not insuring your home is a very bad idea. There is a high chance that it will eventually cost you a lot more if you decide to skip home insurance altogether. Besides, as long as you manage to use the tips we just discussed, your insurance policy won’t feel so financially draining anymore. If you already have an ongoing policy that is putting a strain on your finances, start looking for other options so that you can shift to a cheaper and better policy as soon as the current contract comes to an end.
