jml Property Insurance

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) scheme from Rentguard News

2011-12-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

Just come across this piece from Rentguard Landlord and Tenant insurance. Government payments to help people afford to stay in their home should go directly to the lender rather thanthe Landlord Insurance holder – according to What Mortgage– according to What Mortgage.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced this week that it’s launching a Call for Evidence on how the Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) scheme could be improved in the future.

But while Ben Wilkie, editor at What Mortgage, thinks the principles behind the SMI are good, the scheme must ensure funds are used directly to help struggling homeowners keep their property – rather than to pay off other debts.

He says: “The whole point of Support for Mortgage Interest is that people don’t lose their homes, but having the money paid directly to the claimant could increase the number of people who do”.

However, Mr Wilkie also notes the SMI could be changed to include a charge on any homeowners who use the scheme and later benefit from property price rises.

In other landlord insurance news doing the rounds today, it’s being reasoned that buy-to-let lending looks set to make up a larger percentage of the mortgage market next year.

David Whittaker is managing director at Mortgages for Business, and he thinks the current “soft” state of the UK mortgage market suggests the share of buy-to-let lending could increase this quarter and throughout 2012.

He says: “Historically, [buy-to-let lending] ran at about 13 per cent of the market, but dropped as low as eight and a half or nine per cent of the market in 2009, so you could say that all it is doing is re-establishing its status quo relationship with the residential mortgage market as a whole.”

The comments follow the announcement that Paragon Mortgages has won the ‘best buy-to-let portfolio lender’ title at the Your Mortgage 2011-12 Awards.

And despite all the hype, it seems the promise of the Olympics has had no effect at all on the London rental market from the point of view of any buy to let insurance holder.

discountletting.co.uk is an online letting agent, providing letting agent services to 31,829 landlords across the UK.

Daniel Burgess is managing director of discountletting.co.uk, and he says: “The Olympics is the last thing on the minds of landlords or tenants. Getting through the next three to six months is what people are thinking about.

Discover the wide selection landlord insurance available from Rentguard and see how cost effective the all-rounded residential landlords insurance can be. - More Information Here

Source: Rentguard Insurance

If you live in a "flood area" it could be a complete "no go area" says some insurance companies

2011-12-16T06:51:00.000-08:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker who specialises in areas like flood affected property insurance, ex offender insurance and a lot more is a regular contributor to this blog.

He has just contacted saying that "I am hearing yet more and more reports from clients saying that certain parts of the country are now complete no go areas because of either flood risk (such as SL6 5ND a rather nice part of Maidenhead) rather than wasting clients times and effort just say to them we KNOW A MAN WHO CAN !! "

He goes onto to say that "rather than worst case of selling them worthless cover IE without flood or subsidence or a vast excess and premium any excess over £1500 is totally unacceptable".

So if you are having problems obtaining cover, or cover with a very high excess, contact Neil for more information.

How do I do this? Follow this link please

HomeLet insurance raises money for the Nomad Trust of Lincoln

2011-12-09T07:05:00.001-08:00

HomeLet the specialist landlord and tenant rental insurance company has raised money for a charity based close to their Lincon offices

The Nomad Trust is a Christian based registered charity which provides welfare services in the City of Lincoln for those who are homeless or otherwise in need.

HomeLet insurance has raised £4,000 in just five months at various events organised by members of staff, including a cake sale, quizzes and a Halloween fun-day that included a fancy dress competition and trick or treat game.

This staggering amount of cash is more than half of the £8,000 target HomeLet has set itself to raise by April 2012. The cash will then be spent on a mini bus for the charity’s service users to travel around the area for journeys, such as to job interviews, to help people move off the streets and begin to lead a more normal life.

The Nomad Trust is a Lincoln-based charity that helps homeless people in the area from all walks of life to regain their independence and self-respect. For the past 26 years, the organisation has been helping homeless and vulnerable people in Lincolnshire by running an emergency night shelter and charity shop. The Trust’s workers also support its service users by offering life skills and resettlement advice when they are able to move into their own home.

HomeLet announced its support of The Nomad Trust in May 2011. Its employees are set to raise money for the charity for three years, and a calendar of events has already been organised so another £1,000 is raised in time for Christmas.

Brenda Shiels, Service Manager at The Nomad Trust, said: “For HomeLet to have raised more than half of the amount needed to buy the new minibus already is a fantastic achievement. The vehicle will be a massive benefit to our service users who struggle to travel to different places once trying to rebuild their lives. Therefore on behalf of The Nomad Trust I would like to thank everyone at HomeLet for all their hard work and generosity.”

John Boyle, HomeLet’s Managing Director, said: “Raising the money at so many events has not only been enjoyable, but also very gratifying as we know the cash is going to be spent on local people who are finding it hard to get themselves out of a traumatic and difficult situation.

“We’re now confident we can raise even more than the £8,000 needed for the minibus, so we can help this very worthwhile cause assist as many local homeless people as possible over the next few years.”

Find out more here about fundraising for The Nomad Trust Here

Source HomeLet Insurance

If you are a landlord (or tenant) looking for HomeLet specialist rental insurance click on the logo below

Latest HomeLet Rental Index is out now

2011-12-09T06:48:00.001-08:00

Seasonal trends see rents dip across UK as the latest HomeLet Rental Index shows that average UK rental amounts have decreased in eight of the 11 regions, including London, as part of a seasonal dip.

According to HomeLet Landlord and Tenant Insurance

■The average UK rental amount fell in October, when compared to September by 2.5% to £763pcm

■Despite falling, the average agreed UK rental amount in October 2011 was still 4.2% higher than rents recorded in October 2010

■Rents in London are still 23% higher than October 2009, and remain 8.8% higher than 2010

■The number of tenants sharing a property has increased in the last two years. The average number of tenants per property was 1.7 in October 2011, compared with 1.4 in October 2009

■Greater London has the highest level of sharing in the country with an average of two tenants per property

■Average UK tenant incomes dropped from September to October by 0.6% to £27,201

■18 – 21 year olds have seen the largest drop in income over the past year. Incomes for this age group have dropped by 5% in October 2011 when compared to October 2010

■The percentage of 36 - 45 year olds renting after living at home with a relative has risen from 18% in October 2009 to 23% in October 2011

If you are a landlord (or tenant) looking for HomeLet specialist rental insurance click on the logo below

Source: Homelet

HomeLet Insurance wins a national award for its innovation within the lettings industry

2011-12-09T06:25:00.001-08:00

The specialist insurance company HomeLet for Landlord and Tenant insurance has won the Innovation category at this year’s 2011 Landlord and Lettings Awards.

In addition to this, HomeLet Insurance was a finalist in the Insurance Services, Supplier and Website categories.

The Innovation award recognises the supplier that has been most innovative in their sector, and HomeLet was praised in particular for the launch and success of its new referencing product, Optimum. Optimum was launched earlier this year and has not only achieved 150% above predicted sales figures, but also been very well received by customers.

As well as offering a robust tenant reference, Optimum offers the unique guarantee – if any tenant referenced through one of two HomeLet checks, Insight and Enhance, either default on their rent within 12 months of moving into the rented property, HomeLet will evict them – for free.

The increase in sales has also seen an increase in customers, with the company’s 1,000th customer being welcomed to HomeLet in October.

Kyle Clark, who works for Homes4U – the 1,000th letting agent to partner with HomeLet, said: “Signing up with HomeLet couldn’t be easier. We signed up online and processed our first reference that day. To be their 1,000th customer is a privilege; although I’m sure there will be hundreds more to join before the year is out!”

HomeLet puts this success down to a number of factors; increased demand for rental properties, the importance of using a reputable letting agent and referencing supplier, its innovative products and services, and the fact that many more landlords are asking their letting agents for HomeLet by name now.

John Boyle

Managing Director of HomeLet, John Boyle, said: “I am delighted at our success at last week’s Landlord and Lettings Awards that recognises our innovative contribution to the lettings industry. It is not only testament to the hard work of our team who’ve developed the product, but also our customers who’ve used HomeLet to reference potential tenants.”

Heidi Abbott, HomeLet’s Operations & Marketing Director, who collected the award, said: "To win the Innovation award was a fantastic result in itself – however, to be finalist in three other categories reflects the commitment we continually dedicate to our customers to make sure they receive the best possible service.”

jml Property Services have been HomeLet agents since 2002 and market the products for the company on the jml insurance and property websites. Find out more details HERE

Source: HomeLet Insurance

Lettings agency is now 10 years Old

2011-12-09T05:14:00.001-08:00

South Buckinghamshire Letting agents, The JNP Partnership have just passed the ten year milestone.

In the summer of 2001 the Directors of the JNP Partnership, a very well known firm of estate agents in South Buckinghamshire took the decision to open a lettings office to cater for the expanding rentals business in the area.

Philip Suter who had previously established a residential lettings department in 1984 for Frank Farr & Sons, a firm of long established estate agents in the Slough / Uxbridge area, joined JNP in early November to launch the lettings office.

Philip a landlord himself and via his own company jml Property Services has been a member of the NLA (National Landlords Association) since the early 1980s when it was known as the Small Landlords Association.

Over the past ten years the JNP lettings office has grown from a small “add on” department employing two members of staff to a highly profitable operation employing some 10 members of staff.

Philip still acts as a Consultant for JNP, but the day to day running of JNP Lettings is the responsibility of Lettings Manager Vicky Lyle.

Vicky Lyle Manager JNP Lettings

Vicky has a strong Lettings background having a couple of her immediate family members as seasoned Landlords and having been a tenant herself for a number of years. She has worked for several years within the Lettings Industry, mainly working within the High Wycombe area for another major High Wycombe letting agent before joining JNP two years ago, but having also gained valuable experience working in North London and Hertfordshire.

In 2010 a few months after joining JNP, her lettings department portfolio nearly doubled overnight with the addition of the Philip Green and Partners High Wycombe letting business. Along with this additional portfolio came Lettings Negotiator Adam Green, Property Manager Julian Britton and Administration Manager Angela Wilson. Other members of the team include Doreen Coburn, Trefton Joyce, Charlotte Moxon, Jo-Anna Warren and Wendy Buckley who has been managing the landlord and tenant accounts for over four years.

Vicky said ”The rental market is very positive at the moment and with plenty of investment potential with new developments being built (and sold by JNP New Homes) we are increasing our portfolio of let property from an excellent tenant base”.

“We have a very experienced team who are kept up to date with legislation by following ARLA training courses. There is a constant change of legalities that can affect residential lettings, however this minefield is not so bad for experienced staff like ours to tackle and advise our clients on.”

Stephen Grace MD JNP

Managing Director of The JNP Partnership is Stephen Grace. Stephen has been an agent since 1993 and with JNP since 1998 and he also spent eighteen months running the JNP lettings office.

Stephen said ”I am very proud of the way in which the JNP letting business has grown. We are now the number one choice for clients in the area letting out their property.”

“The JNP Letting Business has become such a major and integral part of our company. I am delighted with the achievements made to-date and am confident in Vicky and her team continuing to lead the way as the chief local lettings agent and their on-going success.”

To celebrate the 10 year anniversary, JNP has been running some special promotions. For Landlords and Tenants and will be holding an anniversary evening for clients in mid December.

Apart from being a member of the NLA, Philip has been associated with ARLA (The Association of Residential Letting Agents) also going back to the early 1980’s when he brought Frank Farr into ARLA membership. He was involved with the ARLA Council in the late 1980’s responsible for a membership drive and recollects going to one of the SLA meetings that was chaired by Geoffrey Cutting and Lillian Cline and introducing the Chairperson of ARLA to the NLA.

Commenting on JNP Lettings 10th anniversary, Philip said “JNP are now the first choice for hundreds of landlords and tenants in the High Wycombe area. They have a very professional team and I wish them even more success in the future”.

More information about The JNP Partnership

The JNP Partnership is the trading name of JNP Estate Agents. It was established in 1994 fast becoming a very well known firm in South Buckinghamshire, Chilterns and the Thames Valley area with sales offices in High Wycombe, Hazlemere, Prestwood, Princes Risborough and Stokenchurch. It has a specialist New Homes Department, operates The Fine and Country estate agency is Hazlemere and Princes Risborough and is shortly launching an Auction department.

JNP’s residential letting office is a member of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS) and MyDeposits (the Government-authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme). Website: http://www.jnp.co.uk/
Source JNP Estate Agents Ltd

Winter is here again so is condensation

2011-12-08T06:00:00.001-08:00

Winter has finally arrived and so will the condensation problems in rental properties.

Last winter working for a letting agent carrying out routine property inspection visits, a lot of people were compaining about "damp".

Unfortunately in so many properties fresh air does not get. Gone is the era of the old Victorian house with fireplaces in several rooms and floorboards not being fully covered in thick carpet and windows not being one hundred percent sealed when shut.

You now have a situation of double glazed windows, well insulated walls, floors and ceilings and people not letting in fresh air and keeping heaters turned up high.

Yes there are problems with damp problems being caused by slipped roofing tiles, drainage pipes leaking and a lot more, however so many tenants do not open windows to change the air. Heating costs never go down and they are worried about these and don't want to let the cold air in, even for a few minutes.

I came across one flat after Christmas last year and noticed the living room window looked rather odd. Initially I thought it was Christmas decorations and then was told by the tenant that she had put cling film all over the windows to keep the place warmer. The property actually had double glazing and the cling film was causing a build ip of condensation. The tenant was using the trickle vents and do not know what they were for.

Trickle vents are normally at the top of mist modern double glazed windows and doors and let a small amount of fresh air into the room.

When letting a property it is useful to leave notes on how to prevent condensation and list the daily routine.

External bathrooms - open the window for a few minutes after a bath or shower has been taken.

Open windows when cooking.

Make sure any washer dryers are properly vented.

If any black moud appears clean it up and make sure there is proper ventilation in wardrobes, in particular those on outside walls.

Don't hang your washing out todry in front of heaters in the rooms.

Suggest or provide a dehumidifier if the property is likely to suffer from condensation problems.

It is true that a lot of properties can have condensation problems, but it is often the occupiers that cause them. I was involved for several years with the management of a "HMO - House in multiple occupation" divided into several bedsits. Some tenants kept the sah windows slightly open and never had problems. I recollect one large unit whereby the wall were rotting below the windows. A previous couple of tenants had never had a condensation "damp" problem.

The Environmental Health Officer was called in as the tenant claimed the property was unfit for habitation. The first thing the EHO said was take the heavy duty plastic off ftom the windows as they were completely sealed and could not be opened. It did the trick.

We have more information on the jml Property Services website on this subject here.

Use Your Head campaign from Essential Travel Insurance

2011-11-28T05:28:00.001-08:00

Essential Travel which is one of the UK's leading online travel essentials companies has issued a press release at the end of last week.

EssentialTravel.co.uk is pioneering a new policy discount to encourage skiers and snowboarders to wear helmets on the slopes to launch as of 21 November 2011.

As part of its "Use Your Head" campaign EssentialTravel.co.uk will be working with mountain sports retailer Ellis Brigham and brain injury association Headway to educate skiers and snowboarders about the importance of head protection this season by offering a 15% discount to those willing to wear helmets.

EssentialTravel.co.uk is also offering a 10 per cent discount on helmets in store or online at Ellis Brigham to every customer who buys winter sports cover. These discounts were prompted after 75% of EssentialTravel.co.uk's customer base admitting they would wear a helmet if a discount was levied against policies

The leading travel insurance provider has also enhanced its winter policy this year to ensure better cover for ski equipment, piste closure and ski packs.

The Use Your Head campaign was originally launched last year after 40% of Essential Travel's ski and snowboard customers said they would not be wearing a helmet despite 75% admitting to suffering an accident on the slopes that was serious enough to warrant medical assistance.

18.2% surveyed after the Use Your Head initiative last year said they wore helmets for the first time last year.

Stuart Bensusan from Essential Travel commented:"Following the initial success of our inaugural campaign last year we've decided to take serious action and lead from the front by being the first insurance specialist to offer discounts to skiers and snowboarders willing to wear helmets.

"An alarmingly high percentage of people are still intent on not wearing helmets and the reality is they save lives."

"Our survey showed over 65% of those individuals in a ski related accident believed that wearing a helmet lessened the severity of their injuries. We are urging skiers to recognise the importance of wearing a helmet for protection and to start placing the same value on helmets for winter sports as they would for cycling."

Peter McCabe, Chief Executive of Headway, said: "We are delighted to see the number of skiers and snowboarders wearing helmets increasing year-on-year."

"Even a minor blow to the head can have major consequences, and even the most experienced of skiers are at risk of falling at some point during their holiday."

"By offering reduced premiums, EssentialTravel.co.uk is providing an incentive to its customers to wear a helmet, but the ultimate incentive should be protecting your delicate brain from injury."

Mark Brigham, Founder of Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports says: "Ellis Brigham are delighted to be involved with the Use Your Head campaign for a second year. Helmets have become the norm on skiers large and small in recent year, they are now lighter, better ventilated and much more comfortable and we encourage their use."

EssentialTravel.co.uk has launched a dedicated "Use Your Head" micro-site which features full details of the Ellis Brigham discount and Headway charity donation as well as snow injury facts and testimonies from customers who've been injured on the slopes.

EssentialTravel.co.uk was established in 2001, The company is one of the UK's leading online travel essentials companies. The core products offered include competitively priced, fully comprehensive travel insurance, since 2001, Essential Travel has insured over 2.5 million holidays, airport car parking; airport lounge access; airport hotels; car hire; and car hire excess insurance.

Travel Insurance: You can find out more about EssentialTravel's travel insurance products by following this link

Car hire excess Insurance: What are about great value car hire excess insurance that starts at £1.94 a day? Find out more here

Endsleigh insurance were shortlisted for Landlord and Letting award

2011-11-25T08:48:00.001-08:00

Endsleigh Insurance Services Ltd were shortlisted as a finalist for 2011/12 in the Insurance Services category of the prestigious Landlord & Letting Awards.

Oliver Romain, editor of Landlord & Buy-to-Let Magazine and lead judge for the Awards, commented: “The Landlord & Letting Awards are the premier nationwide private rented sector awards in the UK, and it’s great to be able to recognise and reward the best in the industry. This year’s response was phenomenal, with over 1000 entries received across the various categories, so Endsleigh has done brilliantly to be shortlisted.”

All industry achievers got together to celebrate at a gala dinner - hosted by property investor and TV presenter Melissa Porter –held at Birmingham NEC on Wednesday 16th November, 2011.

Vikki Jefferies, Market Development Manager said: “We are thrilled to be a finalist: it really is testament to our hard work and commitment. We really enjoyed celebrating our success at the dinner, and will definitely be putting every effort in to ensure that next year we walk away with the winning trophy.”

Other insurance companies shortlisted in the insurance sector were: Countrywide Residential Lettings, Services, Just Landlords, HomeLet, Total Landlord Insurance and Residential Landlords Association and the winner was Just Landlords.

Part Source: Endsleigh Insurance

Sorry can no longer quote for your property in a flood risk area

2011-11-25T06:09:00.001-08:00

This is what insurance broker Neil Cook keeps on being told by clients who finds his specialist insurance services via the advertisements on the jml Insurance websites.

He says that many of the established insurance companies are not happy to continue insuring clients who live in flood risk areas, or the premiums and excesses have gone through the roof and floor!

He says "An insurance broker with considerable web presence and many great claims on quality and service has been insuring some clients for years with some insurers who are not renewing any household business.
We are hearing from an increasing number of these insurance companies clients that in the past have had flood or subsidence claim who are sent a short impolite letter saying in short sorry go away we cannot help you any more that’s very distressing and worrying !!!! and appalling service too at best if you are luck they will offer a quote that’s much, much more expensive with HUGE flood or subsidence excesses.

