House & Car Insurance

Car owners are being made aware of the pitfalls of driving a car without car insurance or breakdown cover by a leading insurance firm.

The MIB (Motor Insurers Bureau) have released figures indicating that those who drive without motor insurance not only break the law but also cost those who have insurance over £500 million every year. The report further stated that it increases the average drivers premium by £30.

Furthermore nearly 200,000 cars that didn't have insurance were confiscated by the police in the past year, which, incidentally works out to a car every three minutes.

The managing director of a leading insurance company has stated that those who are concerned about the cost of motor insurance should get in touch with the insurance provider to find out where you can make savings.

To further illustrate the need for motor insurance a leading insurer has found that a family of three has nearly £3,000 worth of items in their car.

A recent survey has found that the German manufacturer BMW are the most environmentally friendly premium car brand on the market today.

The research has come from CGC (Clean Green Cars), which has found that BMW has improved on its average emissions by over 11% per cent since the start of the year. This puts them ahead of some of its fiercest rivals like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Lexus, whose efficiency figures all increased, but not by anywhere near the figure of the German car giant.

This will be especially pleasing to drivers looking at getting a cheaper car insurance policies from their insurer as a incentive to choose cars that have lower CO2 emissions and are more Eco-friendly. The publisher of the survey went on to praise BMW for being environmentally friendly and not just using it as a marketing gimmick and actually taking it into consideration.

This stance on drivers being rewarded by their car insurance companies comes only weeks after the government re-structured the car tax system so that cleaner cars pay less road tax. This could become the standard for most motor insurance companies as the impact on the environment rises up the agenda for many manufacturers and consumers who seek to limit their car carbon footprint and reduce the running costs of a car.

Now it seems car insurance firms are going down the same road as mortgage lenders have done in the past by making out simple administrative tasks are lot more than they actually are and charging unfairly for them.

Basic paperwork may constitute £25 in to car insurance costing, and it might just be an address change of the customer at some stage in the insurance term.

The main argument from customers is where it is specifically stated on the bill "Administration Charges" or something similar. It is understandable when the location of the policy holder changes because it can affect the risk, if moving to a more crime-prone area for example will obviously increase premiums. However car insurance firms are stating a charge for admin purposes.

uSwitch.com, who are a price comparison website, maintain that as much as 14 million drivers a year are hit by these 'admin fees' because they want to alter their car insurance policies in the duration of it. It is estimated that this can earn the insurance companies more than £330 million pounds, which is obscene!

Included in the list of worst offenders were the following:

- Budget Insurance - They charge a flat fee of £25 for changes made during a policy.
- More Than - Impose fees between £15 & £25.
- Churchill - An extra £21 is charged.
- esure - £17.50 charged.
- Sheilas' Wheels - £17.50 charged.
- Tesco - £15.75 charged.

The AA apparently will only charge £25 for major changes, like adding drivers to the policy, but will not for things like the address change.

However Budget Insurance claims that their customers are very much aware of the charge through the policy documents and through phone calls. It is certainly worth noting that the following car insurance companies do not charge their customers anything for in-term changes:

- swiftcover.com
- RAC Direct
- Zurich

One of the main problems that can occur from these high fees is the fact policyholders may be encouraged not be honest about their details in the fear of having to pay this charge.

Also in the light of consumers finding out these sort of charges happen, a lot of people are changing their car insurance companies by using price comparison sites to find a better deal and a company that does not charge the fee.

The price comparison site Confused.com says 25 per cent of homes in the UK don't have house insurance with contents insurance.

This is an even more surprising figure because most homes these days have very expensive items in them. For example plasma TV's, games consoles and personal computers are the common place in a lot of homes these days.

To cover the standard items found in a stereotypical house of four, only around £40-50 would be needed each week to insure worth £40k. It is still advisable to compare different policies and deals to get the most for your money and get the best deal.

Debra Williams, the price comparison site's Managing Director, says it's commonly known that you don't have to have home contents insurance as a legal requirement, but it is vital on a financial level.

She also went on to say that as well as the house insurance itself, a bit of common sense should prevail as well. For example doors and windows should always be locked and not having boxes of newly purchased and expensive goods in display on the front door.

Car insurance company More Than is now launching a policy that is catering for the specific needs of women drivers, with special attention aimed towards the aspects of driving that women find the most stressful.

More Than have got together with high street retailers and the car insurance policy will include rewards and discounts from these shops.

Women who choose More Than car insurance will get features such as:

- Female friendly repairers
- Child car seat replacement
- Replacement vehicle within two hours
- Mobile phone locator
- Priority roadside assistance
- £3,000 worth of handbag cover

More Than say that they have implemented this scheme to respond to worries their female customers have. One of the major considerations for women when choosing car insurance is safety of themselves and their children if an breakdown or accident should occur.

The most recent epidemic we have found ourselves in with the social networking revolution is every parent's nightmare. The parents have had a lovely relaxing night out celebrating their wedding anniversary, have had a few drinks and are in fine spirits. They pull up on the drive and see their home engulfed in carnage, smashed windows, smoke rising from the bedroom window and hundreds of teenagers running about, some with their precious 15 year old whiskey (which they coincidently bought when they got married) - This scenario is every parents nightmare and something similar happened to the parents of Sarah Ruscoe in Devon this year.

Two thousand gatecrashers turned up to the party because an 'All Welcome' invitation poster in her sixth-form common room was taken literally. This then lead to it being advertised on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook and as a result the party was even mentioned on Radio 1 as a mistake by DJ Pete Tong.

Even more worrying for parents out there is that should this unfortunate event happen to you will not be covered in your house insurance by the damage caused by rioting children.

Clauses in most house insurance cover policies mean that damage to the possessions and your property may not be covered; if your child has acted irresponsibly, many insurers will refuse to pay out.

By irresponsibly, it is meant that advertising your party on the internet through Facebook or MySpace, inviting more guests than could reasonably fit into your home and gatecrashers.

It also depends on how you have taken care of the situation to make sure the eventuality of your house getting trashed. If you allow your child to throw a big party when you are away could result in your insurer deciding you have failed to take care of your property.

On the other hand though, you could be covered if your child throws a party without your knowledge.

If a party is advertised on the internet, this is considered reckless and will result in no payout from the house insurance, as it is effectively inviting a stranger into your house.

A leading UK price comparison site, has developed a new multi national house insurance service. Customers will now be able to insure their additional homes through Insurance and not have to be faced with the complexities and difficulties of foreign house insurers and there unfamiliar legal systems.

Customers can now obtain a competitive house insurance quote via a UK insurer for their overseas property by eCommmerce solutions and, as the whole buying process is in English, it is simple for customers to understand when purchasing house insurance don't have to worry about hidden costs or translating policy documents from foreign languages, which can cause problems in itself as house insurance can be a complex.

The C.E.O of the company claimed the addition of the overseas house insurance facility would consolidate the organization market position as the sole provider of this service. He further went onto explain that the companies new service will facilitate the process of insuring their homes abroad, overcoming the language barrier and property laws. This will serve to facilitate the ever increasing foreign property market..