Tag: homes and contents insurance

What second home insurance covers (and what it doesn’t)

What second home insurance covers (and what it doesn't)

Owning a second property brings joy and opportunity, but it also comes with unique risks that standard home insurance often can’t address. Whether you use your second home as a weekend retreat, holiday escape or long-term investment, understanding what’s included in your cover is essential to avoid costly surprises.

Many second homeowners assume their policy mirrors their main residence cover, only to discover significant gaps when they need to claim. From extended vacancy periods to location-specific weather risks, second properties face distinct challenges that require specialist protection. Let’s explore exactly what you can expect from your policy and where you may need additional cover.

What second home insurance typically covers

Buildings cover

Second home insurance policies have a maximum allowed payout in the event of an insured loss. For example, Intelligent Insurance’s insurance for second home owners provides comprehensive buildings protection up to £1,000,000.

This safeguards the physical structure of your property against numerous perils, including fire, flooding, storm damage and vandalism. It’s crucial protection because second homes often sit empty for extended periods, making them more vulnerable to weather-related damage that may otherwise be spotted and addressed quickly.

Buildings cover typically extends to permanent fixtures and fittings. This means everything from your kitchen units and bathroom suites to fitted wardrobes and central heating systems. If your property suffers structural damage from an insured event, your policy will cover the cost to repair or rebuild.

Contents protection

Contents insurance for second homes usually covers up to £100,000 on a new-for-old basis. This protects your belongings kept at the property, from furniture and appliances to electronics and soft furnishings. The new-for-old aspect means you won’t face depreciation deductions when replacing damaged items, which can make a significant difference to your claim settlement.

Unlike standard home insurance, specialist second home policies understand that these properties may contain different types of contents. Whether you’ve furnished it with family heirlooms or basic essentials, your policy can be tailored accordingly.

Additional standard benefits

Beyond the basics, quality second home insurance includes several valuable extras as standard. Alternative accommodation cover pays for temporary housing if your property becomes uninhabitable following an insured incident. This prevents you from being out of pocket while repairs are completed.

Trace and access cover (typically up to £5,000) covers the cost of locating and repairing water leaks, including any damage caused whilst searching for the source. Replacement locks and keys coverage handles lost or stolen keys, while home emergency cover provides 24-hour assistance from professional trades people for urgent issues like heating failures or plumbing emergencies.

What isn’t covered

Common exclusions

Understanding exclusions is just as important as knowing what’s covered. Second home insurance doesn’t typically cover:

  • Pre-existing damage that occurred before your policy started
  • Damage resulting from dishonest or deliberate acts
  • Loss caused by vermin, insects or pets
  • Damage from wear, tear or gradual deterioration
  • Leaks from swimming pools, fixed hot tubs, jacuzzi or fixed spas

These exclusions exist because insurance protects against sudden, unforeseen events rather than maintenance issues or gradual decline.

Policy limits and excesses

Every policy should have maximum claim limits shown clearly. Even if your total loss exceeds these amounts, you’ll only receive payment up to the stated limit. You’re also responsible for paying any excesses before your insurer settles your claim.

It’s worth noting that certain restrictions or endorsements may appear on your schedule. These may limit cover for specific items or situations based on your property’s unique characteristics.

Optional upgrades worth considering

Accidental damage

Standard policies won’t cover accidents like putting your foot through a ceiling during loft access or accidentally breaking glass. Accidental damage cover fills this gap, protecting against mishaps that, while not malicious, can still prove expensive to repair.

Extended legal protection

Standard policies often include Family Legal Protection, but you can extend this to a higher cover limit with an optional add-on and a higher premium. This broader cover handles a wider range of legal disputes, giving you greater peace of mind.

All in all

Second home insurance provides robust protection tailored to properties that aren’t your primary residence, but it’s not a catch-all solution. Understanding what’s covered, what isn’t and which optional extras may benefit your situation helps you make informed decisions about your policy.

Before purchasing cover, carefully review your property’s specific needs. Consider factors like vacancy periods, location risks and the value of your contents. With the right policy in place, you can enjoy your second home knowing you’re protected against the unexpected.

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Staying calm after the storm: What to do about storm damage

Staying calm after the storm: What to do about storm damage

There have been a fair few storms this year, with some of the most severe causing serious storm damage to homes and property. A storm is unpredictable, and until it’s over, you won’t know what you’re dealing with.

Storm damage comes in many forms, causing a lot of stress to families. As you get over the initial shock, you can get to work on repairing the damage and get your home back in order. Have a look at some of the ways you can assess and address the damage and find the calm after the storm.

Assess your damage

Once the storm has cleared, and it’s safe, you can start assessing damage to your home. Some of the most commonly affected areas include garden fences, roofs, windows and doors. Minor damage like broken garden furniture can be taken care of easily, but more significant damage will need further assessment by experts.

Consult your insurers

If your home requires some major repairs, then you should contact your insurers to make a claim. This can ease a lot of the stress that comes with dealing with storm damage, as they will likely take care of the repairs on your behalf. When claiming for storm damage, it’s important to be as detailed and organised as possible. Make detailed notes, keep track of costs and take plenty of photos. Your claim will be assessed by a loss adjuster before being passed onto the underwriter to decide if your claim is accepted or not.

