Thinking of how to compare insurance in Northern Ireland?

There are quite a few things you can do that will typically allow you to reduce your insurance costs. It’s often worth keeping these in mind if you’re looking to compare insurance in Northern Ireland.

More may cost more

This is important in the context of risk because the less risk you ask your insurance company to take, the lower they may be able to bring your premium.

Typically, they’ll see a number of factors as risk reducing including:

• the use of security devices, alarms and special locks;
• your voluntary acceptance of a higher amount of excess;
• in the case of motor vehicles, parking them in a secure location somewhere other than a public street.

Shopping around

One of the bigger changes in insurance in Northern Ireland has come about because of the increasing background political changes.

For many years, many major insurance companies did not offer their policies and products in Northern Ireland due to the risks involved. This meant that buyer choice was severely restricted.

Today that’s all changing. There are now more and more major companies that are offering insurance cover for Northern Ireland and this is benefiting potential purchasers by offering increased choice.

This is also being made easier by technology and the use of the internet. It’s no longer necessary to go slogging around the high street or spend an hour on the phone trying to find and compare insurance in Northern Ireland options. They’re all there – potentially right in your own home.

Saving time

Unfortunately, the insurance position isn’t fully comparable to the UK mainland and a number of companies are yet to make their products applicable to Northern Ireland.

While that continues, it can still be a little tedious trying to find companies that do. If you’re looking to compare insurance in Northern Ireland, you may find help through websites that give quick access to NI insurance companies offering their products in our area. They also have links to the sites concerned and they may prove very useful in helping you find offers and quotes etc.

What you need to know about caravan holiday home insurance

Caravan holiday home insurance is very different from insuring a touring caravan. There are different factors that need taking into account and different risks that come associated with a holiday home caravan. Here are some factors to consider:

• do you rent out your holiday home?
• do you have all year round cover in your insurance policy, if so what requirements do you as the caravan owner need to meet?
• what protection is included for your awning?
• if you have a patio with fencing and decking, are these included in your caravan holiday home insurance?
• if you are considering buying a caravan have you given some thought about where the caravan will be sited?

These are just a few of the questions you may wish to ask yourself before you look for insurance quotes for your caravan holiday home.

Renting out your caravan
If you intend to rent out your static holiday home then you may wish to check the level of public liability insurance in your policy. Ask yourself what you might do if a guest suffered injury or even death while they were staying in your caravan. If you have liability insurance, it typically pays out towards any legal costs that may arise.

You might also wish to consider whether the policy covers a loss of pre-booked rental fees, in the event that something happened to your caravan that was covered under your policy, rendering it uninhabitable.

Year round protection, awning and decking insurance

Check if you need to take measures such as draining the systems down in the caravan to be eligible for all year round static caravan insurance.

Your awnings may be protected against damage to due to inclement weather such as storms; however, this typically only applies while you are in the caravan. Usually any damage that occurs to an awning left up in your absence has to be covered by you.

Some insurance providers may extend your insurance to your patio, decking and fencing, whilst others may not; check in the terms and conditions or with the insurance provider.

Considerations before siting the caravan

When considering buying a caravan as a holiday home take the time to search for sites and compare what they have to offer. Look out sites that have excellent security, and check whether the site has been prone to flooding in the past. Both of these may affect your quotes for caravan holiday home insurance. It may pay do your homework well before considering and applying for the cover.

The cheapest car insurance Northern Ireland has seen?

There are no guarantees that you’ll find the cheapest car insurance Northern Ireland has ever seen, but it’s probably true to say that it is certainly cheaper than it has been for quite some time. Having once deserted it in the face of the “troubles”, insurers are now flocking back to the Province and bringing with them the convenience of shopping online. Easy accessibility to an increasing number of providers is fuelling a competition resulting in the lower cost of car insurance.

Some things you can’t change …

Most motorists understand that car insurance is “weighted” according to a whole host of factors – some of which are beyond the individual’s control. Age and gender, for example, both have an effect on the level of premiums charged. So does where you live, however, and few people are likely to change their address simply in order to insure their car. Those with an address in Northern Ireland might no longer be denied the opportunity of applying for cover from the nation’s leading insurers.

… but some you can

It’s nevertheless entirely possible to exercise some control over the premiums you are likely to be charged and, if that is your goal, to strive towards obtaining the cheapest car insurance in Northern Ireland:

• you might consider reducing the level of cover simply to third party, fire and theft, for example, rather than fully comprehensive insurance (especially if yours is an older or less valuable machine);
• some comprehensive insurance policies come with all manner of optional bells and whistles – such as breakdown cover, roadside assistance, courtesy cars in the event of breakdown, cover for in-car entertainment, and so on. By declining such “extras”, it might be possible to reduce the cost of the overall premiums;
• most car insurance policies include a “compulsory” excess, which is the first part of any claim for which the policy holder needs to take responsibility. By opting to take an optional, additional “voluntary” excess, however, it is often possible to slightly reduce the cost of the premiums;
• assuming responsibility for the cost of your car insurance premiums is also about driving carefully and doing all that you can to avoid claiming on the insurance. a clean history helps to keep the premiums lower and, of course, helps to establish your maximum no claims discount.

