According to two separate reports by consumer champion Which?, insurance customers are facing unnecessary costs. Which? has found that 10 out of the 12 largest water companies are promoting pipe insurance from third parties such as Homeserve. This insurance costs consumers more than £100m in total and in many cases it is unnecessary Which? claims. [...]
The UK has suffered the driest 18 months since records and with the south east and east Anglia already officially in a state of drought the Association of British Insurers (ABI) is warning home owners to be aware of the risk of subsidence. Changing water levels in the ground can cause movement in the foundations [...]
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) today said that motorist should not be charged extra on their motor insurance for fitting winter tyres. The ABI’s members, which together account for around 90% of the motor insurance market, have confirmed that they will not expect motorists to pay additional premium if they fit winter tyres, provided [...]
Cowboy builders have caused almost £7 billion of damage to UK homes, according to new research published this week. A study by Santander found that nearly one in five (18%) UK households has fallen victim to “Bodger the Builder”, at an average cost of £1,592 per botched job. Santander estimates the total cost of sloppy [...]
Direct Line wants to put a dampener on Christmas by telling people not to leave gifts under the Christmas tree. Peace, good will, and festive fun with the family are anathemas to the insurer, which would prefer we spent our Christmas worried about thieves. According to Direct Line, the age-old tradition of leaving presents under [...]
The Post Office has decided to spread a bit of Christmas cheer to its home insurance customers by increasing their level of cover during December. According to the Post Office, the 10% extra cover on contents insurance means people don’t need to worry about the gifts they’re buying for friends and family getting damaged or [...]
Householders who are made redundant could be hit with a further blow of increased home insurance premiums, new research has found. A study by Confused.com found homeowners could face higher insurance premiums if they are unemployed. The price comparison site said this is because insurance firms factor in the likelihood of customers defaulting on payments [...]
Homeowners renting a room to a lodger should inform their home insurance provider, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said this week. According to the ABI, homeowners who don’t inform their insurance provider about taking on a lodger risk invalidating their policy. “If you are applying for insurance and you are taking a lodger, or [...]
LV= has warned of the dangers of trusting the people we love the most. The insurer said debit and credit card users risk having their identity stolen every time they share their pin number with their husband, wife, brother, sister, father, or mother. “We would strongly urge all card-users not to tell anyone their pin [...]
Nationwide is offering a 20% discount to new home insurance customers taking out combined building and contents cover. New customers taking out a combined policy at the building society will receive the 20% discount for 24 months. In addition, any new home insurance customers with a Nationwide current account will receive £20 cashback if they [...]
More than one in five students has had their bike stolen, according to new research by M&S Money. The poll by the home insurance provider found 22% of student cyclists have been targeted by bike thieves. Students should register their bike model, make and frame number so it can be identified if stolen, M&S Money [...]
Student households are more than twice as likely to be burgled compared to the average home, Confused.com has revealed. The price comparison website released the figure as thousands of new students prepare for their first term at university. Confused.com also said students shouldn’t assume their possessions are covered on their parents’ home insurance policy. “Separate [...]
The number of burglaries is on the rise as the recession deepens, Halifax warned this week. Home Office figures show a 4% increase in burglaries in the last quarter. Halifax said householders should be careful to secure their homes even on hot summer days. “When it’s warm outside people often leave windows and doors open [...]
Car insurance premiums increased 3.5% over the past three months, research by the AA has discovered. The typical quote for annual comprehensive insurance cover now stands at £778.13, according to the AA British Insurance Premium Index. This is 11% more than 12 months ago. Home insurance premiums also increased in the second quarter, up 2.5% [...]
Stinging wasps are more likely to invade your home this week than at any other time of the year. Wasp Week, the final week of July, is the time when the creatures are most prevalent in the UK. To coincide with Wasp Week, Sheila’s Wheels conducted a poll asking homeowers how they’d react to a [...]
Brits saving cash by staying on the Isle of Blighty for their summer holidays should check whether their home insurance policy covers equipment they take on holiday with them, Age Concern Insurance Services (ACIS) said this week. With the number of home-grown holidays set to increase 20% this year, ACIS warned that many insurers only [...]