Take care of the initial clean-up

You may need to wait for some of the repairs to be carried out, especially if you’re dealing with significant damage. However, for the minor damage, you can get to work straight away to clean it up. Clear any broken glass and debris and try to restore some semblance of order. You may find things look a lot less severe once you’ve cleared away some of the initial mess.

Bring in some help

The worst storm damage will likely need some professional help to repair. Leaks, damage to your garden and roof repair require experienced expert hands to ensure they’re repaired properly and prevent further damage. These works can take some time to be commenced and completed. This could mean you may need to move to temporary, alternative accommodation if the repairs are going to cause some inconvenience in your home – like a loss of water, for example. Depending on your policy, your insurance company could arrange this for you.

Avoid attempting to fix major damage yourself, you could injure yourself or make things worse. Dealing with storm damage can be frustrating, especially if you’re concerned about the financial cost of your repairs. But assessing the damage immediately and taking action can help you get things taken care of more swiftly, so you can get back to normality. Preparing your home against future storms could help you avoid further damage to your home, helping you feel more confident the next time there’s a severe weather warning.

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Can I claim for water leak damage on my home insurance?

Can I claim for water leak damage on my home insurance? | H is for Home

Water damage is one of the most well-known reasons for home insurance claims. As indicated by theaa.ie home insurance survey, water penetration claims are the second most significant insurance claim, following wind and hail damage.

Water leaks are a relatively common issue. Fortunately, most water leaks are minor, but more serious issues can be expensive to put right. Before you spend any money on water leak repairs, you should be clear about what expenditure is covered by your home insurance policy and what isn’t.

fantasy image of a house flooding

Should you always make an insurance claim?

Whether you should make a claim or not will depend on the nature and the extent of the damage to your home. If the damage is only minor and you’re able to fix it on your own, then it usually doesn’t make sense to file an insurance claim.

Wrenches on water pipes

How to make a claim

If you’re going to make a claim, you should do so as soon as possible after you identify the issue. If you wait too long then it can ultimately jeopardise your claim, as insurers often reject claims that are filed too long after an incident.

The first part of the process is to document the incident. You should begin by taking photographs of any visible damage. Keep a log of every professional that you contact and make sure that you get documentation from them for any work that they carry out.

Soldering a pipe

Trace and access cover

In some cases, especially where a leak is particularly severe, the presence of water will give it away. However, many leaks occur behind walls or under floors, or in other places where they aren’t immediately obvious. If you don’t know where your leak originates then you can’t begin to fix the issue. There are businesses like Pinpoint Trace and Access that offer essential trace and access services. They’ll locate the source of your water leak and provide you with the necessary paperwork for which your insurance company will ask.

Check the details of your insurance policy to see if it includes trace and access cover. If it does, then you can reclaim the costs of hiring a professional trace and access service like Pinpoint.

Frozen outdoor pipe with icicles

Avoid common mistakes

Other than waiting too long to file a claim, which will count against you with your insurer, there are a couple of other things that you should avoid doing in the interest of your claim. First and foremost, if your insurer determines that you could have prevented the leak from occurring to begin with, they’re likely to deny your claim. It’s therefore important that you look after your home’s plumbing.

You should also be aware that you cannot claim for general wear and tear. In order for your insurance to cover the costs of a water leak, there must be a single identifiable cause for it to have occurred.

If you only suffer a minor water leak and you’re able to easily solve the issue yourself, filing an insurance claim is probably overkill. However, before you start spending money on professional services to help you fix your leak, make sure that you check the terms & conditions of your insurance policy to see what is and isn’t covered.

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Wednesday Wish: Getting back to normal!

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Our sitting room the day after the flooding

This week’s Wednesday Wish has to be for a nice clean house – free from flood water, mud and mess!

Our sitting room the morning after the flooding still with almost a foot of water

We’re still recovering from the devastating floods which affected the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire.

Our sitting room the morning after the flooding still with almost a foot of water

We can’t wait to get on with straightening things out, but we’re currently in that awful limbo where insurers & loss adjusters question, examine, poke & probe. It feels like not much is going on. Builders are awaiting approval to start remedial works which is frustrating. There’s no washing machine, cooker or comfy sofa. And of course, with everything piled up in the bedrooms, we can’t find a thing!!

The flood water entered our freezer The flood water entered our floor-standing kitchen cabinets and filled up a deep fat fryer that we stored in there

But we have to try & stay positive.

Mop, bucket and cleaning materials in the downstairs cloakroom the morning after the flooding

We actually managed to save so much stuff – anything that time or size allowed – lots of books, records, textiles, small pieces of furniture, items of sentimental value – and of course our beloved Fudge!

Hopefully kitchen units and appliances will be replaced by the insurers without to much argument.

Our back garden the morning after the flooding still with almost a foot of water

The flooring might be a big job – and as for the garden, well – we won’t be winning a Chelsea Flower Show Gold medal this year.

But things will get sorted out over time. We’ll post a few updates in the coming months, but we promise not to go on about it too much!! Hopefully, we’ll have some interesting before & after shots to share. We might even ask for some second opinions about potential replacement items.

We have to say thanks for all your kind words and well wishes over the past few days. We’ve experienced many examples of the best side of human nature recently.