Our expert providers will gladly give clients in that situation a sensible affordable quote"

Want to find out more about how Neil Cook can help? Follow this link

Do you hate call centres and robots?

2011-11-25T05:34:00.001-08:00

Neil Cook a well respected insurance broker has just sent us this message.

Would it not be such a fantastic joy if when buying complex insurance that you don’t have to spend hours on the phone to a call centre youth who asks ever single question on a script and after a frustrating what seems like weeks they say sorry I cannot help, or will need mountains of complex paperwork first if you feel brave enough you supply surveys reports etc often you have pay for these too you then wait weeks for a call back that does not happen or when they do yet more paperwork is asked the final premium is vast and the terms are horrific

In truth it is possible One simple call to a true INSURANCE Hero will take just moments and quite often a quote can be given in seconds

Please watch this video to see that insurance HERO in action HE is real and does exist he is not just another call centre ROBOT HERE

To contact Neil Cook, please follow this link to find out how he can help with your insurance and he will phone you back personally.

Another person with a Criminal Record has a problem with a Comparison Insurance web site

2011-11-16T05:24:00.001-08:00

We have just received this email from Neil Cook, Insurance Broker who specialises in insurance for people with criminal records and their families.

"I just had a client on the phone , who had a very serious criminal conviction, he had gone to the usual comparison sites for car insurance, filled in all the details, there was a question “ do you have any NON MOTORING CONVICTIONS” he answered this question yes, rather than rejecting all quotes it did give premiums.

Millions of people like him are fooled by comparison sites into buying cover, he assumed that the comparison site would inform the ultimate insurer about the conviction BUT in truth they don’t !!!! comparisons sites make a hefty fee for selling a policy that’s in truth all they are interested in.

THEY HAVE NO MORALS WHAT SO EVER ! SO THE POLICYHOLDER WITH A CONVICTION WILL BE CONNED AND WHEN THE CRUNCH COMES THE INSURERS WILL REFUSE THE CLAIM LEAVING THE CUSTOMER FACING A HUGE BILL WHICH COULD OFTEN END UP WITH A CONVICTION FOR NO INSURANCE WHICH COULD BREAK ALL RELEASE CONDITIONS AND SEND YOU BACK TO JAIL !!!!!!!!!!

Source Neil Cook - To contact Neil if you are looking for ex-offenders insurance - problem property insurance (subsidence - flood area etc) plus many other specialist types of insurance follow this link.

HomeLet rental Index October 2011 is out

2011-11-16T04:17:00.001-08:00

This month's report shows...

The average UK rental amount fell in October, when compared to September by 2.5% to £763pcm.

Despite falling the average agreed UK rental amount in October 2011 was still 4.2% higher than rents recorded in October 2010

Rents in London fell month-on-month, for the first time in a year, by 3.98% to an average of £1,158pcm

Rents in London are still 23% higher than October 2009 and remain 8.8% higher than 2010

The number of tenants sharing a property has increased in the last two years. The average number of tenants per property was 1.74 in October 2011, compared with 1.4 in October 2009

Average UK tenant incomes dropped from September to October by 0.64% to £27,201

Incomes for those aged 18 - 21 have dropped by 5% in October 2011 when compared to October 2010

The percentage of 36-45 year olds renting after living at home with a relative has risen from 18% in October 2009 to 23% in October 2011

To find out more about HomeLet Landlord and Tenant insurance Click on logo above

Those with Landlord insurance are reporting they’re increasingly positive about the outlook for the buy-to-let market in the UK.

2011-11-11T05:12:00.001-08:00

Rentguard's Media page are running a report today (11th November 2011) saying "Landlord insurance holders are reporting they’re increasingly positive about the outlook for the buy-to-let market in the UK.

At least that’s according to the latest Landlord Survey from specialist lender CHL Mortgages.

The study reveals that 72 per cent of all respondents say they’re feeling positive about the future of buy-to-let.

That is up from a figure of 67 per cent in the summer of 2011 – and up 64 per cent compared to 12 months ago.

Increased positivity from buy-to-let sector landlords was also visible with a rise in the number of landlords who plan to buy more investment properties.

The research finds that 35 per cent of respondents planned to make further acquisitions, up from 33 per cent, over the summer months.

Landlord insurance holders were also more positive about current demand for rental properties.

As many as 88 per cent report their rental income is sufficient to cover their mortgage payments, as well as management and maintenance fees.

Those who are looking to purchase more property say they are still constrained by both a lack of available funding for both new purchases and remortgage (40 per cent) and the high deposit requirements (37 per cent) that come with buy-to-let products.

Only 7 per cent cite a lack of available stock as a reason why they are unable to purchase.

CHL believes this is further proof of the growing demand for private rental properties and that rental yields for residential investment properties continue to increase.

80 per cent of buy to let house insurance hodlers are not making any overpayments on their borrowings.

If the Bank of England were to increase Bank Base Rate to 5 per cent over the next couple of years, 31 per cent said they would have to increase rents to cover their mortgage.

Jannie Vermeulen is Head of Credit Risk at CHL Mortgages.

Says: “We normally only conduct our Landlord Survey every year however with this extra iteration we wanted to gauge whether the growing positivity we had witnessed during the summer had increased just three months later.

The research reveals that buy-to-let landlords are increasingly bullish about the state of the sector and their place in it.

Discover the wide selection landlord insurance available from Rentguard and see how cost effective the all-rounded residential landlords insurance can be Here".

Rentguard offers

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Rentguard Insurance – Home Insurance

Rentguard Insurance – Portfolio and Blocks of Flats Insurance Insurance

Rentguard Ltd is a subsidiary of RGA GROUP LTD, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Rentguard was established in 2000 and provides a unique range of insurance products and services to the residential & commercial lettings market. Rentguard’s position as underwriting agents ensures that it remains focussed on providing a quality service to its business partners and to their clients and customers.

The Rentguard brand has become synonymous with value-for-money and excellent client support, with products that are easy-to-understand and require minimal administration. Rentguard products are underwritten by leading UK underwriters. It is committed to the development of close working relationships aimed at raising the image of its business partners, as much as reinforcing its own commitment to excellence.

Small firms must prepare now for winter weather

2011-11-10T10:14:00.001-08:00

Accountants Cannon Moorcroft of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire have just sent their e-newsletter. This article caught my eye.

"Small businesses are being urged to prepare now for winter weather, as the unseasonably mild conditions across the UK look set to end later this month.

YouGov data shows that 13 per cent of small businesses said they were 'seriously' impacted by last winter's bad weather and 37 per cent said they experienced weather-related problems.

As a result, the Forum of Private Business (FPB) is warning small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to start planning ahead by making sure their premises are winter proof, insurance is up to date, and contingency plans are well thought out.

The last two winters have seen arctic conditions, with ice and snow causing havoc, and this December is likely to start with severe frosts.

Commenting, head of campaigns at FPB, Jane Bennett said: "Disruptive snowfall hampers deliveries, triggers heating and power failures, and can sometimes mean employees can't get to work,"

"The past few winters have demonstrated just how susceptible the UK is to extreme weather, and the cost to business quickly runs into millions. When infrastructure grinds to a halt staff can't get in to work, and that's a body blow which hits small firms with fewer staff the hardest.

"It's essential small businesses do all they can themselves to mitigate the impact, and being proactive now will mean not having to rush out a last minute reactive plan on the eve of bad weather, which may not be all that effective.

"It worth remembering prevention is also better than cure - something as simple as making sure water pipes are lagged could save a business thousands in lost revenue if it has to close because of flooding. Businesses need to think about their contingency plans now to ensure they aren't put out of action by another nasty winter," she added"

This is a very important reminder not only for business people, but also all property owners including Landlords letting out their property.

If the property is empty between tenancies either have all of the water in the property drained out (It is no good turning off the stop cock if all the tanks and radiators are full of water as otherwise as soon as it gets warmer these will burst). Alternatively if you are trying to let the property it is more inviting if the heating has been left on, however it is well worth checking out the insurance situation with your insurance company.

If you are a tenant going away over Christmas / New Year or an owner occupier do make sure that the property is properly heated whilst you are away. Quite often it can be fairly mild just before Christmas (although this was not the case in 2009 and 2010) and it turns much colder whilst you are way. It is a good idea if possible asking a friend, relative or neighbour to keep an eye on the property and if there are signs of it getting really cold, adjusting the heating levels accordingly.

jml Property Services have a large selection of Landlord and Tenant insurance companies advertising HERE and for business and homeowners HERE

Flood Insurance - Questions and Answers

2011-11-10T09:27:00.000-08:00

Have just been sent some information on Flood insurance by experiended specialt insurance broker Neil Cook

His first point of call was The Environment Agency. They have a very interesting and useful website explaining how they work with the insurance industry. They have a page to help people in areas that could be affected by flooding. "Prepare for flooding by following some simple steps to reduce the impact of flooding on your home or business" Find out more Here

You can also find out if your property is in an area at risk of flooding and as a lot of people are struggling to find suitable insurance they have a section on this. They suggest: Talk to one of the brokers who specialise in properties that are difficult to insure. You should be able to find these brokers in the Yellow Pages. - Contact the ABI or BIBA and the National Flood Forum (NFF). Of course there is another way, contact a specialist broker advertising on the jml Property Insurance website Here

The Consumer Magazine "Which" was next on the list.

Which has a page on their website "Buildings insurance explained - Flooding and subsidence"

The article talks about advice to find out if a property is in a risk area and links the visitor to the Environment Agency (above). They have some useful information "How to make your home more flood resilient

1) Replace timber floors with concrete and covering with tiles

2) Replace chipboard/MDF kitchen and bathroom units with plastic equivalents

3) Move boilers and electrical points well above likely flood level

4) Install one-way valves into drainage pipes to avoid sewage backing up into the house" On the same subject at the jml Property-Insurance website there is a very helpful page "Flood Insurance Products" It is well worth visiting HERE

The Which site can be accessed HERE

Which has another useful page entitled "Buildings insurance explained" - One of the items is "Q: If I live in an area at risk of flooding, will I still be able to get insurance?

A: Currently, there’s an agreement between the government and insurers that insurers will continue to offer cover to existing customers living in areas at high risk of flooding so long as the government commits sufficient money towards maintaining and improving flood defences. (see the rest HERE)

So if you are looking for "Flood" insurance or need help, it might be worthwhile contacting Neil Cook for some helpfull advice and save money. Click Here for Contact Info

More flooding in the South of France kills 3

2011-11-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

We have just received this enews letter from The Riviera Times / Riviers Zeitung from the South of France.

They are running a rather worrying headline "France floods kills three" - Three deaths have so far been reported in the Var as part of ongoing torrential weather conditions. Apparently a homeless German was found dead on Saturday 5th November and a couple aged in their 70s from Bagnols-en-Forêt were found dead in the early hours of Sunday 6th November.

The weather was becoming very wet at the end of the G20 summit in Cannes at the end of last week and reports from a correspondent in Grasse on Saturday said there was a lot of water pouring down the hilly streets. Weather conditions are now improving according to Meteo France with a lot of sun this weekend again and temperatures reaching 19 degrees in the Nice area. To see the Riviera Times report in full Click Here

If you have a holiday home or main residence in the South of France, make sure that you are properly insured. Having difficulty understanding your French insurance policy wording? Why not take out a policy written in English from an UK based insurance company? Find out more Here

What about if the property is in the UK and you are having difficulty getting or finding reasonably priced insurance for properties in flood risk areas? Take a look at this section of the jml-insurance website Here

Make sure you have adequate property insurance this winter. It could be a long hard winter...you never know.

Fraud Conference 2011 - Neil Cook was a guest speaker

2011-11-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

jml Property Insurance blog site Friday 19th August 2011

Back in August we featured on this blog a piece aboit Insurance Broker Neil Cook who was going to take part in the Fraud Confernce in October. (See blog Here)

Neil has now sent us further information about the event.

Fraud event: Disagreement over point to target fraudsters

Application fraudsters are ‘hiding behind the web’ but disagreement reigns over whether to target scammers at the point of quote or sale. Panellist Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at Money Supermarket, said his firm is working towards stamping out fraud at the point of quote but needs the help of the industry.

“The internet is a soft touch,” he conceded, “as it is more problematic to lie to someone face-to-face. This is not about eradicating people’s ability to buy insurance but, if people want to tell lies on online channels, then we can stop that. We have to bring things up the value chain to point of quote.”

Matt Gilham, head of financial crime at Esure, added that underwriters face difficulties because they do not have the customer’s payment information, while customers take advantage of  aggregators being volume-driven and “hide behind the web”. He said insurers must decide whether they want to tackle insurance fraud at point of quote, by giving or declining one; at point of sale; or afterwards.

“It comes down to the underwriter, what they want to achieve and at what point their acceptance of risk lies. Is it turning away business before you quote or having procedures in place to challenge applications and issues such as non-disclosure?”

Neil Cook, head of specialist risks at TR Youngs, said: “If the insurer does not want to sell that person insurance, then the aggregator should not do it. Otherwise reputations suffer and more people get angry with the insurance industry.”

T R Youngs Insurance Brokers (Allystyles Insurance) advertises their specialist insurance products on the jml insurance website - Products include business insurance, Ex-offender insurance, Northern Ireland residents insurance, Flood damaged property insurance, Underpinned - Subsidence Property Insurance and a lot more. Neil can be contacted Here

Allstyles Insurance have recently started promoting their Scooter and Motorbike Insurance on the jml Insurance site Find out more Here

More from HomeLet Insurance Rental Indexes

2011-11-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

The August HomeLet Rental Index highlighted that:
• Average rents across the UK are now £791 per month, an increase on July 2011, meanwhile average salaries have dropped slightly

• London is continuing to set new records with rents standing at £1,202 – up 4% compared to last month and an increase of over 12% since August last year.

• Rents in London are now a record 52% higher than the UK average

• Tenancy lengths are decreasing – there are now only two of the twelve regions in the UK where average tenancies are more than two years – this compares with seven regions in 2009

• There is a large gender pay-gap, with average salaries for men being 40% more than women

• Younger women (aged 18 - 25) are more likely to rent than younger men – but this trend

reverses when tenants enter the 26 - 35 year age group

• On average the North East is home to the oldest tenants in the UK, with the youngest living in

London and Northern Ireland

• East Anglia has seen a dramatic increase in both rents, and average salaries over the last month

To view this index please Click Here

Meanwhile the September HomeLet Rental Index has just been released and reveals some very interesting statistics about the lettings industry – specifically this month about young people. According to the latest report, London is now home to the youngest and most affluent tenants in the UK.

It also shows that an increase in youth unemployment and the continuing difficulty in getting on the property ladder may be forcing people to stay at home and remain in the private rented sector for longer.

With regards to rental prices, the average UK rental cost fell in September, when compared to August, to £788. This is only the second month-on-month fall in agreed rental prices in 2011. However, despite falling slightly, the average agreed UK rental amount in September 2011 was still 4.5% higher than rents recorded in September 2010.

If you are looking for Landlord or Tenant Insurance pay a visit to the HomeLet Insurance site HERE

Some insurance call centres appear to be misguiding flood and subsidence victims

2011-10-31T04:37:00.000-07:00

We have been sent a disturbing report by specialist insurance broker Neil Cook in the week that ended with Halloween. The information has named several insurance companies and those names have been removed.

"Over the course of this week I have heard several horror stories of a call centre that claims to have been a broker (name removed) who’s over keen /over aggressive staff are taking clients money and not telling the insurers the real complications of the cover such as flood /high flood risk, subsidence, claims or criminal convictions etc if the premium

Some companies seems too cheap, so ask to see a full quotation in writing before you part with your cash please. If you need a specialist policy make sure that’s what your getting not something you thought it was that will not payout !!!
Two other companies are others on the complaints list they sell their policies either online or through financial advisers and they are keen on getting your money rather than giving the cover you want ! Certain older person specialist insurance companies also are not as good as they seem, reports of them charging premiums 3 or 4 times market rates such a lady in north London who’s home had suffered subsidence ! She mentioned she was paying £350 it seemed quite good NO it was £350 a month so £4200 a year our specialist got her cover for £1500

Beware of insurers specialising in insuring the older generation they will sell you a policy at rock bottom prices and within a few years you will end up vastly more you might pay elsewhere

Please don’t be scared by the usual suspects into believing that they done you a great favour in keeping you covered and they that no one else can help, nor when you find that they change their tune and either say they no longer cover your risk etc

There are true experts who are experienced people not call centres and treat you as a person, those are the ones we recommend to you.

More often than not their premiums can be lower than you would expect they also promise that cover will transfer to any one that buys your house and also that policies can transfer landlords policies and visa versa

Lastly in the various horror stories as we have just had Halloween, an old lady in Ulverston was quoted £18000 by her insurer of many many years to renew her house insurance after a flood claim the shock almost killed her ! our specialist would have offered her nearer £600 we would like to hear your insurance horror stories"

You can contact Neil Cook by using this form

Source Neil Cook

Floods have been very much in the news again with flooding in Ireland earlier in the month. A report in the Saturday 29th October edition of The Independent said "Floods 'bigger threat than burglary'. The report in the finance pages said that water damage is the "silent threat" to British homes and a bigger threat to homes than burglary. This was after last weeks torrential rain in parts of England and Wales. See the report here

Flood Risk Home Insurance

2011-10-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

If you live in area likely to flood you need the right insurance

The weather in the south east of England is a very pleaasnt 18 degrees to day, but further west heavy rain and possible flooding is forecast. We only need some heavy rain and there is the risk of floods and the risk to those areas that get affected by flooding becomes a threat.

What happen if you live in one of those "dangerous areas" and the bank insurance company cancels the cover?

The following has been senmt to us last Friday by Neil Cook, insurance broker who works for T R Youngs / Allstyles insurance brokers. We have removed the name of the bank, but it is one of the major UK clearing banks.

“We discovered by chance that our existing insurers for the buildings insurance (XXXX XXX) had cancelled the policy as of March 2011 and we were therefore without any cover. With the Bank Managers help at XXXX Bank we tried to find out why it had been cancelled and the direct debit payments had not been taken out of our account, but he wasn’t able to give a reason?

When we tried to rearrange another policy with the bank, despite going through the whole process with their insurers we were told that our application had been declined, and also by the other companies XXX Bank use. Eventually, it transpired after them running a postcode check of the area, the property had been classified by the Environment Agency as being in a flood plain and liable to flooding. The Bank was unable or reluctant to offer any further assistance and we were left with the problem of no insurance and effectively a valueless property.

I contacted Neil using the reply back service on the website and within minutes I had a telephone call back from him with some preliminary information and advice. Within less than hour after contacting him he had arranged a new policy with an additional flood risk element and for a saving of almost £200.00 from our previous insurer.

Thanks to the efficient and prompt service we were fully covered the same day and now have peace of mind over what could have been a real dilemma. I can without question highly recommend Neil’s expert advice and service to anyone in a similar position to us, a valuable contact to have.”

If you live in an area that has the risk of flooding and want some advice or a quote for flood risk home insurance Click Here

HomeLet insurance shortlisted at the Landlord & Letting Awards

2011-10-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

We have just heard the HomeLet the long established insurance company specialist for Landlord and Tenant insurance has been shortlisted as a finalist for 2011/12 in the Insurance Services, Innovation and Provider categories of the prestigious Landlord & Letting Awards.

