Boring though it is, insurance is a necessity. Here we take alook at home insurance and show you how to get the bestpossible deal for your home contents, home buildings orcombined household insurance policy. The continued misapprehension that consumers fall under is thatthey have to arrange their Buildings Insurance cover with themortgage company. This is NOT the case. You are free to look anyway and free to buy from anywhere. The requirement is that you have the cover in force. So that is one reason why. The other is because your home isyou biggest single asset and you basically need to cover thisin the event of a loss unless you can simply right that off andgo an buy a new house every time anything happened to yourexisting one. While Contents Insurance is certainly not a compulsoryinsurance, it is just as important. With the average UKhousehold having £25,000 worth of contents in value withintheir home, anyone not insuring their possessions are simplyrunning the risk of loosing some or all of another large asset.

So, Home Insurance can be expensive, but not nearly asexpensive as the unlucky events it protects you from. However,that doesn't mean you should just pay any old premium you'requoted. We think that, instead, you're entitled to a reasonableprice for cover that you decide to purchase. Here are some ideas to getting and keeping your premiums lowand some industry tips to help you along. •Fit approved locks (could achieve a 5% discount) •Join a neighbourhood watch (less common as a discount but canstill sometimes get a 1% saving with some insurers) •Fit alarms and have an alarm maintenance contract (fittingNACASS standard burglar alarms could get a 7.5% discount butremember they may require an annual check). It may at firstappear that the cost of all this improved security can outweighthe reduction in insurance cost but this will prove fruitful inthe end •Agree to increase the standard policy excess (most policieswill want a £50 excess but if you are willing to increase thediscounts available are dependant on the amounts) •No claims (not claiming this could enable you to earn a noclaims discount like car insurance. Some insurers offer up to20% discount) •Shop around as many providers as possible is the only real wayto find the best price as there are so many variables. Once theresearch is continue by contacting the top 2 or 3 Insurersdirect and see how you can get the price down further bydiscussing direct you options and ability to reduce the risk tothe insurance company. Do not be scared to negotiate with theinsurance company on their prices, you have done your homework no make the effort worthwhile. Finally our “Top Tips” for getting and keeping your homeinsurance low 1.Look to consolidate your Buildings and Contents if thediscount is large enough to make both policies competitive withthe same insurer 2.Discuss with your potential insurer all discounts available,even things like memberships of certain organisations could getyou a further discount 3.If your contents total has gone down instead of up thennotify your insurer as this could reduce the amount you pay 4.Keep valuables out of sight. Look to buy a safe or cash box 5.Take good care of your house keys. Take them off of anyhooks near doors or windows 6.Keep valuable electrical items out of view. Turn those standby lights out and shut TV cabinet doors to hide the TV 7.Get property pens to mark your possessions. By marking yourcontents with your postcode and house number, you will be ableto help the police get found property back to you if stolen andrecovered.

About The Author: Text: David Thomson is Chief Executive ofBestDealInsurance (http://www.bestdealinsurance.co.uk) anindependent specialist broker dedicated to providing theirclients with the best deal on their home, motor and lifeinsurance.

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