Q&A: Home Insurance Considerations For A Country Home
We recently sold our home in the city and bought an old detached home in the country with a large garden which is full of plenty of mature trees. There’s also a stream at the end of my garden – and I’m assured by neighbours that there has never been any flooding in the area. Unlike our previous city home, our new home has a septic tank, its own well and a timber-frame timber-clad extension. What elements of my home insurance policy do I need to pay particular attention to?
Your new home – and its surroundings – is very different to your previous city home and so there are a number of home insurance considerations which you need to be mindful of.
If you have not already done so, immediately bring your timber-frame timber-clad extension and nearby stream to the attention of your insurer.
Insurers will usually either limit or not offer flood cover to homes that are in areas which are flood prone or which have been flooded previously – though it appears from your question that your property is not in such an area. All the same though, check with your insurer if the proximity of the stream to your home affects the cover in your policy.
Also check if your policy covers your timber-frame timber-clad extension. A standard home insurance policy will normally assume that most or all of the building materials used to build the property are standard materials – such as brick, stone or concrete with a slate or tiled roof. There is cover for a timber-frame timber-clad extensions, however there may be requirements in your policy around both the size of the extension (insofar as it doesn’t exceed a certain proportion of the overall property) and the maintenance of your timber constructed extension. Insurers do get a little anxious around risks to such timber-built extensions, particularly around fire prevention and weather related damage, which can cause leaks.
You mention there are a lot of trees in your garden. There could be major structural damage to your home if a tree falls on your roof during a storm. Most home insurers will cover damage caused by storms or fallen trees – as long as you are not underinsured. Under-insurance is where your home is insured for less than the full cost of rebuilding it – or where the contents in your home are insured for less than it would cost to replace them. You could have to foot a big chunk of the repair bills yourself if a tree falls on your home and you have underinsured it – because your insurer will usually reduce its payout by the amount you’ve underinsured yourself by. So make sure the buildings sum insured – which is the most your insurer will pay if your home is damaged or destroyed and needs to be rebuilt – is correct. You should also check if your policy covers storm damage – and if so, if there are any conditions or limitations to that cover. It would also be worth topping, trimming or even removing trees that are very near to your home – to reduce the risk of a tree falling on your property.
Check if your septic tank and private well are covered under your policy and if so, if there are any restrictions to the cover. For example, damage to your septic tank might only be covered if you meet the manufacturer’s servicing and desludging requirements. I assume the previous owner of the property installed the septic tank – note that if the necessary planning permission and building control approval weren’t obtained for the septic tank, your home insurance may not cover any damage to the tank. You and your solicitor should have checked this permission and approval was in place prior to buying the property so hopefully all is above board here.
You might need specialised coverage for your private well or septic tank – or an add-on to you existing policy. Even if your well is covered, it would be worth taking precautions to ensure your well water doesn’t freeze up during a cold snap. It’s always a good idea to insulate your water pipes and water tank but if you have well, be particularly careful to insulate any external water pipes.