According to HomeLet's blog - Oliver Romain, editor of Landlord & Buy-to-Let magazine and lead judge for the Awards, commented: “The Landlord & Letting Awards are the premier nationwide private rented sector awards in the UK, and it’s great to be able to recognise and reward the best in the industry. This year’s response was phenomenal, with over 1,000 entries received across the various categories, so HomeLet has done brilliantly to be shortlisted.”

The winners for each category will be announced at a gala dinner – hosted by property investor and TV presenter Melissa Porter – being held at the Concourse Suite, Birmingham NEC, Wednesday 16 November, 2011.

John Boyle, Managing Director of HomeLet said: “We are thrilled to reach this stage in the judging process; it really is testament to our hard work and commitment. We are now just keeping our fingers crossed that we are lucky enough to walk away with a winner’s trophy on the night.”

We at jml Property Services would wish them well and hope they come home with an award this year. We have been HomeLet agents since 2003 and been displaying their products on the jml-property-insurance.co.uk website

If you are a landlord or tenant looking for rental insurance take a look at HomeLet Insurance Here

It might be the best move you have made in a while!

jml Insurance server problems 19 October 2011

2011-10-19T02:57:00.000-07:00

The server / Internet provider for jml-insurance.co.uk and jmlvillas.com is not working at the present.

Hopefully it won't be too long before BT can have this fixed. In the meantime a lot of advertisers who promote their products at jml-insurance also have them at the following sites:

http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk/

http://www.insurance4carrental.com/

Remember to buy Travel Insurance for the Half Term Holiday

2011-10-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

It is now mid October and at then of this week schools will be breaking up for half term. Only a couple of weekends ago we had very high temperatures in the south of England.

By the end of this week it will become much colder, so a great half term treat is to head off to warmer climates for a few days. You have booked the accommodation, flight, car hire, but have you remembered yout travel insurance?

So many people forget this very important purchase.

Why should I buy it?

Holiday delayed?

Missed departure?

Lost your passport?

Personal money stolen?

Damaged your ski equipment?

Personal Accident?

Abandon your holiday before you leave the UK

Catastrophe — fire, flood, earthquake or storm

Medical Emergency — Hospital — Emergency Dental Treatment

Legal Advice

Mugging

The above are just some of the reasons and remember you should check with the individual insurance company you are buying it from to find out exactly you (and your family/partner) will be covered for.

The jml Insurance website has a great selection of insurance companies advertising and covering the over 50's as well. Insurance companies offer travel insurance, winter sport insurance, financial failure insurance, emergency medical insurance and even kidnap and ransom insurance cover.

Find out more Here

Hopefully you won't need any of these, but it is essential that you are fully insured for your holiday travels

More words of praise for Neil Cook insurance broker

2011-10-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

We have just received this letter thanking Neil Cook, Insurance Broker who deals with Specialist insurance areas like Flood damage property insurance - Ex Offender insurance - Northern Ireland residents insurance and a lot more.

"Dear Neil I just wanted to say thanks for all the help you offered with our quote. It was great to have somebody enthusiastic who was able to offer a competitive quote without any hassle.

We hadn’t realised that XXXX XXX were hard to deal with in the event of a claim, of course it’s only when you come to claim that you realise exactly what any company is like, but having an individual such as yourself deal with the policy from start to finish is a huge bonus. (I hope we don’t have to make any claims in the future) Once again, thanks for your professional service and advice, it is very much appreciated. Kind regards Sue M "

Neil says "I am finding more brokers than direct clients are struggling on difficult risks if you are an insurance broker who need help with a complex risk just ask me"

And another one!

I got this client a premium of £775
"Hi Neil,

Your details were passed over to us by an existing client of yours. We've recently received a quote for our buildings and contents insurance from the same company we've used for the last two years (UK Bank).

For some reason it's more than trippled in price this year to £2,000. We've been on honeymoon and returned to this renewal price. It automatically renewed on the 1st of October but we have 14 days to cancel as part of the 'cooling off' rules. Timescales are pretty tight!

We have family that you helped who live over the road from us and they're paying much less. We were flooded in 2008 - hence the price.

Would it be possible to give me a call to discuss. Thanks John"

Contact Neil by using this link HERE

Chippen Campden flood letter

2011-10-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

A victim of the floods in Chipping Campden in the Cotswolds has sent in this letter. "Following the floods in Chipping Campden in July 2007, which affected both our house and holiday-let cottage in Park Road, we changed our insurers to NFU, who offered us very reasonable terms.

We have recently sold the cottage and were amazed to discover that the purchasers were declined flood cover by the NFU and were unable to obtain it elsewhere either. Since then, I have realised that a number of other property owners in and around Chipping Campden have a similar problem.

I am pleased to announce that I have managed to find a number of brokers who specialise in providing cover for flood-affected properties. One in particular that I would recommend is Neil Cook, Head of Specialist Risks for TR Youngs Insurance Brokers Email Here:. His motto is to offer solutions, not create problems. Watch his BBC interview about helping flood victims http://www.youtube.com/watch?y=HKjwlfOm0pk.

If you were affected by the floods and have difficulty in obtaining insurance cover on reasonable terms, I suggest that you contact Neil Cook, giving him details of your circumstances and the measures, if any, that you have taken to prevent a recurrence.

The Note from the Town Council which appears in this month’s Bulletin may also help you to obtain more favourable terms, as it lists the various remedial actions which have already been taken or are still due to be taken in this financial year. Copies can be obtained in The Old Police Station either from the Town Clerk’s office or from The Jola Glass Studio."

JNP Lettings 10 year celebration is getting under way

2011-09-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

The JNP Parnership's residential lettings office celebrates it's 10th birthday in November this year.

JNP are based in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire and the office has grown considerably since it was established by Philip Suter (in picture above in brown jacket) ten years ago. This was the second firm that Philip had established a letting department for. The first was at Frank Farr back in 1984 when he set up the lettings office in Iver in south Bucks with a second office in Beaconsfield.

Philip is still involved with JNP as a lettings consultant looking after compliance issues and the day to day running is carried out by manager Vicky Lyle. The office now has ten members of staff and manages several hundred properties in the areas. They agents are members of NALS and ARLA.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary JNP Lettings are offering landlords a 25 per cent discount on their fees. This is for the first 20 new landlords that instruct them under their Rent Collection or Full Management service *

Tenants are naturally being looked after with their own promotion. The first 50 tenants that rent via JNP Lettings will receive a 25 per cent discount off their Adminstration and Referencing costs.

* Terms and conditions apply to this and full details on the landlord and tenant offers can be found by contacting JNP Lettings - 01494 520 555

Whether you are a Landlord or Tenant don't forget to take out insurance. The jml Property Insurance websites advertise well known insurance providers like: Rentguard - Letsure - Endsleigh - HomeLet - Simple and more Click Here for details

In the meantime we will add any further news stories on the 10th anniversary of JNP Lettings to this blog

Troubles of dealing with a bank providing flood insurance services

2011-09-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Winter is on the way make sure you have proper insurance cover

We have just been sent this letter sent to Neil Cook, insurance broker.

"Since being flooded in July 2007 they have not only given me a £7500 excess, but my premiums have almost doubled. I have been trying to use my legal expenses cover to take action against the local planning department as they appear to be negligent.

XXX bank insurance said I was not covered as legal expenses had to have been in force since i have lived in the house.

Other residents in my area are pursuing claims against the local council .their insurance companies are footing the bill even if they do not have legal cover to get back what they have paid out, XXX bank are not interested .We have given the highest excess in our area even though other properties are closer to the stream. XXX bank are only interested in charging more.

By changing to Neil Cook I am saving nearly £1000 pounds on my premiums,
Many thanks for your assistance and help I will be telling all my neighbours to give you a try...

To find out how to contact Neil Click Here

Allstyles Insurance Scooter insurance now on jml Insurance site

2011-09-19T01:50:00.000-07:00

jml Property Services have been marketing T R Youngs / Allstyle Insurance products for the past few months. Specialist insurance products like Flood risk area property insurance, insurance for ex offenders, insurance for residents in Northern Ireland plus numerous commercial and domestic insurance products.

They have just added Motor Scooter insurance. Allstyles Insurance are able to provide insurance cover for most types of scooter and motorcycles from a panel of insurers which includes specialist providers for those more unusual scooters and motorbikes.

Why choose Allstyles Insurance for your Motor Insurance?With our experienced staff which has been enhanced with the recent appointment of Asa Pryke we are to extend our knowledge of these areas of insurance to help you in finding a suitable policy that covers all your needs.

This can be achieved from our panel of insurers which includes specialist insurers for those more unusual Scooters/Motorbikes / Situations.Gary Youngs (Partner) has been in the Scooter Scene for a number of years and has built up a vast knowledge of the requirements of Scooterist’s and this is reflected in the advice and service that he provides to this specialist area.

This has been further enhanced with the appointment of Asa Pryke who has over 30 years in the Motorbike Scene. Asa has a number of years experience in Motorcycle Training and again this is reflected in his advice to clients particularly in promoting the benefits of advanced Motorbike Training.

To find out more visit the Allstyles Scooters insurance page at: http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/displayproduct.php?id=381&sec=2

Do you have problems in getting Flood Insurance Cover?

2011-09-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

Neil Cook an experienced Insurance Broker has just sent this through for the jml Insurance blog.

Following the floods in Chipping Campden in July 2007, which affected both our house and holiday-let cottage in Park Road, we changed our insurers to NFU, who offered us very reasonable terms.

We have recently sold the cottage and were amazed to discover that the purchasers were declined flood cover by the NFU and were unable to obtain it elsewhere either. Since then, I have realised that a number of other property owners in and around Chipping Campden have a similar problem.

I am pleased to announce that I have managed to find a number of brokers who specialise in providing cover for flood-affected properties. One in particular that I would recommend is Neil Cook,

If you were affected by the floods and have difficulty in obtaining insurance cover on reasonable terms, I suggest that you contact Neil Cook, giving him details of your circumstances and the measures, if any, that you have taken to prevent a recurrence. The Note from the Town Council which appears in this month’s Bulletin may also help you to obtain more favourable terms, as it lists the various remedial actions which have already been taken or are still due to be taken in this financial year. Copies can be obtained in The Old Police Station either from the Town Clerk’s office or from The Jola Glass Studio.

Contact Neil Cook by Clicking Here

Ex Offenders insurance magazine The Record has just arrived

2011-08-23T05:18:00.000-07:00

The Record August 2011 edition has just been sent to me.

It is sproduced by UNLOCK the National association of Reformed Offenders.

Ex Offenders and their families often find it is difficult to get insurance according to Neil Cook a specialist insurance broker.

He says "Insurance policyholders must disclose unspent convictions within their household or risk throwing away the premium. If you support ex-offenders please highlight this to them. His associates provide fast, effective, affordable, compassionate solutions for most types of insurance for all criminal convictions, covering clients in the UK & Northern Ireland. "

Find out more Here

See the August edition of The Record Here

Unacceptable Insurance Excesses

2011-08-23T04:54:00.000-07:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker who specialises in Non Standard insurance products has just submitted the following reminders

On properties that have suffered subsidence or subsidence issues, or mining issues or historic movement

Things to note !!!!

If the subsidence excess exceeds £1500 or even, £1000 with some lenders like some Building Societies the mortgage is invalid so please do not buy policies with large subsidence excesses as you are throwing away your money Yes you should expect to pay a bit for the premium but not vastly more !

Only buy a policy that has the right excess with a guarantee that when you rent out or sell the property that the policy will continue

NEVER EVER BUY COVER WITHOUT SUBSIDENCE COVER

Just because most insurers scare the buying by saying that you cannot get cover if the house has subsidence issues don’t be forced to stick with the same mainstream insurer paying vast premiums that particularly applies to the older generation who have policies with the likes of some well known insurance companies

Please do ask our experts for a no obligation quotation WITHOUT THE NEED FOR FRESH SURVEY REPORTS OR UPFRONT SURVEY CHARGES you could be pleasantly surprised at the saving

FOR FLOOD VICTIMS OR THOSE IN HIGH RISK AREAS including those people who like in riverside houses or apartments

If you have been flooded Do expect an excess that equates to about 10% of the cost of the flood claim !

Don’t be frightened into paying high premiums and vast excesses !!!!

On properties that are in high risk flood area DO NOT PAY FOR ENVIRONMENT AGENT FLOOD REPORTS In truth an insurance specialist who understands this wont need them

Again don’t be forced into paying insane premiums

The Association of British insurers treating flood victims fairly code of practice ends in 2013

Do be prepared for some nasty surprises !!!!! it is rumoured that the typical home owner who pays about premium WILL face vast increases such is you had a typical flood claim of £50,000 expect to pay another £5000 on top of your premium for flood cover

Our specialist providers are thinking more sensibly!!

NEVER EVER BUY COVER WITHOUT FLOOD INSURANCE

To find out more CLICK HERE

Fraud 2011 Neil Cook insurance broker will be speaking at October conference

2011-08-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

Post's annual fraud conference, Fraud 2011, will be taking place on Thursday 20th October at The Millenium Hotel, Grosvenor Square, Mayfair London

Amongst the speakers Neil Cook a specialist insurance, insurance broker in the "Panel Session" in the afternoon.

For more information about this conference click on the image in the top left hand corner.

We will bring you more information after the conference from Neil Cook.

In the meantime if you are looking for specialist insurance for Flood damaged property, property in flood areas, people with criminal convictions requiring insurance or a multitude of other insurance areas use this form to contact Neil Cook

Insurance problems solved for woman whose husband is in prison

2011-08-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker who specialises in insurance for ex-offenders, kidnap and ransom travel insurance and insurance for flood victims has just sent in this report.

Had a call from a really nice lady who was having trouble getting car insurance although the husband is in prison and does not drive it is still the policyholders duty to tell the insurer!!!!!

I also asked her if she was ok about her house insurance she “Said its only a small village so her husbands conviction is common knowledge in fact her next neighbour was the insurance broker who placed the cover as he and all his staff knew”

She called me back shortly after in tears as after talking to her neighbour she found that for several years of paying the premium the broker had failed to tell her insurers so the cover was worthless

Thankfully our specialist got her cover at £8 more than she had paid !!!

If you need some advice contact Neil Cook HERE

Kidnapping in Africa

2011-08-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

The Independent’s Traveller published a small news report on Saturday 6th August 2011 saying “Warning of the week”

According to the information the Australian Government had warned of a “high threat of kidnapping against Westerners in north, west and east Africa”

Countries that are considered high risk include Kenya. The Australian Government report says that “in the past, foreigners have been kidnapped from their vehicles and road travel should be undertaken in convoy in daylight using a local guide.”

In the north west “foreigners are advised not to attend major festivals like the Tuareg Festival in the Desert and the Sahara Nights festival in northern Mali and the Tamadach Festival in Eastern Mali” (Source The Independent)

If you would like information on Kidnap and Ransom insurance please visit this web page

Flooding in Goole east Yorkshire

2011-08-04T08:16:00.001-07:00

The Guardian had a headline "Flash floods hit Yorkshire after torrential rainHomes and businesses evacuated after parts of region receive almost one month's rainfall in 12 hours" and Goole People reported that "Humberside Fire and Rescue have had a busy evening attending a number of incidents across Goole because of flooding."

The BBC News website has reported that North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire were badly affected on Wednesday, with some homes and businesses being evacuated. Humberside Fire Service received 135 calls in three hours as heavy rain fell on Goole and the aftermath left the town college closed.

According to the news report "In Goole, a residential home for the elderly and a supermarket in the town centre were among the buildings evacuated."

For more information on Flooding and Flood insurance CLICK HERE

To stop the re-offending of petty/drink/ drug related offenders

2011-08-04T00:15:00.000-07:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker who has often provided interesting information for this blog has just sent us this.

"First and foremost, I was unable to watch the channnel 4 programme, due to another "Hiccup" in my recovery of the pitfalls of life mishaps, but having took myself down to "Unlock" rehibilition of ex-offenders, as rep for ex-offenders at my local community townhall) to meet the very man himself Mr Bob Cummings,O.B.E, I was referred to by another understanding intelligent, non jugemental worker from the Minestry of Justice department, I was greeted and made very welcomed, as this visit, I took up on myself, with my own instiative to find out what " Unlock" was really about, to en power my community with information,that has given me back my self worth, self esteem, and belonging,( I was very lucky, to have a judge, probation officier, that genuinely supported me on my journey towards, getting back into society, others I have heard thru my work HAVE NOT HAD UNDERSTANDING,direction by PROFESSIONAL WORKERS IN THAT FIELD, BECAUSE OF THEIR MISHAPS OF LIFE,and being judge from the word go, from their first visit to see their probation worker who is over worked with so many clients, that they cannot give their time to only the the five minute clients who they could not care to.

I THANK GOD FOR GIVING ME BACK THAT CHANCE OF LIVING AND HELPING OTHERS) the information that Mr Cummings said two good things, that "Unlock" are independant,reason being his independant organization was managed with "Great integrity" with his staff, governed by him 1/ that he is putting his mouth where it matters, to the naughty boys and men in this country by retraining/ and giving them one -to one support, towards employment,(where others, simply pass onto a never ending countless line into the justice system or job-centres, only to be told, "Theres a good job going, Mr Bloggs, for 6-25, per hour, as a cleaner( when, Mr Bloggs/ ex-addict/ ex-offender can go and visit a major store and steal a lump of beef thats been frozen, for months on end and can get six pound, for it down the local immigrant cafe, 2/ Mr Cummings was himself "a ex- naughty boy, a long time ago, and knows what life, as a ex-offender is all about,when released into our so called "Big Society, so we both shared a very good empathy, compassion about "the real world of obstacles, an ex-offender has to face, Mr Cummings centres will be the way forward, investment worth spent,"I take my hat off to him, because his idea has not come from middle england , which im pleased to say, because they will be the first ones to tear these centres down, hoping that his centres dont work, or think "along with the acamdemics ,"LOOK, AT HIM, WHY DIDNT WE THINK OF THAT? WITH GREEN EYE JEALOUSY, OR ENVY.

After there have regained their self esteem self -worth, and fully trained as electricans and plumbers etc,His project, manly for the youth- disadvantaged,hopefully will be the "ONE" along with only a few projects, in place,

As far as the the one in Bristol project, "Yes" its good to see, but a very tuff
one in that, yes they are decreasing the crime rates, (for the time being, but the fools, who lack intelligence) dont see the finl picture, finally after thirty years, these so called" academics", at thirty five grand a year wages, the final penny has dropped!Yet another "pilot scheme of statistics to shut the cumminity councils, commitee boards, fianceirs up, so they can say produce on paper and say look, our programme is working, we have cut the crime rate down! all well and good, "good work your doing, keep going......... "how much more money do you require??? this continues till Mr Bloggs the has come off his script, has contiued to succeed his programme, with 99 percent attendance under the DDR, justice system, but the academics forget many other things...............of the "Why? reoffending occurs?

