Buildings & Contents Insurance Discussion

A question about : Buildings & Contents Insurance Discussion

This discussion relates to the following articles

1. Quick Read Four Steps To Cutting Your Bill
2. Full Feature (recommended) Four Steps to Cutting Your Bill

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Addition From Martin

One point I'd really like to make is that you must try and do all FOUR steps of the plan. In this article below Richard put the following feedback through - i thought it a good example of how each step saves.

"This info from Martin could not have come at a better time for us - we had already begun our own time consuming market comparison and had figured that our current Home and Building Insurance provider was not at the lower end of the scale!!

We used the Supermarket website recommended on the feed and up came the sixty or so quotes - some companies better known than others.

Needless to say, we found a much cheaper provider who provided an inital quote of some Ј130 less than our existing provider. Again - using advice from Moneysavingexpert.com we went into the top 3 sites for a re-quote - another Ј30 off!!

Then it was time to phone them - the Haggle stage. Having established the background to the company and who the underwriters are a further Ј25 off !!

You never really know how good any insurance company is until you have to claim - lets hope that stage doesn't arise. "

Best answers:

• And, as usual, Northern Ireland is excluded from the insuresupermarket.com comparison site.
• Good point about Northern Ireland - I had written this before but forgot to add the link.
  There is a Northern Ireland Buidlings & Contents insurance discussion here
  Also it's worth trying the 'non-website' technique for NI, that i mention in the expanded article
  Martin
• I have recently been quoted an unbelievable price for insurance and am now concerned that the insurance company is not as good as I think it is! How do I go about checking them out?
• A little tip I found by accident a couple of years ago....
  We were doing the trek round the Insurance websites putting details; We put the policy holder details in thus : Primary: Me - Male - aged 29; Joint holder: Partner - Female - aged 36; We then generated a premium. We then went back changed the Policy holder details to put me as Joint and my partner as Primary policy holder - selected generate premium and it came back (approx) Ј20 cheaper........
• does anyone have any tesco home insurance promo codes?
• This info from Martin could not have come at a better time for us - we had already begun our own time consuming market comparison and had figured that our current Home and Building Insurance provider was not at the lower end of the scale!!
  We used the Supermarket website recommended on the feed and up came the sixty or so quotes - some companies better known than others.
  Needless to say, we found a much cheaper provider who provided an inital quote of some Ј130 less than our existing provider. Again - using advice from Moneysavingexpert.com we went into the top 3 sites for a re-quote - another Ј30 off!!
  Then it was time to phone them - the Haggle stage. Having established the background to the company and who the underwriters are a further Ј25 off !!
  You never really know how good any insurance company is until you have to claim - lets hope that stage doesn't arise.
  Thanks for a good informative site.
• This info from Martin could not have come at a better time for us - we had already begun our own time consuming market comparison and had figured that our current Home and Building Insurance provider was not at the lower end of the scale!!
  We used the Supermarket website recommended on the feed and up came the sixty or so quotes - some companies better known than others.
  Needless to say, we found a much cheaper provider who provided an inital quote of some Ј130 less than our existing provider. Again - using advice from Moneysavingexpert.com we went into the top 3 sites for a re-quote - another Ј30 off!!
  Then it was time to phone them - the Haggle stage. Having established the background to the company and who the underwriters are a further Ј25 off !!
  You never really know how good any insurance company is until you have to claim - lets hope that stage doesn't arise.
  Thanks for a good informative site.
• Richard - I love your message so much I'm going to put it in the top post - as an example that doing EVERY stage can really work!
  Thank you
  Martin
• just found out that hargreaves lansdown now do house insurance...
  https://www.hargreaveslansdown.co.uk/insurance/
  not tried it yet, but i have found HL useful for other products in the past. Worth a try at least.
• Hi
  I have used HL for various things- they do seem to be dipping their toes in other areas. Can't see a list of panel insurers
  Tried it out-
  1. to see competition
  2. My insurance is actaully up for renewal anyway
  The quote system was a bit long winded for me,
  (similiar to B&B) and quote was not instant- instead emailed later.
  Premium was not bad, but way off the premiums I got when I trial ran Moneysupermarket, and allsites were higher than my renewal!
• Good timing for us too, Martin. We followed the earlier trial article - followed comparison websites but all were blown away by a local IFA who came up with a policy from Paymentshield that covers
  "Cover for the building up to Ј300,000 (including accidental damage) and for the contents up to Ј40,000 (including accidental damage)" for "Ј198.54 in the first year. The company would take nothing for the first three months, then would take Ј22.06 per month on a Direct debit."
  I know the monthly payment is not the best moneysaving option, but we got the first 3 months free, the commitment is for a year, then pay monthly until we ask to stop. It works for us and is still cheaper than all the other quotes we got. I think the first 3 months free is an IFA sweetner.
• Yeah its Paymentshield I have my current policy with, and in fact they still beat the others on renewal.
  Quote:
• Payless,
  I tried the HL quote system. I had to call them as we live on the coast.
  First quote was ver Ј400 for bdgs and contents. Told them it was too much and told the guy i was an existing HL customer, so he said he could do it for Ј365.
  hence, worth haggling with HL over a quote.
• anyone have any contact details for paymentshield?
• Paymentshield direct is 0870759 4001 but I have sent you a PM
• Just got a quote from Direct Line. Pretty much half the price of all the others I tried. Policy seems fully equiped too. Got a 20% discount due to car ins being with them but still good value.
• Hi, Just to add my thanks to Martin - I'd just read the forum when this years renewal popped through the door. As a result of shopping around on the web (spent about an hour) I've now got cover from the Halifax at a whopping 54% reduction over what I was quoted for renewal by my previous provider!!
• Whoever brought up the name Paymentshield thankyou very, very much - they have just blown away Liv Vic by a whacking 53% saving me Ј132.43 on my b&hc insurance. I had to push them a little for 3 months free cover (Asked if there was any discount for being a first time customer)and I even get to pay monthly by DD at no extra charge! ;D
  Re-building Ј300,000 max (Ј500,000 Liv Vic) - down but only need Ј115,000 anyway.
  Contents Ј40,000 max (Ј125,000 Liv Vic) - down but adequate and should cover me.
  Surprising how many insurers will not cover contents over Ј35,000 geting low at today's prices I feel.