The recent opening up of the insurance market in the Province, together with your own choices of cover and driving style might prove a boon for those searching for the cheapest car insurance Northern Ireland has to offer.

Taxi Insurance in the UK

With the number of identities being stolen worldwide, more people are concerned about keeping their personal information safe. If you have taxi insurance in the UK, you might want to check to see if you have any claims against you that you are not aware of. If someone has stolen your identity and they were involved in an accident, they may have filed claims in your name. Your personal information is protected under UK law and you cannot get a copy of your claims history except from your insurance company. If you have had multiple policies with different companies, you may find it hard to get this information. UK law protects your privacy and for this reason, you do not have a simple way to get the information. The UK has created several national databases that keep track of policies being carried by vehicle owners and the accident or claims they may have been involved in. However, this information is not available to the public. Law enforcement agencies primarily have access to the information.

Several insurance companies have gotten together and created a UK database that has information about claims and policies that is available only to businesses and other agencies that wish to pay for it. The Motor Insurance Database will allow companies to gather information about claims and accidents for a price. If a company wishes to check out a certain vehicle, it can gain access to this information for a price. However, the public cannot access the information. If you wish to check your own vehicle out for its insurance policy history, you may not have the option unless your current insurance company wants to provide it for you. You can do checks on your vehicle to make sure that it does not have a history that could prove to be a problem later. These checks will ensure that the vehicle was not reported stolen or part of a total-loss claim. An inexpensive policy for taxi insurance in UK can be hard enough to find now. Protect your identity and make sure you do not become a victim of identity fraud.

E&L caravan insurance

Caravans are different and the insurance you need if you have a static caravan covers a different set of risks to that needed with a tourer. This is why taking a look at E&L caravan insurance may be a good idea.

Touring caravans spend more time on the road with the greater potential of being in an accident than a static model. Statics though, may be left unattended for longer periods of time in more remote locations and therefore be at higher risk of break-ins, theft and damage as a result of burst pipes and flooding etc.

While general insurance providers can and do offer policies for caravan owners, some people prefer to use a specialist who understands these differences and all the others.

E&L caravan insurance providers may offer discounts if you can show that you are doing what you can to help reduce risks.

Taking precautions

Reducing risks may include:

• fitting approved security alarms you can help protect the contents of your caravan. Removing expensive items from your caravan when it is not in use is typically just common sense;
• fitting wheelclamps and hitchlocks to your touring caravan can help prevent its theft. Indeed some insurers may insist on these in the terms and conditions of their policies;
• there are a number of specially licensed secure sites where you can store your caravan when it is not in use. Draining down water and heating systems is typically also a good safety measure;
• making sure that external fittings such as awnings are safely stowed when you are not around may be essential under the terms of your policy.

Committed caravanner

Being a member of a recognised caravanning club is regarded by many caravan insurance insurance providers as a sign of a serious and careful caravan owner and may result in discounted premiums.

A specialist caravan insurance provider can typically give you access to specialist caravan insurance cover including E&L caravan insurance. Once covered, all you have to do is go out there and enjoy using your caravan!

Motorhomes insurance

If you’re the owner of a motorhome then you probably appreciate that it’s a precious and typically fairly expensive thing. Understanding your motorhomes insurance may therefore make common sense.

What are the typical characteristics of such insurance?

Contents protection

Your motorhome will be lived in as part of your holidays but you can’t spend 24 hours per day in it watching your possessions. It may therefore be advisable to look closely at the details of your motor caravan insurance contents cover.

Some providers may issue premium discounts for alarms etc. Typically, some policies will place constraints on certain articles being covered such as not covering cash, chequebooks, credit cards, electronics, and jewellery and antique possessions left in the vehicle while it is unoccupied.

Some others may also place constraints upon where the vehicle can be left whilst unattended, such as supervised sites, if the cover is not to be invalidated. Some forms of door and window security systems and possibly alarms may be obligatory in some cases or in others, essential to obtain premium reductions.

Vehicle protection

You may not be the only person that thinks your motorhome is great and given half the chance, some of those other people will do their best to acquire it illegally. Some makes are particularly prime targets and they may attract higher motorhomes insurance premiums as a result (or be difficult to insure).