The reasons are full of..............and it is not the drugs that cause it???? the drink and drugs are a cry for help, escape, from the perils........ wait for it......... homelessness, unemployment, redundancy, c.r.b. problems, time waiting for the non-beaucratic piece of toilet paper this country has enforced us onto....... (except for serious offenders meaning child/sex/ and violent mentally ill offenders) debt....domestic violence... abuse...immigration....divorce....social services. As I said to many people...... poverty! You have to get these issues sorted before hand, before the training, schemes, prison, then its a completely waste of funding/ time....... a person that comes out of prison/ detox/ rehabs( which I believe is a complete waste of public funding, full stop!)A person is never going to be able to function while he or she has many issues, "As a experience person of the fellowship which did help me in the first nine months, to understand "Living life, on lives terms, aint that easy, when you have been years of slowly killing yourself, the destruction you have got yourself into the mental head that you are in, the mess, THATS WHERE US 25 PERCENT LOOSERS NEED THE SUPPORT OF ONE TO-ONE HELP FROM SOCIETY, THE PAID ACAMDEMICS...... HOUSING, D.H.SS, DEBT COUNSELLORS... SOCIAL SERVICES NEED TO START HAVING EDUCATION ON THESE ISSUES SURROUNDING WHY OFFENDERS KEEP OFFENDING, DRINKING ABUSE, DRUG ABUSE, are not the sole reasons behind the reoffending, it goes deeper, as Ive stated above, "One issue apart from poverty, can take any of us down that road to sin, abuse, prison, mental breakdown, it happen to us all, professional, acamdemics,the issues above in this century are the new " diseases of society today, if we as humans dont start to pull together, and start being unselfish and unjudgmental, and show more understanding, then as a grandmother our "future for our great grandchildren is doomed, forget " terroisiom,thats already been and gone and is here! The fight for education amongest us all in unity........... "I think thats what Mr Cameron means "When he talks about the "Big Society" the church leaders no-one listens to, I know why,................. but I will write about them another time

Source Neil Cook insurance broker from an ex-offender

If you would like to contact Neil Cook please CLICK HERE

Is your Policy Valid? - Insurance With An Unspent Conviction

2011-08-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker who has often provided interesting information for this blog is highlighting the issue of obtaining valid insurance with an unspent conviction. After speaking with several groups of reformed offenders recently, it is clear to him that many people are not declaring their unspent convictions when taking out insurance.

“What I am hearing so often is that people with an unspent conviction are confused about what they need to declare to their insurance provider”

When a conviction becomes spent is controlled by Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974(ROA). Under these regulations prison sentences over two and a half years never become “spent”.

Neil went on to say, “The problem is two-fold. First are those people who have never been clearly asked about their unspent convictions by the insurance agencies.

“The second problem is people are not declaring when asked because they believe they will not be able to obtain affordable insurance. Approaching the mainstream insurance companies, this is often the case.”

Insurance contracts operate under the principle of “good faith” which puts the responsibility of declaring “material fact” such as unspent convictions, directly on to the policyholder. By not correctly declaring all unspent convictions, intentionally or not, policies are effectively worthless.

“If you are not sure if you have informed your insurance provider about all unspent convictions, it is worth double checking the policy to ensure all unspent convictions are listed and your insurance is valid. Discovering that the policy is void on claiming is too late.” said Neil.

Declaring all material facts at the outset is best practice, even if the insurance company does not directly ask about specific unspent criminal convictions. While declaring unspent criminal convictions does make obtaining insurance more difficult, there are specialist insurance brokers who can provide affordable policies.

If you need to Contact Neil Cook, then Click Here please

Subsidence Property Insurance - a letter from a client

2011-07-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

Neil Cook a specialist insurance broker for properties in flood risk areas, properties suffering from subsidence and clients trying to source insurance who have criminal records has just sent us the following.

"I am/was in the process of buying a property in Worcestershire. It is c 1820 and very obviously had a tie bar through it. The survey from the last sale of the property 2 years ago said that all of the settlement was historic and so I wasn't expecting any problems. My own surveyor didn't agree and believed that some of the issues were historic and some were recent/ongoing. I then commissioned a structural engineer who agrees with my surveyor. He has given me his verbal report and I will get the written one on Friday or Saturday morning.

The word "subsidence" hasn't been used yet - just "movement" and "settlement" but I wouldn't be shocked if the more dreaded S word cropped up. He is recommending underpinning of a very small area at the front of the property, another tie bar and some helibars.

I intend to do the work if I decide to go ahead with the house sale. I am in the fortunate position that I have somewhere else to live so can have the work done in an empty house before I move in. The major issue for me is insurance. I am not aware of any previous claims at all but I know that I obviously have to be completely honest with the position to ensure that any policy I have is valid in the case of anything going wrong. If the cost is prohibitive I will pull out of the sale.

I clearly need a broker as I absolutely have to get this right; internet research keeps throwing up your name so I hope you don't mind me contacting you.

I assume you would be able to help me? What are your fees please and how long would it take to get a quote once I supply you with the relevant documentation? I can't do the work before I own the property so I need two quotes really - one for pre work and post work. Is that possible? The property is currently insured with (name removed), but is clearly being insured on the basis that the settlement is historic; that was true as far as the vendor is concerned but I now know different.

Time wise I'm beginning to struggle. I've put the conveyancing on hold as I won't proceed with this until I know whether I can afford the insurance. It may not be as bad as I fear but I want to know that before rather than after I'm legally committed to the purchase.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible."

Neil tells us "I got her a quote within 5 mins before the office even opened the premium was 50% less than any other specialist provider offered"

To contact Neil Please click here

Furnished flat to let between Slough and Maidenhead

2011-07-23T03:14:00.001-07:00

Available in just over a month, the 27th August 11, to be accurate.

Located at Cippenham in a delightful development - Burnham Gate, this super 2nd floor apartment is being marketed by local letting agents Staples and King.

Conveniently between Slough and Maidenhead, just off the A4 and a short distance to the M4 motorway. Slough Business Trading Estate is very close by. The property is furnished...all you need is crockery cutlery, cooking equipment, bedding, TV, computer and food!

Entrance hall with wood laminate flooring and entry phone. Living room with wood laminate flooring sofa and dining table and blinds. Kitchen with a range of modern units - fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, microwave, dishwasher, electric cooker and tiled flooring. Bathroom with tiled flooring, bath with shower, WC and basin. Double bedroom with wardrobe, double bed, chest of drawers, wood laminate flooring and blinds.

There is an attic providing plenty of storage space. The apartment is double glazed and has electric heating. Plenty of parking, communual gardens

Find out more Here and arrange a viewing with Staples and King

Property owners in Harvington, Evesham, Worcs

2011-07-22T09:46:00.001-07:00

Information supplied to a specialist insurance broker dealing with property insurance in flood risk areas.

"A month or so ago we attended a workshop, hosted by our District Council, for property owners in our area (Harvington, Evesham) who had suffered from flash flooding in the past. DEFRA had agreed a limited fund for individual flood barriers and a lady was present who was advising on the range of products available.

We had an interesting chat with her and during the conversation the extortionate cost of our househould insurance was mentioned. She, in turn, handed us your business card ** and recommended your services as she had used them in the past.

Our annual combined buildings/contents insurance is costing £2,000 (as at October 2010) plus a £5,000 excess for flood damage - all of which seems absolutely excessive.. We have already spent in excess of £20K on flood prevention measures."

** Insurance broker information was Neil Cook - Contact him HERE

Essential Travel warns that 40% of Holidaymakers Embark on Water Sports Without Checking Insurance

2011-07-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

Friday 22nd July 2011

Leading online travel essentials provider, Essential Travel has launched a summer water sports safety campaign after research revealed that 40% of holidaymakers indulge in water sports activities abroad without checking if they have adequate insurance first.

Essential Travel’s “Sea Sense” campaign, which is being fronted by British Kite Surfing Champion, Kirsty Jones, encourages sun-seekers to plan ahead by offering 10% off all travel insurance policies.

Every year there are numerous reports of water related accidents from jet ski, and para-sailing to scuba accidents. Stuart Bensusan of Essential Travel comments: “Often people on holiday throw caution to the wind when actually it’s the time to be most vigilant.”

In a recent in-house survey conducted by the travel insurance specialist, 40% of customers admitted to embarking on dangerous water sports activities while abroad without knowing if they had sufficient insurance.

In addition 56% confessed that they had been caught up in the holiday spirit and taken part in an unplanned water sports activity, demonstrating that it’s not just those who go on pre-planned water sports holidays who need to think about cover.

Bensusan, continued: “This is an incredible risk to take if you consider that the accident rate to UK citizens traveling abroad has doubled in the past 4 years with water sports being one of the main culprits.

“We are trying to encourage consumers to really think about the risks involved in undertaking water activities abroad.

“Many policies are invalidated if the correct equipment isn’t worn or when alcohol has been consumed. Many also don’t realize that if they are taking part in a sporting activity numerous times during their holiday they may need to increase their sports cover level.”

Even experts aren’t immune from accidents. Last year saw Britain’s Kite Surfing Champion, Kirsty Jones, save thousands of pounds after a serious kite surfing accident in Mauritius which rendered her with an operation for reconstructive surgery on her knee.

Jones comments “As a professional athlete one of my greatest fears has always been injury. Whether a beginner or an experienced water sports enthusiast, Sea Sense is about having respect for the ocean, elements, other water users and your own limitations. This means pausing to observe, think and acknowledge when the conditions seem too dangerous for you. Sometimes courage is about having the strength and sense to hold back, respecting the ocean instead of trying to fight with it.”

Lynda St Cooke from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “Check the small print of your travel insurance policy to be sure that it covers all water sports activities. It’s all too easy to make a spur of the moment decision to hop on a jet-ski or hire a boat for the day, and realise too late that you’re not covered. Then you risk extortionate medical bills if something goes wrong. We see many cases of British nationals who have ended up saddled with a massive debt at the end of their holiday because their policy didn’t cover them for the activities they took part in. Visit http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel for more information on travel insurance and preparing for a holiday abroad.”

Essential Travel has launched a Sea Sense microsite in a bid to educate consumers about the potential risks involved. The site includes interviews with water sporting professionals such as Will Hayler, founder of the Ticket to Ride Group and championship Kite Surfer, Kirsty Jones. There is also the opportunity to win free kite surfing lessons with Kirsty Jones which will be hosted at the Ticket to Ride Surf Academy in Perranporth.

About EssentialTravel.co.uk
Established in 2001, EssentialTravel.co.uk is one of the UK's leading online travel essentials companies. The core products offered include competitively priced, fully comprehensive travel insurance; airport car parking; airport lounge access; airport hotels; car hire; and car hire excess insurance.

Essential Travel is now part of Thomas Cook UK & Ireland.

Essential Travel's Travel Insurance is promoted at jml Insurance Here

Essential Trave's Car Hire Excess Insurance is promoted at insurance4carrental.com Here

A busy week for a specialist insurance broker

2011-07-20T08:42:00.001-07:00

Neil Cook a specialist insurance broker who covers subject that many consumers have difficulty in obtaining insurance for like Flood damage property or Ex offenders insurance sent us details of a typical week at work.

Enquiries he had by phone, email and letter and from the web:

Lady’s house was worthless as she could not flood cover

Wealthy gentleman who suffered 2 major floods spent a fortune on defences but his insurers refused to help.

A long established vets practice in Morpeth that had suffered flood claims in excess of £1m they could not get any insurance so the business was on the brink of closure as well as making 100 unemployed the impact on the farming community and local pet owners would devastating we got them cover and saved the business as well in fact saving them a lot of money.

Father in prison for major offence needed vacant property cover

Thriving business could not get cover due to convictions

Had been refused cover as in flood plain in Wales

Could not get flood cover as in possible flood plain

Pub with poor claims history

Electrician who is bankrupt

Could not get cover for let flat due to conviction saved him £200

In prison needed cover for his flat

In flood plain

• Had hell on earth after 2 flood claims KESWICK
• 78 years old
• Lives in Bungalow
• Quibbling going on over accommodation costs
• Refusal of help towards R&R even though customer paying
• Had to wait an extra week for driers as Rainbow, although inquired, were told not to put theirs in
• Good surveyor who identified sensible R&R and suggested what could be done at owners cost
• Insurance Builder quoted ridiculous price, said it wouldn’t work, and suggested that he wanted to sleep at night, his boss on the other hand would be pleased at gaining an expensive job

Could not get liability cover due to conviction

Could not get cover due to previous flood

Could not get affordable cover due being in flood plain

Flood victims who’s insurer broke the ABI CODE & did not offer renewal

71 yr old gent in Grimsby was flooded his insurers made a drama out of the claim then increased his premium vastly to £750 with a £4000 flood excess I placed cover at £500 with a £2500 flood excess

67 yr lady hellish experience after being flooded I almost halved the premium

Could not get cover due to boyfriends conviction

Could not cover due to conviction

Could not get cover as flooded

In hull & flooded

Lady in USA wanted cover for UK holiday home in flood plain

Pub that had several claims could not get cover again

Who cannot buy or sell their homes although they have never flooded they are deemed in be wrongly in high risk post codes even if the house is at the top of a hill

Gentleman who could not get cover on his luxury riverside pad as it was on the river bank

Gentleman wrongly accused of sexual assault after being asked to help an a female colleague to get an ink stain off her arm her top got accidently wet and he got nicked

An honest hard working disabled mother she even reported her son when he was younger for breaking a window the son was arrested for trying to fend off an attack by his less than sane ex girlfriend

Gentleman could not buy his dream house as it had been flooded and no normal insurer would cover it

This is only part of the week..... If you would like to contact Neil Cook, please follow this link http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/contactTRYoungs.php

Insurance for ex offenders

2011-07-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

Ex offenders and their families often have a lot of difficulty in obtaining insurance and specialist insurance brokers will receive emails saying explaining their individual problems.

This article offers a sample of these and all reference to the sender has been removed.

“ We require home insurance for a client with GBH conviction”

“I have a recent criminal conviction act and have a 24 month community supervision order”

“I require a quote for contents insurance on my rented property please. My partner has a criminal conviction and served two and a half months in prison in 2009, so we are finding it difficult to find a reasonable quote”

“I need public liability insurance for my business, I am a self employed painter/decorator with a conviction of theft and perverting the course of justice”

"I am looking for third party fire and theft motorcycle insurance and have a custodial sentence of four years and I served two”

“I urgently need buildings insurance for a property I am buying jointly with
my daughter which will be occupied by her and two other students who will be
paying rent. I have not made a claim on buildings or contents insurance for
over 21 years. I do not have a criminal convictions nor does my daughter, however my husband received a 5 year prison sentence for fraud in 1996 and as a result I have been refused insurance on several occasions and am having problems obtaining it now. Can you offer me cover?”

You could say following research by a major insurance specialist who wishes to put right the wrongs in the insurance industry

If you thought the issue over banks and financial institutions miss selling Payment Protection Insurance was appalling or the “late” News of The World was horrendous a crime committed every minute of the day by those major insurance companies who sell you cover through call centres or online is far far worse!

According to a respected charity there are an estimated 7 million ex offenders in the UK which accounts to one in five of the adult population of the UK including Northern Ireland assuming that most people (including their family) have typically 3 insurance policies so that’s over 20 million policies that have been under false pretences by online insurers who fail to correctly ask/advise the policyholder that they must disclose criminal convictions also the problem is not helped by ex offender support agencies who fail badly by not highlighting this fact to their clients.

It is he duty of the policyholder, whether or not they are asked by the insurer to disclose any unspent criminal conviction also there is no harm disclosing any spent convictions too ensure everything is correct. Sadly those online insurers are more interested in grabbing the premium that actually treating customers fairly please pleas do not fall into this trap ! When you buy car or vehicle insurance you may just be asked if you have any motoring convictions as sadly that’s all the call centre staff are programmed to ask

In all honesty if you have convictions and have brought a policy and have not correctly disclosed criminal convictions you have wasted your money you will not be paid and insurers can have you prosecuted for attempted fraud to avoid paying claims or also report you to the police for having no insurance to avoid motor claims.

If you are looking for ex offenders insurance please take a look at this page http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=83&sec=16

Flood damaged Property Insurance might soon be needed again

2011-07-19T23:16:00.001-07:00

The UK has seen a relatively dry summer in 2011; however the wet weather of the last few days brings back concerns for numerous home owners across the country about heavy rainfall and flooding.

An independent specialist insurance broker has been receiving a lot of enquiries this year from property owners and below are a selection outlying their questions.

“We would be very grateful if you could call us as soon as possible. We live in a detached £825,000 property near Stratford upon Avon and are looking for buildings and contents insurance. The rebuild cost insured is £580,000. We have a clean claims record.

Like one of the testimonials left by one of your customers, we have recently found out that our present insurer is withdrawing from the insurance market and our policy expires shortly. The property in which we live is not in a flood plain, but has a drainage ditch which flooded due to a blocked culvert in the 2007 floods.

I want to buy a house that is near the River Thames but no one will insure us

The previous owners made a claim for this in 2007. It is not in a flood risk area but, due to the claim we have found that many high street names will not offer us replacement insurance. The previous owners also made a claim of £650 for what was suspected to be subsidence but turned out to be an old crack in the skin of the wall due to seasonal shrinkage in the clay soil. Drainage work at a cost of £650 was carried out and the problem was resolved. No further evidence of movement has appeared. We would be very grateful if you could give us a ring. Many thanks”

We live in a wonderful river side house on the Thames the garden leads down to the river it’s a superb property although there is a considerable slope to the river which stops any possible flood ever reaching the river we were forced to pay astronomical premiums without flood cover until we found a true specialist without flood cover we could not continue with our mortgage and the home was worthless in addition we have a riverside flat in Chelsea although this is built on huge pilings above the River Thames we could not get cover for that either

We are looking at purchasing a property in Boscastle, North Cornwall. Before proceeding, we would like a quote for holiday home insurance (buildings and contents) and although this area is known previously for it\'s flooding, we have heard favourable reports about your insurance cover. The property is a 2 bedroom apartment. It would be appreciated if you could give us an indication of the insurance premium before we proceed”

“We need building and contents insurance as we are looking at buying a property that was damaged by flooding in 2007”

I live near the Dartford crossing in Kent, about a mile to the left of my house is the river Thames as that is about 150 feet below the house it will never flood my house ! To the right of my property is a small stream the River Cray its over 300 yards from the house BUT its over a hundred foot below the level of my house and there are five rows of houses between me and river no normal insurer will talk to me ! the issue is that although the flood maps are checked they are 2 dimensional and no normal insurer has the sense to to look at the lay of the land and see that I am on the top of a hill that happens throughout the whole country with out cover I cannot get a mortgage so the house is un salable and worthless.

If you are about to renew your property’s insurance and found that your insurance provider has increased the premium dramatically because you live in a flood area, or the property is located in a “Post Code Zone” that has flooding even though yours is not affected, OR you if you were insured with the insurer National Insurance and Guarantee who withdrew from the market last year and no one else wants to help you get cover again

The Environment Agency has an excellent mapping site that you can find out if you are within a “flood” area.
http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?x=531500.0&y=181500.0&topic=floodmap&ep=map&scale=3&location=London,%20City%20of%20London&lang=_e&layerGroups=default&textonly=off

For more information on insurance for Flood damaged property follow this link http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=81&sec=1

Problem property building and contents insurance solved in high risk flood area post code Zone

2011-07-18T05:49:00.000-07:00

Having lived at in our property for 30 years, I thought we had overcome all the obstacles until this year when I tried to re new our buildings and contents insurance!

Nothing has ever gone smoothly with our property since we discovered we had purchased what is known as a non standard construction pre-fab when trying to modernise it!

It was made from asbestos and bricked round. A lot of it has now been removed but there is still some left.

I have always been honest about this to our insurers and never had too much of a problem but this year they would no longer cover me and it turns out it was nothing to do with the property but our postcode as it is in a high risk flood area!

We have never had a claim for anything,and never seen floods here, so this shocked me.

The broker found me a new insurance but our contents alone went up by £300!

So I decided to do my own research and contacted numerous well known insurance companies plus trawled the internet ( hence how I discovered Neil! ) and found that most would not consider us and some would cover us for one not both of our problems!

Also if they did consider us it was a very hefty payment!

So I had almost given up and decided after all these years we would have to just risk having no insurance but it didnt sit well with me and caused a lot of anxiety.

I made contact with Neil after putting into a search engine, problems getting household insurance, and started to feel hopeful again.