Brits are wasting more than £500 million a year by failing to shop around for the best deal on their home insurance. Research by Your Money, in conjunction with Confused.com, found that homeowners are spending an annual £508 million more than they need to on home insurance - equivalent to £180 per household. A second [...]
DIY Brits planning to do up their homes on the cheap should check their home insurance policy covers them for any DIY blunders before they get out the toolbox, Saga Insurance warned this week. The over-50s insurance specialist issued the warning to coincide with new research showing that DIY is a popular past-time with the [...]
Frugal householders that scrimp on home insurance to save money are playing a risky game, an industry expert warned this week. Graeme Trudgill, corporate affairs executive at the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA), said homeowners should not use the recession as an excuse to stop paying premiums on buildings and contents insurance cover. His comments [...]
With the summer festival season approaching fast, moneysupermarket.com has urged festival-goers to check if their home insurance covers possessions stored in a tent. “Tents can be left unguarded for hours at a time, so while it’s essential not to leave valuables lying around, it is also important to check your insurance will cover you if [...]
Mothers accumulate debt on maternity leave
Three quarters of mums are unprepared for a fall in income while they are on maternity leave and nearly a third go into debt. A study by price comparison site uSwitch.com suggests that the average debt accumulated by mothers while they are on maternity leave is nearly £2,500. As well as facing a 50 per [...]
Lenders increase mortgage rates for new borrowers
Obtaining a mortgage has become increasingly difficult since the credit crunch and the situation is worsening according to recent reports. Several lenders have recently increased mortgage rates for new borrowers, including Abbey, HSBC, Halifax, Lloyds TSB, Santander, Britannia, and Cheltenham & Gloucester. Customers taking out new fixed, tracker or discounted home loans will have to [...]
Consumers can reclaim mis-sold PPI for free
Consumer groups are encouraging victims of PPI mis-selling to claim their money back themselves, without the help of a claims management company. An intensive ‘no win no fee’ advertising campaign is tempting many companies to turn to claims management companies to reclaim PPI. moneysavingexpert.com and Which? have now joined forces in an advertising campaign of [...]
Barclaycard trials PayTag credit card sticker
Barclaycard is trialling PayTag, a contactless payment card, with a selected group of customers prior to rolling it out to millions of customers by the end of the year. The card is around one third of the size of a standard credit card and it contains a near-field communications (NFC) chip. It is designed to [...]
Public sector pension strike planned for May
A further strike against the government’s proposals to reform public sector pensions is expected next month. The dispute has continued for a year now, with a million public sector workers from a number of unions taking part in a general strike in November. Members of The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) and health union [...]
Which? highlights unnecessary insurance costs
According to two separate reports by consumer champion Which?, insurance customers are facing unnecessary costs. Which? has found that 10 out of the 12 largest water companies are promoting pipe insurance from third parties such as Homeserve. This insurance costs consumers more than £100m in total and in many cases it is unnecessary Which? claims. [...]
A court ruling writing off a consumer’s £5,126 store-card debt has opened the door for similar cases according to a report by the BBC. Judge Henrietta Manners ruled at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch county court that Santander must write-off the debt on a credit card held by Diana Mayhew. Ms Mayhew’s store card was automatically upgraded [...]
Inflation rises unexpectedly in March
Higher food and clothing prices helped to push inflation up slightly to 3.5 per cent in March, from 3.4 per cent in February. The rise in inflation on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) was unexpected and represents a break in a downward trend which started in September. It is a setback to the Bank of [...]
Debt not serious until it hits £14,000
Brits don’t consider themselves in serious debt until they owe more than £14,416 according to insurance company Bright Grey. Although this may sound excessive, it reflect a significant improvement from a year ago when £15,837 was the point at which people started to consider them themselves in serious financial difficulty. Bright Grey’s ‘financial safety net’ [...]
Asking prices reach all time high
The asking price for property in the UK has reached record high levels, boosted by a surge in prices in London, according to property site Rightmove. The average asking price for property in England and Wales increased by 2.9 per cent in April to £243,737 Asking prices in London increased by 2.1 per cent to [...]
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