Typically your insurance should cover things such as theft and vandalism or loss through accident. You may be able to reduce the costs through some common-sense steps such as:

• reducing the number of days you plan to use it and/or use it overseas;
• fitting tracking devices and other approved security systems;
• reducing your overall target mileage;
• joining an approved caravanning organisation.

All these steps may help keep your bills down.

Specialist advice

Motorhomes insurance is a specialist market. To ensure that you have appropriate protection and at an affordable cost, it may be advisable to use a specialist motorhomes insurance provider who can give you access to a number of potentially suitable motor home insurance deals.

Compare insurance on Northern Ireland websites

Not so very long ago, Northern Ireland residents who looked for insurance on price-comparison websites were likely to be in for a fairly dispiriting time. They’d fill in the details of the insurance cover they needed, click on the “get a quote” button to complete the enquiry and only then discover that the policy in which they were interested was simply not available for residents of the Province. These days, however, it has become possible to compare insurance for Northern Ireland residents in just the same way as the rest of the UK.

The exclusion of residents in this part of the world from enjoying the benefits of online shopping for insurance came about because of insurers’ perceived risk of extending cover for those living in the “troubled” North of Ireland. Insurers took the view that bombings, street fires etc were no environment in which to cover risks.

Things have changed these days, of course, and the Province has returned to a welcome state of peace and stability – it is a place where insurers are once again keen to do business. Indeed, in their eagerness to make the most of this rediscovered market, most insurers are also using making full use of probably the single most important contemporary marketing tool, the internet.

Across the whole range of different insurance products, it is now possible not only to search online, but to get immediate quotes for whatever the cover in which you are interested, allowing you to compare insurance for Northern Ireland cover.

Nowadays, therefore, when you go online to compare insurance in Northern Ireland, you’re unlikely to find that cover is unavailable simply because of where in the UK you happen to live. Across the whole board of insurance – from motor insurance, to home insurance, health insurance and even pet insurance – there is almost certain to be a website to help you find just the product (or products) you need.

Motor Trade Insurance

Buying an insurance policy for a business that involves the selling, fixing and generally working with motor vehicles is very necessary in today’s world. . Even if it is only a part-time business, a good motor trade insurance policy for your firm can help give you peace of mind in case of unexpected occurrences. A motor trade policy is an insurance cover that is specifically designed for assisting motor traders of all sizes.

There is a huge choice of policies, coverage and features that you may want to choose for your motor business. Therefore, it is important to have an idea of what kind of trade insurance you need that would fit perfectly to the company requirements as well as the allotted budget. Visit http://www.quote-buster.co.uk/motor-trade-insurance.html to compare policy features and prices.

Taxi Insurance Comparison Website

Just a quick heads up that a new taxi insurance comparison website is soon to go live. www.taxi-insurance.biz will over time become a valueable place to compare both private hire and public hire taxi insurance quotes online. Watch this space as they say.

Buildings Insurance for Blocks of Flats

PEOPLE living in blocks of flats or houses converted into more than one residential unit could have been mis-sold buildings insurance, according to a recent report which has found many flat owners are dual insured and suspects many policyholders could have been misled.

Dual insurance occurs when a policy holder is paying for two types of cover when they only need one and can also apply if they have been sold buildings cover for their individual flat or maisonette. The reason this mostly affects flat owners is although blocks of residences can be classed as a single unit and can be covered with just one policy, some insurers still offer individual policies for each individual flat.

Typically the freeholder will have a policy covering the whole building and this is usually included in the service charge, tough you should always check this out. As many as 10 per cent of the population could be affected.

One Broker explains : “I have been seeing clients with dual cover for around 10 years but up until recently it was only about one case per annum. A client who lived in a block of twelve flats came to me once and each unit had separate buildings insurance cover. Also when the client’s wife was in the process of remortgaging she was persuaded to take cover, when she unknowligly already had it.

Problems are also arising when a lender knows a building is insured - this will have been clarified before a mortgage was finalised - but still offers a borrower building insurance. The crux is they are trying to take money when they don’t have to.

Multiple separate policy holders may be paying between £200 and £300 a year but a freeholder’s policy for the whole building may be proportionally half this amount. If the freeholder has not taken out an individual policy to cover the housing block, the first step is to approach them to see if this can be arranged. Failing that, residents could club together and form their own residents’ association and take out a collective poliy. Form a limited company to do this is not necessary (paperwork every time someone joins or leaves), becoming a resdients’ association will suffice and is much cheaper.

A key reason residents who do not club together is that they encounter problems because insurance companies often only recognise a single name for the policyholder, a problem shared by unmarried couples too. Nowadays more and more insurers will offer cover to collective residents associations, even if such insurance now falls under the “commercial” banner.

One specialist insurance broker who may be able to help is Adrian Flux, call 0800 089 0184.