He rang me very promptly and was so reassuring that he would find us insurance I knew I could relax at last!

I had to send him some photos of our house to satisfy the insurance company but it was all straight forward after that,our insurance premium has gone up by £200 but the excess is still the same and he halved the quote from our original broker so we are more than happy!

All I can say is thank goodness for Neil because he knew exactly how to deal with this and it was a great weight off my mind!

I will certainly be recommending Neil and TR Youngs to people as I am sure there will be alot more people I know with similar problems!

The above information has been sent to Neil Cook of TR Youngs Insurance Brokers by one of their clients. If you live in an area that is classified as a "Flood Area" either by post code or the possibility of flooding and need insurance, you can contact TR Youngs Here

Find out more about Flood insurance Here

Subsidence Claims

2011-07-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Subsidence can be classified as the downward movement of the ground beneath a building's foundations. It can be caused by a number of factors, which become more or less likely based on your geographical location. Regardless of what type of subsidence you encounter, finding that it is affecting your home can be extremely disconcerting (for you and your house insurance subsidence prospects).

Read on...... Subsidence Claims

Professional Indemnity Insurance why do I need it?

2011-06-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you are advising clients in any field you should think about purchasing a Professional Indemnity Insurance policy. In some cases such as Insurance Brokers and Solicitors the cover is compulsory and therefore must be purchased prior to trading.

There are two types of Professional indemnity insurance policies sold.

"Any One Claim" and "Aggregated" these are defined as:

If the limit is ‘any one claim’ this means that the most that the insurer will pay out per claim is the limit specified. You could have several claims in the same policy period and whilst each would be subject to the specified limit there would be no overall limit.
If the policy is on an ‘aggregate’ basis then the limit is the maximum that will paid out in the policy period irrespective of the number of claims you may have.
Limits of professional indemnity insurance differ according to each and every trade, and sometimes the difference between the lowest levels is not that much.

Cover is available for:

Professional negligence, such as making a mistake in a piece of work for a client, or giving them poor advice
Unintentional breach of confidentiality and or copyright
Loss of documents or data
Defamation and libel

Examples of companies that need this cover are:

Accountants
Bookkeepers
Solicitors
Insurance Brokers
Teachers
Trainers
Designers, Internet & Graphic
Printers
Estate Agents
Lettings Agencies
Town planners
Engineers
Independant Financial Advisors
Consellors
Health and Safety consultants
Chartered Surveyors
Construction companies
Auditors
Architects
First Aiders
Acoustic consultants
Fire & Security Consultants
Publishers
SEO Marketing Consultants
Mortgage Brokers

Source: Dave Burn who is an insurance broker

Looking for Professional indemnity Insurance? Take a visit to the jml insurance website and see the advertisement pages for Professional indemnity Insurance companies; http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=45&sec=9

Insurance for Subsidence and Underpinning in Coal Mining Areas

2011-06-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

We have found that there are a number of Coal Mining areas in the UK that have suffered from Subsidence and underpinning. These areas are not uninsurable and we can help to find you the relevant cover for Subsidence Insurance and Underpinning insurance.

As most of the works have been paid for by the National Coal Board the work on these premises tends to be very well done and insurers in some cases are happy to take on the houses.

Subsidence is caused in mining areas by land slip and land heave, this is normally dealt with by underpinning of the property.

If your mortgage company asks for a mining report it means your postcode has had some mining in the local area. Shafts may still run miles down below the ground and maybe under the properties around there.

The main areas effected are; County Durham, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Kent and Lancashire, south Wales, also various parts of Scotland.

Obtaining insurance in these parts of the UK has been difficult but we now have the solution.

Source: Dave Burn who is an insurance broker

Looking for property Insurance? Take a visit to the jml insurance websites and see the advertisement pages for specialist property insurance companies;

Visit http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk/Property_insurance.htm or http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/products.php?id=1

HomeLet launches Rental Price Index

2011-06-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

HomeLet, the UK’s leading provider of tenant referencing and specialist insurance to the lettings industry, has launched its own Rental Price Index.

It is the most detailed report on the sector to date and reveals information never seen before, including tenant age, demographics and actual rental prices in each UK region.

The first report shows the average age of tenants has increased every year since 2008This is because first time buyers are staying on the rental market as they are unable to purchase their own home. Coupled with a decrease in the percentage of younger tenants who are forced to stay at home due to the turbulent economy, means the age of the average UK tenant has slowly gone up.

Read on here HomeLet launches Rental Price Index

Tourists warned that some car hire companies still charge an excess even with their top-up cover says Protectyourbubble

2011-06-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

Tourists warned that some car hire companies still charge an excess even with their top-up cover says Protectyourbubble

HomeLet Insurance Warns Landlords of their Obligations

2011-05-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

HomLet the Landlord and Tenant insurance specilaist has just sent out it's May newsletter to agents.

One of the topics that took my eye was their comment about the great weather that many have been experiencing, especially in south east England recently and some of the possible perils summer brings?

• If a window cleaner, gardener or tenant injures themselves on your property, are you covered if they sue you?
• Do you have expensive garden furniture and BBQ’s in your garden?
• Do you have emergency assistance cover if a disaster at your property was to happen this summer?

No one wants to dwell on the worst, but as a conscientious landlord you must prepare for these possible eventualities. Often putting something right after a disaster is much more costly and difficult than being prepared.

Many people will be aware of specialist landlord’s insurance tailored specifically for rental properties, but when HomeLet conducted some independent research with landlords, they discovered a massive 73%* of landlords with more than six properties are not aware of specialist landlord insurance and could have substandard cover.

If you would like information about specialist landlord’s insurance from HomeLet please click here

Flooding Memphis as Mississipi River crested 48ft in USA

2011-05-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

(Left: The height of the Mississipi River just outside New Orleans in late May 2011 photo jml Property services)

There has been very serious flooding in Memphis, a southern US city in the state of Tennessee this week. According to media reports, the Mississippi River has peaked at just under 48ft / 14.6m.

In February 1937 it peaked at the record height of 48.7ft.

Last week a relative was driving through Graceland, the famous home of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley and there was a great deal of rain when he was in the area.

Heavy winters in the upper midwest and an extremely wet April – with 600% more rain than normal in some southern states – have turned 2011 into a season of floods along the Mississippi’s 2,320-mile route.There were tremendous snowfalls in the Rockies last December. When the snow melted, the water flowed into the rivers that drain into the Mississippi.

After this all the clearing up has to be done. Sounds like floods in the Tewkesbury area in 2007....but on a much larger scale.

If you live in the UK or Ireland and want more information on insurance for flood effected property, Visit http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk/Flood_Insurance_jml.htm

One in three students meet the love of their life at university

2011-05-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

Endsleigh insurance issued a Press Release just before the recent Royal Wedding "80% of uni students think they will be ‘the next Will and Kate’"

A new survey by specialist student insurance provider Endsleigh reveals that over two thirds (80%) of university students past and present have, or think they will meet the love of their life at university - just like Prince William and Kate Middleton.

According to the survey, British universities are hotbeds of romance as well as academia. One in three (35%) of all respondents say they did meet the love of their life at university, while another 45% expect to meet their significant other.

For many students living away from home for the first time, university represents a chance to meet their first ever love – Endsleigh’s results show that 36% say that they think they will, or already have met them. However, not all respondents are as optimistic about love at university – two fifths (39%) of respondents have suffered (or expect to suffer) a broken heart.

Perhaps surprisingly, the most romantic region in the UK wasn’t Scotland, where Prince William and Kate Middleton famously fell in love, but the Midlands. The results show that 66% of current students from universities including Coventry, Birmingham, Loughborough and Nottingham Trent say they have, or will find the love of their lives.

Vicki O’Connell, Communications Manager at Endsleigh said:
“In the spirit of the Royal Wedding we asked students and graduates whether, like Prince William and Kate, they found their other half at university. Our survey shows that plenty of students are finding romance, as well as furthering their careers, at university.

“But sadly not all these couples will live happily ever after like the Prince and his Princess. The results show that many students may have to kiss a number of frogs before they find ‘The One’. As number one student insurer we pride ourselves on protecting cherished possessions, but sadly we can’t insure against a broken heart. We can make sure that your treasured iPod to play your love songs is safe though!”

Notes about this News Release from Endsleigh Insurance

Endsleigh’s Royal Wedding survey was conducted in early April 2011 and received 213 responses from students and graduates.

Endsleigh is the trusted brand for student insurance, and the only insurance provider recommended by NUS. Originally founded in 1965 to serve the student market, Endsleigh has since broadened its products and services for graduates and professionals, as well as being the preferred insurance supplier for a variety of trade unions and professional organisations. The company offers a wide range of services including motor, home and travel insurance.

Endsleigh also offers business insurance through Endsleigh’s Business team and financial advice through Endsleigh Financial Advice team.

Find out more at http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk/Endsleigh__insurance_Products.htm

HomeLet win Silver Award for the Supplier of the Year category at the Estate and Letting Agent Awards - ESTAS

2011-04-19T23:25:00.001-07:00

HomeLet the Landlord and Tenant rental property insurance company have won the Silver Award for the Supplier of the Year category at the Estate and Letting Agent Awards - ESTAS.

According to a HomeLet insurance representative "The list of suppliers up for the award started in the hundreds, so this is a great honour, especially because the award is based on feedback from our customers. I’d like to thank you very much if you took the time to vote for us and provide your feedback."

The Gold award was won by - Mortgage Advice Bureau and and the Bronze by Key Agent.

There were four categories Estate Agents - Lettings Agents - Supplier of the year - Individual Awards

The Estate Agent and Lettings Agent category was divided into regions in the UK.

Under the Individual Awards - the following were Highly Commended - Emily Kisten, Sales Co-ordinator Charters Estate Agents.

Ailsa Mather, Office Relocation Manager Northumbria & Cumbria

Pauline To, Director To Lettings

Jo Wheeler, Director Wheelers Estate Agents

Hannah White, Lettings Manager Jacksons Balham

If you are looking for an award winning rental property insurance as Landlord or Tenant from HomeLet find out more by following this link - http://homeletuk.com/cgi-bin/alpha.cgi?agentschemeno=1501435

Flood victim testimonials are still flooding in

2011-04-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

Neil Cook an Insurance Brooker working with Allstyles Insurance / T R Youngs Insurance Brokers has just sent us these two client testimonials.

My contact with Mr. Neil Cook has been a professional one and related to recent attempts to arrange insurance for my property.

The task was very challenging since a flood in September 2008 resulted in insurance companies which I had used for over 40 years, withdrawing their cover.

Mr. Cook’s advice and efforts have led to me obtaining appropriate cover for both “Buildings” and “Contents”.

Throughout the process, Mr. Cook has dealt with me in a clear and informed professional manner.

I have no hesitation in recognizing his commitment and will be forever grateful for the outcome he has negotiated.

MRS AP of Ulverston

From MR AF .

In April 2009 our house insurance with A... one of the countries biggest insurance companies- for building and contents together was around £150.00. Then in November 2009 our house in was quite badly flooded along with a lot of other houses in the area. The flooding was preventable as it was backed up street drains, it appears now that we are paying the price for the neglect of the council, utilities and environment agencies whose job it is to keep all drains and waterways maintained. A lot of houses in the area, no matter how far away from the original flood site they happen to be are getting large house insurance quotes.

When last year's insurance was due it had gone up more than 100% to £437.00 as building work on the house was still in full swing. I thought that was high but I paid it and thought this years quote would be around the same perhaps with a higher flood excess. How wrong we were it came in at £1868.00 with a regular excess of £100.00 so I rang my broker to explain that we were having flood defences fitted and that we were willing to pay a higher excess for flood damage, but they still wouldn’t bring down the premium. I went on Google and hunted for insurance companies who will take on high risk customers but as soon as we mentioned we had been flooded and had made a large claim they ran a mile.

We were at the end of our tether as our house insurance was due on the 12th April, then we spoke to a neighbour and she had been in the same boat, she put me in touch with Neil Cook, what a wonderful sympathetic and helpful man. As soon as we mentioned our predicament he said no problem took a few details and came up with a great deal.

A.... and all the other large well known insurance companies seem to have us over a barrel as these are the ones we all turn to, but when you really need they‘re help they run a mile and leave you in the @”#@”.

If they class themselves as insurance they should help everyone whatever they’re circumstance. Some people are loyal to these companies for many years and when they really need help they turn they’re backs on them. People can’t afford these huge premiums, no wonder so many people now have no house insurance.

Neil Cook and his colleague Dave Burn at T R Youngs Insurance also specialise in insurance services for Northern Ireland.

County Antrim was badly flooded in 2008 when a series of flash floods occurred across the island of Ireland in August that year.

Apart from insurance for flood affected property they also offer ex offender household insurance, shop insurance and business insurance.

Find out more Here

A testimonial for flood cover insurance

2011-04-06T00:54:00.001-07:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker who specialises in flood insurance problems has just sent us in this letter he has received from a client.

"As i have previously said we received our renewal for the house insurance it had doubled from £300 to £600, we phoned A.... and they said that the underwriters had identified our house as being in a flood risk area as identified by SEPA this week. SO THEY EXCLUDED FLOOD COVER.

We tried C..... and everything was OK until they asked if we were in a flood risk area we said it had just been declared a flood risk area. They said they could not insure us as we could not guarantee them that we will not be flooded.

How can we foretell that, so there happened to be a meeting by SEPA and the Flood Forum this week locally to explain to residents why we were on the list of houses identified and they gave me your number. By the way there were only 7 people turned up for the meeting. I guess they haven't received their renewals yet!!! Neil got us cover at £430 with full flood cover

If you are looking for insurance in a flood risk area Visit http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=83&sec=16 at the jml-insurance site and contact one of those companies advertising.

Please see Neil Cook's BBC interview about helping flood victims http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKjwlfOm0pk

Walpole Road Cippenham Flat to let

2011-04-01T23:15:00.001-07:00

REVISED RENTAL PRICE £635pcm Staples and King letting agents in Cippenham Berks are marketing this first floor furnished apartment in the very smart Burnham Gate development. Conveniently situated between Maidenhead and the Slough Trading Estate that is the home to companies like IG and O2 the property offers the following: Entrance hall with wood laminate flooring and entry phone. Living room with wood laminate flooring sofa and dining table and blinds. Kitchen with fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, microwave, electric cooker and range of units and tiled flooring. Bathroom with tiled flooring, bath with shower, WC and basin. Large double bedroom with wardrobe, double bed, wood laminate flooring and blinds The apartment is double glazed and has electric heating. There are excellent parking facilities and communual gardens. It is available now at £635 pcm. Details from Staples and King Here

Regret this accommodation is only one bedroom, so not suitable for children.

Smokers no problem as long as they and their rfriends do not smoke inside the property

Pets: Unfortunately the block managers do not allow pets to live in these flats

Flood victims in Cumbria may not be able to get insurance cover

2011-03-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

Some 1,925 homes and businesses in Carlisle were flooded in January 2005.

Keswick, Cockermouth and Appleby were also hit in 2005 and bore the brunt of the November 2009 floods that affected 2,064 homes and businesses across Cumbria.

An agreement between the insurance industry and the Government has meant that insurers of these properties have continued to offer buildings’ cover, provided the flood risk is no worse than once-in-75 years.

This agreement expires in June 2013 and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) will not continue it. Some companies may decide not to cover flood-prone properties, forcing their customers to look elsewhere. That could mean a hefty increase in premiums – if people can find an insurer at all. ABI spokesman Malcolm Tarling said: “The agreement was only intended to be a short-term measure while the Government put a flood-prevention strategy in place. There comes a time when we feel it cannot be renewed any further.” He admitted that some insurers may withdraw from covering flood-hit homes after 2013. But he added: “That’s a situation we want to avoid and our members want to avoid, and we are in discussions with government to see if we can avoid it.

“Insurers want to continue to make flood insurance as widely available as possible. However, in many countries in Europe flood insurance is an added extra – in this country it isn’t.” Carlisle has been protected by £38m of flood defences built by the Environment Agency since 2005. These held good in November 2009 when there was widespread flooding in Cumbria. Even so, insurers may still be nervous about offering cover because of the risk of surface-water flooding. This is caused when drains cannot cope after heavy rain.

An Environment Agency report, Flooding in England, estimates that more properties are at risk from surface-water flooding than from rivers or the sea. The problem is worse in urban areas. Malcolm Ward, a chartered insurance broker in Carlisle, believes there will be a problem in 2013. He said: “Some companies have only continued cover until now because of the government agreement. “When the agreement ends some will say, ‘we will not continue’. There is no contractual obligation for insurance companies to offer a renewal.”

Mr Ward said that one client, whose home in St Aidan’s Road in Carlisle was flooded in 2005, has already had a 20 per cent increase in premiums this year. Another who went shopping for a better deal found he was offered a policy that excluded flood cover. Mr Ward added: “If a house or a commercial property cannot get flood cover, then it virtually becomes unsaleable because any mortgage lender will insist on it.”

Source: Dave Burn

Looking for insurance for properties in Cumbria and other parts of the UK that can have and have had flood problems? Find out more HERE

Flood Insurance Products March 2011

2011-03-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

With the high possibility of Flooding occuring in the UK in 2011, insurance broker Neil Cook has supplied us with information on flood defence equipment and a lot more. Full details can be found on the jml-property-insurance.co.uk site by following the link below.

Flood Insurance Products March 2011

Mother of a ex-prisoner trying to obtain home insurance

2011-03-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker has just sent us in this letter he has received from a client.

"With our son due home from prison in 10 weeks time and our home insurance is due for renewal, I thought the prefect time to call them to advise he will be moving in.

My current insurer declined any cover. After hours of trawling the internet, repeating the answers to the same questions. I still hadn't found a insurance company to cover our home.

I kept thinking how do people in the same situation obtain cover for their homes!!!!!

I then found a link on the web site that provided us with a list of insurance companies that maybe able to help.

Yet still none of them would provide cover. I then called Neil Cook "oh why was his name not at the top of the list"

He provided us with a quote and set up our policy hassle free.

After having home insurance for 43 years without having any problems it came as a shock to come up against so many brick walls.

Thankfully after Neil's help it was sorted in approx 10 mins.

Thank-you Neil Yours -Mrs B"

If you or a family member have a criminal record you no longer have to fear the insurance industry. There are companies out there who can help.

Visit http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=83&sec=16 at the jml-insurance site and contact one of those companies advertising.

Protectyourbubble.com insurance products back on line again at JML

2011-03-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Following a technical glitch, the Protectyourbubble insurance products are once again being promoted on www.insurance4carrental.com and www.jml-insurance.co.uk web sites.

Car hire excess insurance is advertised on the insurance4carrental.com site and as well as car hire excess insurance, pet insurance and life insurance are promoted at jml-insurance.co.uk

To find out more about car hire excess insurance from Protectyourbubble.com Click Here - Life Insurance - Click Here and Pet Insurance - Click Here

Irish house prices could fall 13.4% in 2011 so it is a good time to invest in Ireland

2011-03-20T00:47:00.001-07:00

The St Patrick's day (17th March 2011) edition of the Irish Times had a headline "House prices call fall 13.4% in 2011 on bank test senario". House prices are on track to fall by a further 13.4 per cent in 2011 and 14.4 per cent in 2012 before recovering in 2013 under a scenario considered by the Central Bank to stress test the banks. The lenders are being tested to see how much of the €5 billion set aside in the EU-IMF bailout fund for the banks will be needed. The tests are being applied to certain Irish banks and building societies.

