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Buildings and Contents insurance are two separate types of insurance that protect different aspects of your home.
Buildings insurance covers the structure of your home and any permanent fixtures, such as your walls, roof, and flooring. This is a mandatory requirement of a mortgage and homeowners typically have to have this in place before they can buy a property.
Contents insurance covers possessions inside your home – typically things that you would take with you if you moved house. This includes things like furniture, electrical items such as fridges and televisions and on some policies even the likes of mobile phones and push bikes. Contents insurance isn’t compulsory but can provide peace of mind and financial protection in the event of theft, damage, or loss.
Both types of insurance can provide valuable protection, but it’s important to understand the differences and choose the coverage that best meets your needs.
Determining whether you need buildings or contents insurance, or both, depends on your specific situation and needs. Here are a few factors to consider when deciding which type(s) of insurance to purchase:
Homeownership:
If you own your home, you will typically need buildings insurance to protect the structure of your home and any permanent fixtures. If you rent your home, you may not need buildings insurance, but you may still want to consider contents insurance to protect your personal belongings.
Mortgage:
If you have a mortgage on your home, your lender will require you to have buildings insurance.
Personal belongings:
Consider the value of the personal belongings in your home. If you have expensive items such as jewellery, expensive tech, or artwork, you may want to make sure these items are included in your contents insurance policy to protect them in case of damage or loss.
Ultimately, it’s important to carefully review the coverage limits and exclusions of any insurance policy before purchasing to ensure it meets your needs. It’s also a good idea to compare quotes from multiple insurers to find the best coverage at the most affordable price. Uinsure automatically provides quotes from seven leading UK insurers who compete to offer you their best available price – so it’s easy for you to pick the cheapest.
Subsidence is the gradual sinking or settling of the ground surface. It can happen naturally or as an end result of human activity such as underground mining or oil and gas extraction, as well as groundwater pumping. Subsidence can cause injury to structures and infrastructure and can additionally lead to flooding and different hazards. It’s necessary to be in a position to spot the signs and symptoms of subsidence in order to mitigate the risks.
The most apparent signal of subsidence is a seen sinking or melancholy in the floor surface. This can be a small vicinity or a giant area, and may additionally be accompanied by cracks appearing in the floor or pavement. Another sign of subsidence is cracks in the walls, floors, or foundations of buildings. These cracks are usually diagonal or stair-stepped, and can regularly be wider at the top opposed to the bottom.
A more obvious sign is the tilting or leaning of structures, such as buildings, bridges, or fences. This was the case with the Crooked House Pub which was now famously burnt down in an arson attack and was ‘crooked’ because of mining in the area.Additionally, doorways and home windows can also end up tough to open or close, and flooring can end up uneven due to subsidence.
If you suspect subsidence, you should contact a geotechnical engineer to investigate the situation. They will be in a position to decide the purpose of the subsidence and recommend what you should do next.
Subsidence can be repaired and properties can still be made safe. Here are a few ways this can be done:
Underpinning: This involves strengthening the basis of the construction by digging deeper foundations or putting in new ones.
Grouting: This approach involves injecting a grout combination into the floor to fill voids and stabilise the soil.
Compaction grouting: This approach includes injecting a grout combination into the floor to fill voids and compact the soil.
Drainage: This technique includes putting in drainage structures to get rid of extra water from the soil, lowering the hazard of subsidence.