April 26, 2008

Buy To Let Property Insurance

Filed under: Insurance Hub — admin @ 8:36 am

Buy-to-let property insurance, some times also known as residential property owners insurance, is needed if you own houses and/or flats to tenants - either on a short-term or long-term basis. Ordinarily you can buy cheap buy-to-let property insurance in the event that you rent five or less properties in the UK than is the case if you rent more than five properties, as in the case of the former you are seen as a small time landlord with a small business, whereas in the latter you are seen as a full blown property-owning company.

Whether you plan to rent five or less properties, or five or more properties, is, however, a side issue, as in both cases you’ll need to ensure that you have at least the minimum level of required insurance in order to protect yourself. Consequently, the number of properties you own will have a bearing only insofar as the insurance premiums are concerned. That said, if you are looking to become a property owner with a letting business, then you need to ensure that you have the following minimum provisions in your insurance policy:

Fire

Insuring against any fire on the property

Natural Disaster (also known as tempest insurance)

Insuring against natural disasters that may occur, such as a storm where the winds tear off your roof or guttering

Theft

Which is especially important if you are renting out fully furnished properties. In the event that you are renting out unfurnished premises, you may wish to have a discussion with your tenants about whether or not they should have home contents insurance

Public Liability Insurance

This should be a must as it will protect you against any claims your tenants or any third parties (such as their guests) may have for injuries they suffer while on your property

Lost Earnings

There may well be times when your property remains empty; say, for example, while you look for new tenants. If you are relying on the rental income from your tenants to repay the money you borrowed to purchase the property, you need to ensure you have lost earnings insurance to compensate you during this period

Employee Liability Insurance

If you have employees who will visit the property for you to repair any damage, etc. or to collect the rental payments, then you need to make sure that you have employee liability insurance in case they get injured while carrying out their assigned task

Legal Expenses Insurance

As a property owner you may find the need from time to time to retain the services of a lawyer; for example, if your tenants refuse to pay their rent or move out of the property at a specified agreed time - when you may need to get an eviction notice. As legal expenses in the UK can be expensive, you should consider insuring against this risk by having in place a provision of legal expenses in your insurance policy.

Although the above are basically the bare minimums you need in your buy-to-let property insurance policy, you can also tailor these types of insurance policies to meet your particular needs, so make sure that you talk through your circumstances with your insurance provider, especially if you anticipate expanding the business in the near future.

Joseph Kenny writes for the Loans Store who can offer cheap loans to UK residents and secured loans for homeowners.
Visit Today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk

February 14, 2008

Guide to Life Insurance

Filed under: Insurance Hub — admin @ 7:31 pm

Here is a useful guide to life insurance. Simply put, a life insurance policy provides a lump sum payment upon death of the policy holder.

In exchange for regular premiums, a life insurance company will insure your life so that when you die, the policy should pay out to protect your dependants from the extra pain of financial hardship.

This is particularly important when buying a house, or when you or your family takes on a large, long-term financial commitment. In the event of death, for example, the payment from a life insurance policy can be used to pay off a mortgage.

Policies can be arranged on either a single or joint life basis. Depending on the type of policy you choose, your insurer will pay either a lump sum or a regular income which you could use towards meeting any outstanding debts and trying to ensure your family is able to maintain its standard of living.

How much they receive depends upon the ‘guaranteed sum assured’, the amount for which your life is insured.

Many people first come across life insurance when they take out a mortgage, as lenders often insist on it to make sure the loan is repaid if you should die still owing them money.

However in some circumstances, only having enough life insurance to repay the mortgage is insufficient to fully protect dependants. If you have a partner who would suffer financially if you were to die or if you have young children who depend on you, then life insurance is very important.

Life insurance can be used in many ways, not just to protect a young family or repay a mortgage. It can be used to pay Inheritance Tax or protect business against the loss of a key individual.

You can increase or decrease your cover at any time, add another life onto the policy and add other elements to the plan such as critical illness cover, income protection or mortgage protection.

If your circumstances change you can increase your cover to make sure your family is protected.

Life insurance creates an estate for your heirs. After your debts and expenses are paid, there may not be much left over for your family but life insurance can automatically provide assets for them after your death.

There are several kinds of policies that may be available to you, if you are healthy enough.

Smoking is detrimental to health and is a leading cause of life threatening illnesses. As a result smokers pay higher premiums than non-smokers as the risk of them dying early is greater. I f you smoke and do not declare the fact, you run the risk of invalidating your policy if you have to make a claim.

It is a known fact that women tend to live longer than men. A female who insures herself using a ‘level-term’ policy is likely to have lower premiums than a male. This is based on the fact that females live longer and are less likely to claim during the period insured.

Age is a factor in the successful application for a life policy. Most insurers have an age bracket of seventy-five for the provision of insurance. If you are over the age of seventy-five it is unlikely you will be able to find cover.

Finally, the older you are the greater the risk to the insurance provider so the higher your premium will be.

You may freely reprint this article provided the author’s biography remains intact:

About The Author
John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.

December 8, 2007

Student Health Insurance Plan - 5 Questions You Must Ask

Filed under: Insurance Hub — admin @ 6:41 pm

Although most health insurance plans that parents have will insure their children up until the age of 24, it is sometimes more financially practical for parents to look into student health insurance plans once their children leave for college. Many parents purchase student health insurance plans for their children because in order to prevent or avoid the hassle of receiving referrals from out-of-state. Student health insurance plans are especially beneficial for those parents who do not already have health coverage for their children.

If you are a parent considering a student health insurance plan for you college child, remember to ask these questions before signing up:

1. What, if any, are the excluded pre-existing conditions? (This is especially important for students already in need of special medical attention.)

2. Will my child be offered free or low cost coverage at a campus clinic? (Some health conditions, such as colds, low fevers, sore throats, and upset stomachs do not require emergency attention. When they do require attention it is usually available more quickly and conveniently at an on-campus clinic.)

3. Will my child be covered for any emergency room visits without approval? What steps will he or she have to take in the event of an emergency? (These steps are important to know before an emergency; after an emergency situation has occurred is no time to try to figure out the necessary steps to take.)

4. Will my child be covered during the summer months if he or she is not enrolled in summer classes? (This especially applies to students who plan to remain in the area during summer vacation.)

5. Will my child be able to use any provider, or is an HMO required?

Get answers to all your questions before purchasing a student health insurance plan for your child. Make sure to discuss all pre-existing conditions and possible emergency situations in order to fully understand the student health insurance plan.

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