This is a worst case scenario in capital review. so could this be a good year to buy a second home in Ireland? The same paper runs a property supplement on a Thursday. This week's eight page feature is full of editorial with a large advertisement at the bottom "Distressed Property Auction" to be helf on Friday 15th April 2011 at the The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.

Ireland is now becoming affordable to Irish ex-pats and the property supplement leads with "Ireland for sale and expats are beginning to buy" - So there could be a lot more holiday homes and places where people will come back to retire to.

An interesting feature of the Thursday Residential Property supplement has been the "Take Five for €xxx" This normally shows a photo of a property in Ireland (This week a three bed semi in Wicklow town on the market at €175,000) and four other properties from diffferent countries where you can pay a similar amount of Euros for a property. This week there are homes for sale in the Pyrenees in France, Kemer in Turkey, Sardinia and the Algarve in Portugal.

If you do decide to buy that second home do make sure that you have adequate property insurance. There are several companies advertising on the jml-insurance website including Intasure and Copeland Insurance who specialise in this market. Find out more HERE

Subsidence - A Beginners Guide

2011-03-18T05:16:00.000-07:00

Came across this feature on the Find a Property.com property website. It was last updated in August 2008 and starts with the words "The long hot summer may be a welcome relief from the usual dreary drizzle but when the temperatures cool down a lot of homeowners could find that their walls are starting to crack up..."

It covers What Is Subsidence - How to spot it - What to do? - What's the cure ? - What if you've changed insurer? - What about future insurance? - How to avoid it

See the full article Subsidence - A Beginners Guide HERE

If you live in a property that has had subsidence and are looking for insurance CLICK HERE

Problem Properties with Flood or Subsidence, Underpinning Issues for Insurance

2011-03-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Due to the climate changing over the past few years there have been more floods and subsidence is now at a peak. Insurers due to the flooding are gradually pulling out of the market place, or issuing renewals that the client cannot afford with huge flood excesses, however, they are bound to reinsure a current client until 2011.

The Insurers are not obliged to pick up the policy if the property changes hands either, that leaves Estate Agents with a major problem, when it comes to marketing the property. This also applies to let properties as the above conditions need to be made clear to the tenant.

If you are based anywhere near a flood plain, flood zone that is listed on the environment agency website, why not do a search on the postcodes of the property its free after all. Plus giving correct details to a prospective client will always look good on your part.

I believe that all properties that have been Flooded or have inherent problems such as subsidence that has been dealt with, must be displayed on any property listing, and appearing on any details including websites. This then places it clearly in view of all the people wishing to purchase. After all what is the point in doing all the work on a property and then losing the sale due to a problem arising such as client cannot obtain insurance. There is a possibility that a client may take action against an Estate Agents/Letting Agents Professional Indemnity policy where the details are not disclosed correctly prior to sale.

If you have a client that wishes to move ask them the size of the claims involved and when they have been flooded, as the purchaser will only be able to obtain insurance with these facts. Also, details of any floodgates, or defences that have been put in place.

Please note at present clients cannot go on the internet and purchase insurance for underpinned, thatched, flooded properties, or ex offenders. If they do the purchase online without referral to the insurer the policy will be invalid! 60% of all insurance bought online is not valid due to non disclosure of claims or facts.

I have been working in the insurance industry over 20 years and never has it been so important to disclose all relevant facts. The company I work for T R Youngs has insured many properties in flooded areas including; Cockermouth, Keswick, Morpeth, Worcestershire, Cambridgeshire, Hull, Nottinghamshire, and any area near a river.

Underpinned properties are quoted for immediately! There is no need for us to see any surveys or have a structural survey specially done for the purpose which some insurers will require and that can cost £500. We can write policies for Property Owners as well.

Ex Offenders we are able to cover as well, this must be disclosed by tenants and landlords, and purchasers. There are hundreds of thousands of people that do not have the correct policy due to a criminal conviction not being disclosed.

Source: Dave Burn at Allstyles Insurance / TR Youngs Insurance Brokers - To find out more CLICK HERE

Mining and Subsidence effect on Insurance

2011-03-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

When the Uk was full of working coal mines, there was housing built very close to the Coal mines, and over the years as the mines grew larger the shafts sometimes went under the homes.

When subsidence, ground heave and landslip in the area was noticed the Coal Board paid out to have the properties underpinned. These properties find it difficult to obtain insurance and the insurers may still ask for a mining survey.

We at T R Youngs have insurers that are willing to help place this business and without the costs of having a mining survey done.

If the property has been underpinned, they should be treated correctly and in most cases they are possibly a better risk than those that have not had any work done to them.

Underpinning the property is usually done by specialist builders who basically jack up the house and lay concrete under the affected areas.

Most insurers avoid properties that have suffered any form of underpinning and will only insure risks that they have previously insured. As such there is a very small market and we have the ability to help those people, whether the property, is currently owned or is being purchased.

Areas that suffer this are found all over the country, but main coal mining areas of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Cumbria, Kent and parts of Wales are the worst affected.

If you would like to see what they can save, CONTACT THEM BY CLICKING THIS LINK HERE.

Article Source - Dave Burn - Special Risks - TR Youngs Insurance Brokers

Flood Risk - Wycombe District and County News

2011-03-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

The March 2011 edition of Wycombe District and County News arrived with the post today. A joint publication from Buckinghamshire County Council and Wycombe Dstrict Council, had the following news item.

Flood Risk Following the introduction of the Floods and Water Management Act in April 2010, Buckinghamshire County Council has been designated Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA).

This means the Council has new duties and responsibilities to help prevent and reduce the risk of flooding in Buckinghamshire.

In order to fulfil the new duties, it is essential the Council works effectively with partners, including district councils, Environment Agency, water companies and drainage boards. Equally important is the active participation and involvement of the public and local community groups.

During 2011 the County Council will develop a new flood management website which will include information about flood alerts, flood risk in Buckinghamshire, flood management factsheets and guidance on what to do if a flood event occurs.

In the meantime, please visit the Buckinghamshire County Council, district council and Environment Agency websites and search for "Flood Management" for the latest information available.

I have checked out the Buckinghamshire County Council's website using the Flood Management search term and there are several topics at http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/search_new/search_new.aspx

There are also links to:
•Aylesbury Vale District Council - Flooding
•Chilterns District Council - Flooding
•Wycombe District Council - Flooding
•South Bucks District Council - Flooding
•Environment Agency
•Local Government Improvement and Development
•Changes to Environment Agency Flood Warning Service
•Bedford Group of Drainage Boards
•Environment Agency: Current flooding situation

If you live in area that could be flooded and are having difficulty getting insurance, take a look at "Flood damaged property Insurance" http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=81&sec=1

Flood plan testing March 2011

2011-03-07T14:21:00.001-08:00

According to media reports in the last couple of days "Emergency crews from the Thames Valley, Surrey and London are to be tested for their response to mock "catastrophic flooding" in the South East." Similar flood tests under Exercise Watermark will take place in areas that could be affected by flooding in England and Wales.

In Garforth, Leeds - Residents will be putting their community flood plan into action next week as part of a large-scale emergency flood exercise across England and Wales according to a report from the Environment Agency.

Garforth has a long history of flooding problems, particularly with local drainage systems which are unable to cope with large storms. After the severe flooding in June 2007, residents decided to write their own plan of how they could work together during a flood.

The group’s founder and treasurer, Jacky Simpson, said: “With support from Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency, we have worked hard to develop our Flood Plan. We have divided Garforth up into eight areas which we know are vulnerable to flooding.

“My role, along with the other Flood Wardens, is to liaise with these authorities and pass on information about potential flooding problems to the sub-warden in the relevant areas.

“They can then use the information to alert homeowners and businesses in their communities. We were conscious that we had not yet used the Flood Plan – so with Exercise Watermark happening, it seemed an ideal opportunity to have a ‘dry run’.

The trial will involve the group receiving simulated weather and flooding information from the Environment Agency and Leeds City Council, and then using this to test their call-out procedures and actions.

This includes alerting vulnerable residents and installing flood protection products, such as door guards or airbrick covers, which have been provided to some properties through a government grant scheme.

Environment Agency community officer Graham Lindsey said: “We’re really pleased that the Garforth committee is testing its flood plan. We will be rigorously testing our own procedures during Exercise Watermark, but this exercise is equally a chance for individuals, community groups, schools and businesses to think about how they would respond.

“In a major flood, the emergency responders may not be able to help everyone affected, and any assistance may take a while to arrive. Therefore it is essential that people know whether they could be affected by flooding, know how to stay safe and have a plan in place.”

In Norfolk Police, fire, local authorities, health representatives and other partner agencies in Norfolk, together with the Environment Agency, will be exercising the county’s response to river and coastal flooding on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 March.

The exercise, called "Watermark", is a nationwide flooding exercise that looks at the country’s preparedness against a range of flooding scenarios. Thousands of people from government departments, agencies, emergency responders and communities are taking part in one of the biggest emergency exercises ever to take place in the UK.

Locally, the exercise is being co-ordinated by a partnership of local responders including Norfolk Constabulary, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, Norfolk County Council, District Borough Councils, Environment Agency, Broads Authority, Anglian Water, Military, Maritime Coastguard Agency, Met Office, UK Power Networks and NHS Norfolk.

Norfolk’s County Council Resilience Manager, John Ellis said: “One in six properties in England and Wales is at risk of flooding. It is only by working and practising together that we will be ready to protect people’s lives, homes and livelihoods when flooding hits.

Thames Barrier flood awareness day and test closure - Thursday 10 March (exhibits will also be in the Thames Barrier Learning Centre between Friday 11 and Sunday 13 March)

Members of the public will be able to visit the Thames Barrier site on Thursday 10 March to take part in a flood awareness day and to witness the monthly Thames Barrier test closure.

There will be a marquee with staffed displays on flood warning and informing, maintenance and reliability, taking action and planning for the future. We will also show people how we build a sandbag wall and will demonstrate a demountable defence.

A local primary school, Lowther Primary School, which is at risk of flooding, will also be visiting. We have invited a number of local MPs, local authority Chief Executives, councillors and climate change representatives. Representatives from the London Fire Service are also planning to attend in a fire engine and to demonstrate a high volume water pump. Members of the Woolwich Riversides Safer Neighbourhoods team, part of Metropolitan Police, will also be attending.

Meanwhile a number of towns and villages in Warwickshire are taking part in Exercise Watermark next week in a bid to test national flood defences.From Friday, March 4 until Friday, March 11, Exercise Watermark will test the country’s response to surface water, reservoir, river and coastal flooding.

Do you live in area that is in a flood risk Zone? Are you worried about being able to get insurance? Find out more at http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=81&sec=1

Another flood victims story

2011-03-07T04:59:00.000-08:00

DON’T BANK ON YOUR BANK GETTING YOU COVER IF YOU HAVE BEEN FLOODED

- Major UK clearing bank being able to get us flood insurance.

Strangely enough we have just shifted our business account from Bank "A" to Bank "B" (***) and as you would expect they have tried to sell us all sorts of policies etc. They offered insurance but I was sceptical and said that they won't get us flood cover only to be assured that they could in fact get us cover. I didn't hold my breath but was amazed when the phone call came in and the agent told me he had in fact managed to secure me flood cover! Fantastic I said what's the catch?

Here we go, are you ready?

Flood cover was offered, but with a ten thousand pound excess which isn't too bad I suppose but this is the real killer. After that initial first 10K excess they would then only offer me ten percent of the total claim in cover! So yes I suppose that they are offering flood cover and can tick that box but the reality is they are not.

One good thing did come out of it, at present my insurers have lumped together "Storm, Tempest and Flood" as one category and I'm not covered for all three. Lloyds would not do this so it would only be the flood claims that I could not make and I would be covered for Tempest and Storm.

(***)The two banks are both part of 2 British banking groups.

Source: Neil Cook

Gas Safety in rented accommodation

2011-03-05T00:59:00.000-08:00

We received an email about a short blog on the Painsmith Landlord and Tenant Blog yesterday afternoon.

"The Old Bailey will this summer be hearing the case of a Plumber charged with the manslaughter of a woman who died of carbon monoxide poisoning. It is alleged he breached his obligations under regulation 26 (9) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.The Plumber has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

This case should serve as a reminder to landlords and agents to ensure their obligation to maintain all gas fittings and flues in a safe condition and that a gas safety check is carried out by a registered engineer every year.

Many agents contact us on the helpline in complete frustration due to a tenant’s refusal to grant access for these checks and given the potential consequences the frustration is understandable.

Whilst a landlord will not be able to transfer this responsibility onto the tenant in any circumstances the legislation does make it clear that the landlord is required to take all reasonable steps to gain access for this checks. Reasonable steps do not include forcing entry or using management keys to gain entry in the absence of consent.

Possible options to gain access include applying for an access injunction or even applying for possession. The injunction is the quicker and potentially the more expensive of the two options and the threat of an injunction is possibly most effective when a tenant understands that the costs of any action will be sought against them.

Whilst it is accepted that this is a very difficult task in some cases, landlords are strongly advised to ensure that they retain confirmation of requests for access, cancellation notices, appointment cards, missed appointment cards and the like to defend their position when and if necessary."

For more information on Gas Safety in Rental Property visit http://www.jmlproperty.co.uk/Gas_safety_in%20rental_properties.htm It is very importan if you let out your property that you are 100 per cent compliant

Reasons to buy your insurance from an insurance broker

2011-03-05T00:48:00.000-08:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker has just sent us this information. He specialises in insurance for ex offenders, people living in flood affected parts of the UK plus many other areas of the commercial and residential arena including cover for Kidnap and Ransom

“After speaking to various clients came a cross an interesting analogy” about the current state of the insurers who sell their wares to the unsuspecting buying public through call centres which usually branded as the insurance department of the supermarket chain, a financial institution etc
For example a lady who had brought a policy under a supermarket found that it was administered by a well know bank, who in turn brought the cover from a branded insurer who was in fact a major insurer in the background so in fact by the time the transaction to buy the policy was completed 4 mouths had to be feed out of any commission

The whole principle of buying insurance this way was to cut out THE MIDDLEMAN IE the insurance broker now there are four middle men

The advantages of traditionally using an insurance broker was that the commission they earned who be justified by the professional advice they gave (you may not be aware that insurance brokers are a “learned profession” who have to undertake exams almost in depth as the legal trade because so much about the core is insurance relates to a contract of trust.

Bearing in mind that on a typical household or motor policy the broker might earn about £40 for a whole years work that’s pretty

Good compared to the £150 a solicitor or accountant charges PER HOUR !!!!

Another down side to buying your policy through a bank, supermarket or comparison site are hidden charges! Are you aware that it can cost over 30% more to buy on installments were as typically broker will charge about 10% also every time you make a change on the policy those insurers will charge you typically £25!!

The idea is that mass selling of policies keeps the cost to the consumer down as admin costs are lower!! in fact that’s not true

They pile them high and sell them cheap but charge extra every chance they get !! also these insurers have expensive add ons, like legal protection insurance which can carry a mark up of several thousand percent

Have you ever wondered how all that wonderful junk mail that comes through your letter box every day finds you ? Could it be that the insurer sells your personal details to junk mail companies for profit !

Dealing with claims can be hellish too We all make jokes about the standard of service we get from some supermarkets, although this is improving, as some supermarkets are recruiting more mature staff , sadly most of the younger in experienced “THE COMPUTER SAYS NO “ work force is employed by those insurers as call staff

OK if you are just after the cheapest possible insurance deal the above might not be of great interest to you

BUT when you need specialist insurance for example if you live in a flood risk area or have been flooded and actually want to get insurance for your house and want to get insurance that you can afford REMEMBER without insurance that coves flood your home or business is worthless as it cannot be sold IF you buy cover do get it in writing that the insurer will actually pass the policy on to the future or you will never be able the property other than perhaps to a “cash buyer” will usually only pay a small percentage of market value, the same applies to those who have had subsidence issues

If you or any member of the family have criminal convictions only speak to a broker

To contact Neil Cook CLICK HERE

Lewes flooding remembered

2011-03-03T01:10:00.000-08:00

On Thursday 12th October 2001,following three days of exceptionally heavy rain on already saturated ground, the River Ouse overtopped the flood defences and flooded substantial parts of Lewes in Sussex.

Following extensive flooding of Lewes in 2000, the Sussex Ouse Flood Management Strategy was published in August 2002. The Strategy included a recommendation to provide flood protection to the town of Lewes. The Strategy considered Lewes to be comprised of several areas, known as flood cells, as shown in Figure 1. The economic justification for various standards of flood protection was considered for each of these flood cells.

Since 2000, millions of pounds has been spent on defences by the Environment Agency , but when heavy rain is predicted people still cast a wary eye at the River Ouse.

BBC Sussex has a report on "Ten years on - Lewes people remember the floods of 2000" HERE

Looking for insurance for flood damaged property? Click Here

Mary Dhonau OBE - NCE Info Flooding

2011-03-03T00:50:00.000-08:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker who specialises in obtaining insurance for people in flood effected areas of the UK has sent us the following information about Mary Dhonau OBE. Mary spoke at the New Civil Engineer’s Flood Management conference 2010 and below is the background information about her

Mary’s home in Worcester has been flooded internally with raw sewage on many occasions. During autumn 2000 she was flooded twice to a depth of about 3ft. On this occasion many of her neighbours were also flooded. Mary led the fight - and won to make the water company concerned accept responsibility for the situation. She was delighted to be asked to officially open the £1.3 million sewage pumping station, which has put a stop to a long history of flooding. She did however refused to have the pumping station named after her!

Mary went on to form ‘Worcester Action Against Flooding’ which has an excellent working relationship with the E/A, Severn Trent Water and the Local Authority. As a result of this close partnership, Worcester was selected and successfully trialled a temporary defence, the kite marked geo-design barrier This first saved homes and businesses from Flooding in February 2004 and kept a main access road into Worcester open. Hylton Rd in Worcester is now protected by an earth bund which was paid for with local levy funding.

Originally Mary was the community group’s director and has been the chief executive for 4 years. Mary has made many appearances on national TV and radio representing the ‘flooded community’ and through TV has been able to promote ‘flood awareness’ and ‘self help’ She has been a studio guest amongst others on BBC Breakfast News, GMTV, ITV’s ‘This Morning’ News night and even the ‘Richard and Judy Show’ (!) During a flood Mary regularly speaks on national TV and radio talking about just what it’s like to be flooded and giving advice on how to manage the initial effects of being flooded.

Mary is responsible for facilitating the NFF national conference~ a unique event Which gives an equal platform to those who manage flood risk and those who are at risk of flooding. She is also editor of the quarterly NFF newsletter. Mary is a regular speaker at flood risk conferences and keeps the plight of the flood victim high on the political agenda. She also promotes the use of ‘flood resistance (protection) and flood resilience’. Mary was the driving force behind the much acclaimed ‘blue pages’~ the leading directory of flood protection products and services. She was also co author of the joint ABI/NFF guidance of repairing a home following a flood. Mary has acted as a witness to Sir Michael Pitt who conducted the independent review of the 2007 floods and to the EFRA committee, the Welsh sustainably committee and to several local authority scrutiny’s into the 2007 floods including that of Gloucester.

She was invited to represent the NFF at 2 ‘floods summits’ organized by Hilary Benn following the publication of the Pitt report. And was a keynote speaker at the Defra 2010 conference Mary also represented the community voice at the government led ‘insurance flood summit in autumn 2010. Mary was part of the consortium to review the literature for resistance and resilience advice with CIRIA and Wolverhampton University. Mary is on the steering committee for Exercise Watermark, the Cabinet office steering group for community resilience, she represents the NFF at the joint Defra/EA stakeholder group and has worked with Defra promoting the householder flood protection grants.

Mary is a firm believer in ‘partnership working’ and continues to encourage all those effected by flooding (whether as a victim or as an Agency that manages flood risk) to work together managing flood risk. Mary was awarded an OBE for services to the environment in the Queen’s birthday honours list of 2009.

Source: NCE Floodmanagement

Looking for insurance for flood damaged property? Click Here

Essential Travel promotes No ski helmet? No ski insurance

2011-02-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

Stuart Bensusan a co founder of Essential Travel was featured in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph.

In an article entitled "No ski helmet? No ski insurance" Stuart Bensusan told The Sunday Telegraph he was working to make his company the first to adopt a policy of ''no helmet, no head injury cover''

According to the report "He also hoped to get the policy adopted by his parent company, the Thomas Cook Group, and thereby push all other insurers into following suit. If successful, it would be the biggest step yet towards helmets becoming effectively compulsory for skiers and snowboarders."

Essential Travel was was launched in 2004, the result of a dynamic merger between Essential Travel, co-founded by Stuart Bensusan, Richard Hannan and Philip Jordan, and Online Essentials, owned by Simon Purnell and Stephen Smith. The two teams saw the opportunity that the internet presented to bring great value travel essentials straight to the consumer in an easily accessible format.

In March 2010, EssentialTravel.co.uk became part of Thomas Cook, the second-largest leisure travel group in the UK.

Amongst the products provided by Essential Travel are Travel Insurance and car hire excess insurance.

Ian Fraser of Letsure featured on IFSDG site

2011-02-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

Came across an intersting interview with Ian Fraser the Managing Director of Letsure Landlord and Tenant insurance. It is featured on the IFSDG (INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT GLASGOW) website.

Ian Fraser joined Letsure back in December 2008 and on the 22nd January 2009 Barbon Insurance (That also owns competitors HomeLet and Rentshield Direct) announced "New Managing Director for Letsure" The Press release said "Ian brings almost 20 years insurance industry experience to this key role and will be responsible for increasing focus on the operational and organisational development of the Glasgow-based business, in line with Group objectives.

"I have joined at an exciting time for Letsure and look forward to the challenge ahead," commented Ian. "Having listened to what customers had to say about our fantastic tenant referencing service, it was already apparent the business has some really great people. We will continue to work as a close team to give our customers exactly what they need and demand in today's market.

He continues: " Growth will come from up and cross selling opportunities plus the current infrastructure provides a great base for developing new and innovative products and services. This will be vital in helping us achieve and maintain competitive edge whilst increasing market share to become the UK's leading let property insurance specialist."

Looks like everything is going to plan as the interview "IFSDG: How many people work at Letsure?

Ian Fraser: Workforce has grown from 41 in Dec 08 to 84 in Dec 10

The company has grown well in Glasgow. You can read all the details Here

If you are a Landlord or Tenant or have a holiday home in the UK and require insurance click here

Flood stories flow in

2011-02-22T06:23:00.000-08:00

We are being kept very busy with a selection of stories supplied by Neil Cook of Allstyles Insurance (T R Youngs Insurance Brokers). Neil has been involved with assisting clients in areas that a liable to flooding in the UK.

Flash flood warning for southern England -The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning across a swathe of southern England running diagonally from Land’s End to Wash

Coastal towns such as Lyme Regis are expected to be battered by strong winds (Getty) Britain is braced for flash flooding as heavy storms are forecast for Sunday night.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning across a swathe of southern England running diagonally from Land’s End to Wash.

Coastal regions popular with holiday makers are expected to be battered by strong winds, while up to three inches of rain is expected to fall.

A Met Office spokesman said: “There is a high risk of severe weather affecting parts of southern and eastern England during Sunday night and Monday morning.

“Heavy rainfall overnight may give 20-30mm of rain quite widely and 50-80mm locally. This rain will be accompanied by strong, possibly gale force winds.

“The heavy rain could lead to flooding in some areas and cause disruption to outdoor events and transport networks.”

The south west and central southern England will bear the brunt of the weather, with heavy winds are expected to peak at 45mph near Southampton.

Back to July 2007 - If a deal between the Government and insurers fails, policy costs will jump

Back in April, the Met Office was predicting a long, hot summer. Instead, we’ve been deluged by rain with tens of thousands of people affected by flooding in the North of England, the Midlands, the South West and the Thames Valley.

In the aftermath, many homeowners have been left facing a financial catastrophe. Abbey estimates that as many as 5,000 of those affected by the floods have no home contents insurance. “For some people, home insurance is considered an optional extra,” says Prasad Shastri, head of insurance marketing at Abbey. “The recent flooding demonstrates how important it is to take out a policy that will comprehensively cover you.”

Because the level of claims is so high – the Association of British Insurers (ABI) says the total cost is about £1.5 billion, while Norwich Union alone has around £150 million of claims – it is likely that insurance premiums will rise across the board. David Ross, of Norwich Union, says that it is “inevitable” that premiums will creep up, although he expects the increases to be relatively modest. Moreover, they are unlikely to happen immediately. In fact, if your insurance company tells youthat your premiums are rising now because of flooding claims, they are talking “absolute balderdash”, says Richard Mason, director of the price comparison website, Insuresupermarket.

“Claims have not yet been settled. They take a while to filter through the system. We probably have six to twelve months before we really start to see the knock-on effect,” he says.

While most price increases should be relatively modest, Mr Mason says there is a danger that premiums could rise dramatically in affected areas. “At the moment, ABI members have a gentlemen’s agreement with the Government, by which insurers agree not to pull out of flood risk areas, or to raise prices significantly, so long as the Government contributes £200 million a year to flood defences,” he says. “However, if the Government reneges on the agreement, we could see prices in some areas go up tenfold.”

The average cost of settling a claim for a flooded house is £30,000. As insurers estimate that houses in risk areas will flood once every ten years, the contents’ premiums for those houses should be, in theory, £3,000 a year in order to cover the risk. In fact, they are about a tenth of that. You should, however, keep an eye on your home contents’ premium, even if you do not live in a flood risk area.

Recent research by Defaqto, the financial product research business, shows that price comparison websites, such as Insuresupermarket, have increased competition for new customers, while existing customers can often be penalised.

“It appears that loyalty never goes unpunished,” says Brian Brown at Defaqto. “Rewards are only available for the disloyal.” According to Confused. com, another price comparison site, homeowners can save 45 per cent on their contents cover by shopping around – equivalent to £151 a year.

But there are other ways of cutting the cost of cover. Installing burglar alarms or superior locks, raising the excess on your policies and paying annually, rather than by direct debit all help to reduce premiums.

Make sure too that you are not underinsured; if you are, your insurance company may only pay out a part of your claim – or may even not pay out at all.

And remember that your home contents are probably worth more than you think. A survey this month from Endsleigh shows that even students need to think carefully about their level of cover. The average student takes more than £4,000 of possessions to university, says the study. But despite the relative value of their possessions, one in three felt that paying for insurance was an unnecessary expense.

How to cut the cost of cover

Compare deals at comparison websites, such as moneysupermarket.com and uSwitch.com.

Check the whole market. Certain insurers, notably brands owned by Royal Bank of Scotland, including Direct Line, are not listed on comparison sites.

Establish whether any comparison sites you use give estimated prices, or actual quotes. Quotes are guaranteed at GoCompare.com and Confused.com.

Contact the insurers who give the best quotes to ask whether you are eligible for any offers or discounts. Haggling on price is quite acceptable.

Cut your risk. Make sure that approved locks are fitted on your doors and windows and consider installing a NACASS-standard burglar alarm. Joining your local Neighbourhood Watch scheme – and informing your insurer – can also help.

Avoid claiming, where possible. Cashing in on a small mishap will hit your no-claims discount.

CASE STUDY: “We are surprised at the size of our claim”

It has been a devastating time for Barbara Maxfield, 68, and her husband Terrence, 70, from Toll Bar, in Doncaster.

“We live in a bungalow at the lowest end of our lane, so the flood water went right through our house,” Mrs Maxfield says.

“We were given only half an hour’s notice that our home was at risk, “ she says. “We did as much as possible – stacking things up to try to put them out of the way – but we never dreamt how high the flood water would rise. We have lost everything. All our belongings are in black bags in a skip outside the house.”

The Maxfields, left, who have lived in their home for 40 years, have been told that it could be up to a year before they will be able move back in. “We are looking for a caravan, at the moment, because we would prefer to be on the property to keep an eye on it, but there is none available. It would seem that a lot of people have had the same idea.”

The Maxfields’ possessions were fully covered by their home contents policy from a major insurance company which has, at least, provided some consolation.

“We did have full insurance, I took out as much as possible,” Mrs Maxfield says, although she says even they are surprised by the size of their claim. “Until everything is gone, you just don’t realise how much of value you have in your home.”

Insurers axe flood cover on homes

In a rebellion against spending cuts, insurers are refusing to renew policies if improvements have not been made to flood defences.

The Environment Agency estimates that 500,000 homes are at high risk of flooding

Insurers are refusing to renew buildings insurance for some flood victims because of a lack of spending on defences.

It comes as the government considers asking local communities and businesses to pay for millions of pounds of flood defences.

Maria Harrogate, 54, from Keswick, in Cumbria, made a flood claim in 2005 and again in 2009.

When her policy was due for renewal in 2010, Canopius, her insurer, removed flood cover saying there was no evidence of improvements in flood defences. It is the first sign that insurers are starting to rebel against spending cuts.

The Environment Agency estimates that 500,000 homes are at high risk of flooding.

This would normally make them difficult to insure but, under a “statement of principles” agreed by the industry and the government, insurers are committed to renew buildings insurance cover for existing customers, and extend it to buyers of their properties, provided there is adequate flood defence spending in place. The agreement ends in June 2013.

Earlier this month the government announced cuts to flood defence spending that would average 8% over the next four years. Spending on new defences will fall by £95m in the next tax year — a 27% reduction. Many projects have already been shelved, including schemes in Leeds, York, Thirsk, in North Yorkshire, and Morpeth, in Cumbria.

If you want to contact Neil Cook about Flood Insurance follow this link. http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/contactTRYoungs.php

Also if you have personal exp[eriences about difficulties getting insurance for flood affected property in the UK

There are over 40 articles, blogs and press releases on Flooding Problems in the UK listed at http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/index.php?id=434

Middlehaven Development cover up

2011-02-22T03:39:00.000-08:00

Just been sent this article by insurance broker Neil Cook.

"Middlehaven Development cover up?" About flooding in Middlehaven in Middlesbrough.

Well worth reading and see this in full at http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/floodingacrossteesside/

In the meantime if you are wanting more information on insurance for propertties in flood affected areas follow this link http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/contactTRYoungs.php

Flood-hit property owners have cover pulled from them

2011-02-21T08:03:00.000-08:00

An article written by Ali Hussain appearred in yesterday's (20th February 2011) edition of The Sunday Times. Entitled "Insurers pull cover for
flood-hit property".

The information was provided by Neil Cook an Insurance Broker with TR Youngs (Trading as Allstlyles insurance), but unfortunately some of the information was not correct.

Below is the article that has been corrected by Neil Cook

Some of Britain’s biggest banks are refusing to renew buildings insurance for homes at risk of flooding, despite a government agreement with the industry to protect more than half-a-million vulnerable properties.

A customer of HSBC was refused cover because his home was deemed too risky. The bank passed the policy to a different underwriter and declared that the customer was no longer its responsibility. A Lloyds customer was unable to sell his property because the bank would not extend cover to the purchaser.

The lack of cover has forced some homeowners to knock tens of thousands of pounds off their asking price to secure a sale. That means bargains for buy-to-let landlords, who are able to use commercial insurance cover.

The Environment Agency estimates that 500,000 homes are at high risk of floods. This would normally make them difficult to insure but under a “statement of principles” agreed by the industry and the government, insurers are committed to renew buildings insurance cover for existing customers — and extend it to buyers of their properties — provided there is adequate flood defence spending in place.

However, the government has slashed spending by 27% to £259m in 2011-12 and multi-million-pound defence projects in high-risk locations such as Leeds, Morpeth, Thirsk and York have been shelved.

Last week, the government finished a three-month consultation on renewing the agreement when it ends in June 2013. Malcolm Tarling at the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said: “The cuts are not helpful in securing a new agreement.”

Some insurers are already reneging on the agreement, according to industry experts. Neil Cook at TR Youngs , the specialist broker, said he had dealt with about 200 cases related to non-renewals because of floods in the past 12 months, and the “vast majority” of these involved policies issued by high street banks.

Neil Stoker, 48, of Morpeth, Northumberland, was refused flood cover by HSBC when his policy came up for renewal. He had made a £58,000 claim after severe flooding in September 2008.

HSBC said it no longer had any responsibility to cover his home because it had transferred some of its buildings policies to an underwriter, Hardy, in January 2009. “We ceased underwriting household insurance cover at the beginning of 2009,” the bank said. “As such, the terms applied on any subsequent renewals are a matter for the new underwriter.”

Maria Harrogate, 54, of Keswick, Cumbria, was refused flood cover by Canopius when her policy was due for renewal last year. She made claims for flood damage in 2005 and 2009. When the policy ran out in August, the firm refused to include flood cover in the renewal because it said there was no evidence of any planned improvements in flood defences in her area. Harrogate instead found flood cover through specialist broker Neil Cook.

Rias, her previous broker, said: “Until June 30, 2013, Rias and its panel of insurers has committed to continuing to offer flood cover to existing domestic customers at significant flood risk, provided the Environment Agency has announced [flood defence] plans and notified the ABI of its intention to reduce the risk for those customers. Unfortunately, at the time of Mrs Harrogate’s renewal, Canopius, and other insurers, did not have this confirmation.”

Alasdair Turnbull, 64, also from Morpeth, said his flood cover was stopped after he made a £96,000 claim from Castle Cover, an over-50s specialist. The policy was initially underwritten by Axiom. However, Axiom said it had stopped providing services for Castle in 2009, meaning that Turnbull is no longer its customer.

Axiom said it would have continued covering Turnbull if he had approached it directly. However, the letter he received from Castle informing him that flood cover was being withdrawn read: “Axiom and Castle Cover will not be offering a renewal policy this year.” It advised him to “seek alternative insurance”.

Charles Robinson of Rikard, an estate agent in Morpeth, which suffered extensive flooding in 2008, said only five floodaffected properties in the town had been sold since. Three of these went to buy-to-let investors who were able to secure commercial insurance policies.

Peter Harvey, 41, a fund manager, and his wife Venetia, 40, were unable to sell their home in Aldworth, Berkshire, last year because their insurer, Lloyds TSB, would not extend buildings cover to a potential buyer. The property was flooded in 2007 and Lloyds paid a claim of more than £60,000.

The couple eventually found another insurer, through TR Youngs, that would pass cover to a new buyer. They completed the sale last month.

Lloyds denied it had refused to extend cover to the potential buyer because of the flood claim but would not specify the reason for its refusal.

Richard Benyon, environment minister, told The Sunday Times: “I am working closely with the insurance industry to ensure flood cover continues to be provided beyond 2013. Helping people reduce the chance of their home being damaged by flooding is important and can help keep insurance widely available and affordable.”

Be prepared for the worst-case scenario
How can I get cover?

If a mainstream insurer refuses to cover you, or raises your excess to unmanageable levels, it is worth approaching a specialist such as. Mary Dhonau, a floods specialist (marydhonau.co.uk) Can I check if I am at risk?
See the flood map at environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods

Find out more about Insurance for flood damaged Property Here

More than 2 million people have used credit cards to pay their mortgage or rent

2011-02-16T03:55:00.001-08:00

Research carried out by Shelter, the housing charity, showed the number of people who’re using credit cards to pay their rent has increased by 50% in a year. With the average credit card interest rate now standing at over 16% this can often exacerbate the tenant’s debts, and suggests that keeping a roof over their head has become a daily struggle for millions across the country.

Lots of tenants and homeowners are aware of the possibility they could lose their home, but when they’re faced with the choice of either making a late payment, or using a credit card, it’s a simple decision. But, in today’s economic climate this could lead to problems down the line, especially if their credit has run dry.

With an increased threat of unemployment and rising interest rates, Shelter are warning that many people will be starting 2011 with the threat of homelessness hanging over them. Credit cards may ease your immediate problems but can create greater problems in the long run. The charity is urging these people now relying on credit to keep their home to seek advice urgently, and the charity provides free advice on debt and housing issues.

As housing and living costs continue to increase, the research also highlights some of the risks people are taking as they forgo essential items to stay afloat, such as their home insurance.

According to the findings, more than a fifth of the population (22%) don’t think having home contents insurance is important, although nearly 80% of people say they’d be unable to afford to replace expensive items without it.

Lee Mooney, Head of Home Insurance at The Co-operative Insurance, said: “The results of our research with Shelter highlight the extent to which people are now feeling the pinch and show that a large number of people are being forced to spend more money than they can afford.

“Although times are tight and the vast majority of people don’t have spare cash, it’s important people prioritise what they need above what they want in the year ahead. It’s worrying to see that such a high proportion of people don’t think having home insurance is important, as without it they could be left open to serious risk and further unaffordable expenditure in the long run.”

If you are a Landlord - Tenant - Homeowner remember "Insurance is one essential you can't afford to be without today"

Eviction for Tenants!

2011-02-16T03:36:00.000-08:00

The HomeLet Landlord insurance Newsletter for agents has an articele "Evict"

They say...Even the most robust references can’t guarantee a tenant’s circumstances won’t change and for those landlords who find themselves with a problem tenant who fails to pay their rent, HomeLet brings the most expert service available to help regain possession of their investment property.

HomeLet have been helping Landlords evict unwanted tenants for over a decade and so their specialist legal team have more experience than anyone else.

They understand that dealing with a problem tenant can be an upsetting and not to mention worrying time. But with HomeLet they will take the strain from the property owner and their professional and friendly team will guide you through the whole process to ensure the property is returned in the quickest time possible.

What happens if a tenant fails to pay the rent and a landlord doesn’t already have cover?

Stage 1

Once you’re sure you’ve tried everything, our one off first stage fee covers the cost of preparing and serving a Section 8 notice, and demand letter on the defaulting tenant.

They have found that in up to around 50% of cases, this could be the only stage you need from HomeLet, which is why they have broken our service down into stages.

Stage 2

If your tenant doesn’t respond to threat of legal action, they will arrange the issue of Court Proceedings, seeking a Possession Order and a Money Judgment. They will arrange for an experienced advocate to attend court to present your case.

All they ask is that either yourself, or the agent responsible for collecting the rent attends to give evidence of the arrears.

Stage 3

Where the court has made a Possession Order in your favour, the tenant must move out and hand possession back.

However, if your tenant doesn’t do this on their own accord, then they will apply to the court for an eviction appointment. The court will arrange for a date and time for a bailiff to attend the property and the tenant will be evicted.

If you are worried about your tenant's ability to pay their rent consider taking out specalist Landlord insdurance after all "Letting without Rent Guarantee is like riding your bike downhill without brakes".

Follow this link for HomeLet http://www.homeletuk.com/cgi-bin/alpha.cgi?agentschemeno=1501435

Prison sentence starts when your released

2011-02-16T01:28:00.001-08:00

Imagine, you have come from a broken home age 14 years of age, have been abused,your living rough in the streets for years, you drink and shoplift to "Survive", cos you have no fix abode.

You then "sofa surf" with friends that are providing you warmth from the snow, in return to go on to better funding to crime, ie commercial burglary, smash and grab, you are now aged 21, your arrested and spend time, along with the higher experience, professional, prisoners, you learn welding, or whatever they decide to teach you, you take the courses, that are offered in h.m.p, your released, your now released, into a hostel, trying for employment, you meet a new "beau", and move in, you've completed your parole, you've abided the rules, you start to try to turn your life around, by living without your old ways of life before.

You apply for work, you may even get a reply, if your accepted by informing them of your past, your nearly in the final three applicants, until your told i'm sorry, sir or madam, you were not accepted, years have gone by, you are scrimping by, do the odd decorating job, window cleaning, (although, by "rights you are suppose to declare, your paltry earnings, but you dont because of, setting you back, with the beaucratic system, that we have, in allowing,say a six months grace of what "I believe would be long enough, for any person that does not want to join, "what I call, "We I be employed next year, brigade!").

You then start a college course, you get your diplomas, you start to find job, you get a reply, and then accepted, your life has started to turn around, aged 25, you buy a small house, you decide now things are looking up, a mortgage first with your "highly, professional partner, things are going well, then all of a sudden, whilst your away, on holiday on a Thomsons holiday you've been burgled, you call the police, you report everything, from the Ford mondeo to the plasma TV, plus, personal damage to your home.

You think well at least, we were not in, when it happened, as you know your work leaves your partner on their own, whilst your working," thank god we were insured", you call up your insurance broker to report with crime number, "You arrange for the assessors for appointment as they want to inspect your premises, ok they say you will be hearing from us via a letter, the letter arrives, with them saying i'm very sorry, but we are not going to pay out, reason being you never declared in your application that you were an ex-offender.

"Well there were no questions to that effect, you say, the answer comes back, well you should have read the small print. This did happen to me many years ago, with a car, because, I was in employment, but when I was unemployed and had the claim, my claim was not carried out!

So you see,apart from the "ex- offender, of whom was a commercial burglar and thief, he or she had paid their debt to society, most people say of prison life is easy, maybe, but I believe, that the legalise crooks, are the ones that should be in debt to society,i.e, banks, insurers, pension schemes that take our money, or is it a clever way, if we as a society support majority of the prisoners, when they come out, with resettlement programmes would, there be alot of courts and lawyers, offices, with "closing down signs, or prison officers queuing up in the in the job centres. "it really makes me wonder", we are the smallest country, in Europe, with highest prison population, at 50,000 per prisoner, thats without the court bills, think about it.

Article Source - Neil Cook

Looking for insurance for Ex offenders? Visit this site page http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=83&sec=16

Complete rebranding of ARLA and NAEA? The debate continues

2011-02-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

On the 20th November we published on this blog a letter that appeared in the ARLA Agreement magazine and NAEA Estate Agent magazine. (Original is Here)

Written by Philip Suter who is a member of both organisations, the letter highlighted his fears that ARLA and the NAEA would become one body since the takeover of ARLA by the NAEA.

In the January / February 2011 edition of Agreement magazine, a further letter has been published

Don't group us all together.

Dear Editor

I am very much in agreement with Joy Warby’s letter “Don’t group us all together “in the November / December edition of Agreement, debate on “Too many brands”. Joy is quite right with her comments about ARLA incorporating principals into the ARLA fold without any qualifications.

In my opinion this was a mistake as you can have licensed ARLA members who have absolutely no “hands on” letting experience whatsoever, but happened to be a director / owner of a company that has a lettings business as part of that company.

There was no flexibility in the rules after the “cut off point” for those who had ARLA qualifications to become members in their own right. I have two colleagues, both took level one ARLA qualification, however neither decided to take the individual membership as they both worked for member firms who had been members of ARLA for many years. In both cases the individuals believed that they did not need to do this as the old style pre-NAEA takeover only had the firms themselves as members.

Following incorporation into the NFOPP the rules were of course changed and these two individuals with combined experience of more than 25 years will have to go back to square one again to gain “the new” qualification a be licensed members and use the letters “MARLA”. For a principal who became a licensed member under the “grandfathering” arrangement and who probably has little or no experience suddenly becomes the “face” of ARLA” in a local lettings office.

I also agree with the comments made that since the two bodies got together ARLA has watered down it’s identity and the NLA – National Landlords Association as a 100% dedicated rental association appears to have more impact on the media and consultation with the Government.

Philip Suter FNAEA, MARLA (29th November 2010)

Now in February the NFOPP head office is moving the regions, merging Buckinghamshire that was closest to Berkshire and Oxfordshire into Middlesex. There appears to have been no consultation with members, but of course does the memberhip count (except it helps pay the salaries of those people based in Warwick) Maybe another letter should be sent.

Please add your comments to this blog.

Own a property overseas? Is the insurance policy written in English?

2011-02-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

With so many English speaking people now having a second home overseas it is vitally important that the insurance is written in a language you can understand.

A lot of insurance documentation is difficult to comprehend in your own native language and if it is written in the language of the country your property is in it can give you a major headache.

Read on at Own a property overseas? Is the insurance policy written in English?

Tough times ahead warns HomeLet insurance

2011-02-08T10:08:00.000-08:00

The February edition of the HomeLet landlord and Tenants property insurance has just arrived in my in box.

There are as usual an interesting selection of articles.

One of these says - Tough times ahead…

Manchester City Council recently warned that around 2,000 jobs are at risk. But, Manchester isn’t the only city under threat from the Government spending cuts, which will no doubt inflate unemployment figures in several regions of the UK, and impact thousands of tenants’ ability to pay the rent.

Also, recently released figures by ARLA confirm what we already know, that rent arrears are increasing. At HomeLet they are helping more landlords than ever before through their range of insurances that protect their rental income.

Last year alone they paid out over £3 million in lost rent and legal costs. They anticipate that this figure will continue to rise in 2011 as more and more tenants find themselves out of work and unable to meet their financial commitments, especially in areas which traditionally have a high level of public sector jobs.

Quick stats…

UK inflation rates have risen to 3.7%
UK unemployment has increased again and now stand at 2.5 million
The rate at which UK economy is growing has slowed
The Centre for Cities annual index suggests that vulnerable cities, which may not feel the full benefits of national economic recovery for sometime are Sunderland, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Swansea and Newport.

Make sure that Landlords are protected

When landlords are covered by HomeLet and the worst happens, their specialist Claims & Legal team will ensure that they are taken care of and that the tenant is treated fairly.

Find out more about HomeLet Insurance Here

Follow this blog for other great bits of info from HomeLet

Home Insurance

2011-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Home Insurance A New article to read at the jml Property Insurance site - 8th February 2011

HomeLet insurance leading the way

2011-02-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

HomeLet, the market leading suppliers of referencing and specialist insurance solutions to the lettings industry are delighted to announce the launch of their latest set of innovative changes to their product range.

Not only have some of their existing products and services had an upgrade for the New Year, they’ve also launched a brand new take on the lettings process. With unemployment set to increase to a 17-year high of 2.7 million in 2011 it’s already proving to be a difficult year for today’s professional landlord.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) estimates 120,000 jobs will go in the public sector and another 80,000 among private firms during 2011.
The brand new range of products, which are aimed at protecting the landlord at every stage of the lettings process, come as part of a product evolution. HomeLet who retain their market leading position through constantly updating and innovating, are delighted to announce the changes.

Managing Director John Boyle commented “I’m delighted we’re starting the year off with such a big impact, this new range of products is something we’ve been developing for many months now and having listened to our customers’ feedback and analysed the market, we believe this is a truly innovative set of products which are not available anywhere else in the market.”

The products designed are to protect agents and landlords through every step of the lettings process from tenant referencing right through to the support they may need with an eviction, if a tenant refuses to pay their rent, or breaches the terms of their tenancy agreement.

HomeLet has often been at the forefront of product development when it comes to tenant references and guaranteed rental income. Almost ten years ago, they were the first company to offer a combined Rent Guarantee, and in that time have paid out over £15 million in unpaid rent to landlords and letting agents.

However, the company has found that whilst around 40% of landlords opt to protect their rental income against defaulting tenants, there is a large group that aren’t concerned about lost rent. Whilst rent can often be covered, getting a tenant out of a property can be another story. This is why the company have developed two specialist services to protect them should they need to reclaim their property in the event of a tenant breaching their tenancy agreement.

The first, Optimum, is the market’s first tenant reference, which guarantees to remove the tenant if they don’t pay their rent, and it costs just £26 for HomeLet Premier Letting Agents.

The second is Evict – an ‘after the event’ eviction service, for those landlords who opted not to have an Optimum reference, nor chose one of HomeLet’s Rent Guarantee solutions at the start of the tenancy – but who have a problem tenant who needs evicting. Evict is a three stage service, which costs from £99. It uses HomeLet’s highly experienced in-house legal team to regain occupancy of the landlord’s rented property to gain possession as quickly as possible.

John continued “At HomeLet we believe landlords’ investment properties deserve to be in safe hands, and with our new referencing, Rent Guarantee and Eviction products we believe we can provide all the protection they need!”

Looking for HomeLet Landlord or Tenant Rental insurance? Follow this link - http://www.homeletuk.com/cgi-bin/alpha.cgi?agentschemeno=1501435

Reducing the flood risk in Chesterfield - work has started

2011-02-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

The Environment Agency has announced that "Work begins to reduce the risk of flooding in Chesterfield".

They have said that "Trees and blockages in the river that could cause flooding to properties in Chesterfield are being removed by the Environment Agency.

Work has started on a stretch of the River Hipper from Walton Fields to where the river joins the River Rother. The clearance is one of a series of activities planned to reduce the risk of flooding in Chesterfield.

Riverside trees, branches and other vegetation can cause flooding if they fall into the watercourse and get stuck under bridges. Debris can build up behind them and create an obstruction or dam that holds back water. This can then lead to flooding of properties and land.

The area previously flooded in June 2007 and there have been several occasions where the water levels have been high since then.

Jonathan Moxon from the Environment Agency’s operations delivery team said: “Maintenance of the River Hipper is an essential part of our flood reduction work.

“We will be working on the first phase of work until the end of March. We have been working with our in-house biodiversity team to make sure we don’t disturb habitats for species such as brown trout, crayfish, otters and bats. The maintenance has been split into two phases so that the we don’t interfere with the bird nesting season.

“We will take a break whilst the birds are nesting and continue in August. Anything that could impact on spawning trout will also be carried out in the second phase which will finish in October.

“Once the trees and debris have been removed, we will plant low-growing vegetation to improve the biodiversity of the area. We will also remove any invasive non-native plants such as Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogweed and Himalayan Balsam that we find.

“When we have finished, the river channel will be in a more manageable state, water will flow more easily and birds and aquatic wildlife will also benefit from the diverse habitat conditions.”

Routine maintenance by the Environment Agency’s in-house workforce has also been planned for this year upstream of Walton Field Road to the Haddon Close area.

Jonathan said: “As part of our future plans for the River Hipper, we are looking into creating a river stewardship. Over the coming months we will be discussing this with a wide range of interested organisations.”

For the next phase of the project the Environment Agency will continue to work with the community and partner organisations including Chesterfield Borough Council to develop long term flood maintenance plans."

The Map above shows "Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea - Click Here to access the Map

Do you live in area that has been flooded or likely to be flooded and are looking for insurance cover from a specialist insurance broker? Then you need to vist the T R Youngs page at http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/displayproduct.php?id=259&sec=1

Financial failure protection tackled by Go Walkabout travel insurance

2011-01-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

Go Walkabout travel insurances tackle financial failure protection - Press Release received today from Michael ward

As innovators in the high profile travel insurance market, Go Walkabout travel insurance products now include Financial Failure protection as standard.

The cover, provided by specialists International Passenger Protection Ltd, protects travellers against the financial collapse of End Suppliers including airlines, accommodation suppliers, car hire companies and excursion organisers (plus much more).

The decision to include the cover came as a result of the continued fragility of the travel market and the Governments’ ATOL protection being restricted to cover package bookings only (where a flight plus another component part of the trip are booked from the same operator).

The massive volume of our market are independent travellers and so the protection we offer needs to address their needs,’ explained Harold Lawrence, Partner at Go Walkabout.

A recent report by independent rating agency Defacto found that only 20% of travel insurance policies include this protection and travellers are realising the importance of the cover following recent high profile collapses of airlines such as Globespan and Sky Europe and continued fragility in the aviation industry.

‘Those of us who book directly with suppliers for budget and flexibility reasons really need this protection and I urge everyone to check their cover includes this important cover. If it doesn’t, make sure your next travel insurance product is with Go Walkabout,’ concluded Mr Lawrence.

Looking for financial failure Tavel Insurance? Follow this link http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/types.php?id=95&sec=8 today

Kidnap and Ransom

2011-01-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Kidnap and Ransom - Reviewed.

The first instalment of the brand new ITV three part series “Kidnap and Ransom” went out on ITV 1 on Thursday 13th January. The programme stars Trevor Eve as Dominic King a private hostage negotiator based in the UK. There are a number of other well known actors and actresses in this drama.

The storyline for the first part was of a biologist Naomi Shaffer (played by Emma Fielding) who was kidnapped on the way to the airport in South Africa. The pharmaceutical company was prepared to pay the ransom for her release that in the end did not happen as the deal to release her was just about to happen when she was kidnapped (after being injured in the gun battle) by another gang of kidnappers.

We will wait to see what happens next Thursday or even the third week of this series.

The newspapers reviews I have seen liked the programme and were looking forward to the second one. Hopefully the high standard continues and more of these programmes are made.

If you are going to be working in an environment in the world where you could have a similar experience it would be sensible to actually taking out a Kidnap and Ransom “travel insurance”policy. On the other hand if you are sending your staff off to places where a similar situation could arise, again consider very seriously taking out insurance.

TR Youngs Insurance Brokers advertise on the jml Insurance website and there is information there about the product at http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/displayproduct.php?id=263&sec=8

Alternatively follow the contact T R Youngs and Neil Cook or Dave Burn will be happy to discuss the subject with you.

Insurance premium increases after claim for flooding

2011-01-11T08:04:00.001-08:00

Neil Cook of T R Youngs Insurance Brokers was contacted by a client with the following story.

January 2008 we were insured by AxA group, paying £306.91 per year, we were flooded in the September of that year, AxA dealt with the claim quickly, informing us at all steps of the recovery, we were back in the house in the February 09.

In the January of 2009 we were quoted and paid £681.61, accepting this, as we had just made a claim.

In the January of 2010 we were quoted £1,009.32, and this increase was justified as AxA apparently had revaluated their cost of expenditure after the floods.

We tried to insure our house with other companies, but to no avail as soon as we stated that we had been flooded they were not interested, therefore, we had to stay with AxA, until this year when AxA sent us a quote for the year 2011, costing £3,334.25 that is a monthly payment of £327.25, again they stated that they had "re-evaluated the cost of expenditure" and justified the increase.

This was a frightening time as a family, we knew if we had to pay AxA`s premiums we would find it very difficult, it was at this time we made contact with Neil Cook, he listened to our experience and found us affordable insurance.

To others who are feeling frightened by insurance groups who are happy to take your money, then penalize you heavily for making a claim that was out of your control, take comfort that there are others who are happy to help to maintain affordable insurance cover.

Graeme S......

To find out more about T R Youngs / Allstyles Insurance for Home insurance for previously flooded or flood-risk homes on their advertising page at http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/displayproduct.php?id=259&sec=1

Flood Victims

2011-01-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Neil Cook an insurance broker with T R Youngs Insurance Brokers saw the following on the "Insurance Age" Blog.

Household insurance in flood risk areas subsidised by £511 annually, says Axa

"According to data from Axa, household insurance for homes in high flood risk regions is being subsidised by £511 each year. The insurer stated this means that homeowners in affected regions are only paying 42% of the true cost of insurance to protect their homes against flooding."

The latest figures were as part of an AXA parliamentary flooding event It was also mentioned that the STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES TO FLOOD VICTIMS (which promises fair premiums to those affected by flood or those in high risk flood areas) will not be extended when it expires in 2013.

No doubt other insurers will follow this method to justify massive unfair premium increases.

To read the article in full follow this link. http://www.broking.co.uk/insurance-age/news/1929827/household-insurance-flood-risk-subsidised-gbp511-annually-axa

To find out more about TR Youngs Insurance for Home insurance for previously flooded or flood-risk homes on their advertising page at http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/displayproduct.php?id=259&sec=1

Kidnap and Ransom - Have you considered buying insurance?

2011-01-09T08:45:00.001-08:00

In February 2010 ITV announced that they had commissioned a brand new primetime drama Kidnap and Ransom starring Trevor Eve.

The series will star one of the UK’s leading screen actors, Trevor Eve (Waking the Dead, Framed) as international hostage negotiator, Dominic King.

The three x 60 minute primetime thriller is the first drama to come out of Eve’s production company, Projector Pictures, whilst in partnership with talkbackTHAMES

The ITV Press Release from the 8th February said "Eve will star alongside, John Hannah (Rebus, Cold Blood), Helen Baxendale (Marple, Cold Feet), Natasha Little (Mistresses, This Life), Emma Fielding (Cranford) and Amara Karan (The Darjeeling Limited).

When a businesswoman (Emma Fielding) is kidnapped in South Africa, expert hostage negotiator Dominic King (Trevor Eve) believes he’s dealing with a straightforward case – pay the money, get her back.

But when the release is botched and they strike again in Britain, the kidnapper, Willard’s (John Hannah) motives become far more sinister. With trouble brewing at home with his wife Sophie (Natasha Little) and teenage daughter - and his team, boss Angela (Helen Baxendale) and ambitious assistant Carrie (Amara Karan) pushed to the limit, King must draw on all his reserves to bring the victims home alive."

The first of the series goes out on ITV 1 Thursday 13th January at 9pm. A short preview can be seen on the ITV web site HERE

jml insurance has been promoting Kidnap and Ransom insurance under the Travel Insurance category on behalf of Equity and General Insurance Services.

Neil Cook an insurance broker with Equity and General said that they have received a lot of enquiries for Kidnap and Ransom insurance and the threat of kidnapping has traditionally been associated with Latin America but is now a global issue.

Large or small companies and corporations can be a trarget and it is most important that management pays close attention to the personal safety of its staff in the world we live in.

To find out more about Kidnap and Ransom insurance follow this link http://www.jml-insurance.co.uk/displayproduct.php?id=263&sec=8

In the meantime enjoy the series, but if you are venturing off to a "hot spot" you might seriously want to know about this type of insurance.

West Midland Landlord exposed to no insurance cover

2011-01-07T10:46:00.001-08:00

As Premier HomeLet agents at jml Property Services we receive copy notifications from HomeLet of landlords who have not been able to pay their monthly insurance payments.

Sometimes this could be because they have changed their credit card and not notified HomeLet of the change, but usually it would be because they have gone over their credit limit after a big spend over Christmas and the New Year sales.

In today's post we received letters from HomeLet advising that a Landlord who has at least three rental properties in the west midlands had not paid.

The letters say "to ensure continuance of cover, we will attempt to collect the outstanding amount from the client's credit/debit card account over the course of the next 10 days. Thereafter the regular premium will be collected on the normal collection day.

We must inform you that failure to maintain monthly installments could result in the cancellation or voidance of the client's policy in accordance with policy terms and conditions."

In a nutshell this means if the payments stop so does the insurance cover, so what happens in the middle of winter if the landlord has a burst pipe, roof tiles blown off the roof or a tenant stops paying rent? It could be a major problem for the landlord.

If you are a Landlord or Tenant and you stop paying your insurance premium, remember you are exposing yourself to no insurance cover.

To find out more about HomeLet Landlord and Tenant insurance products follow this link. http://homeletuk.com/cgi-bin/alpha.cgi?agentschemeno=1501435