ArticleSource: ArticlesAlley.com

However, almost six million (5,904,000) of these budding Laurence Llewelyn-Bowens have admitted to having DIY disasters, with more than half a million people (600,000) admitting that they have had to claim on their home insurance as a result. Simon Lamble product director at Confused.com has come up with a few safety tips to help overzealous home improvers to avoid self-inflicted mishaps:

Avoid electrifying results: if a job is beyond your ability, hire a professional. This is particularly important for any electrical jobs which should only be carried out by a qualified electrician. It is also vital to have a good knowledge of where electrical wiring is, especially when drilling through walls.

Use equipment safely: tools are responsible for 21,300 accidents in the UK each year, and so it is vital not only to be extremely careful but also to check that the equipment carries British or European quality marks. ** If it comes with a safety manual, it is important to read it!

Dont undertake DIY alone: there should always be someone on-hand, in case an accident happens. Falls from ladders account for 20% of DIY-related hospital admissions every year, and so encouraging somebody to hold the ladder steady might be a wise idea.

Watch out for weak spots: make sure that boards are carefully laid down across beams, when undertaking any work in a loft or attic, for example.

Simon Lamble comments: It is great that so many people have been inspired to undertake home improvement work by DIY programmes, but it is important to remember that television often makes tasks look easier than they are, so consider hiring a professional if the work is beyond your ability. In fact, some policies stipulate that only professionally accredited tradesmen should carry out certain work, so it is worth checking that you are not inadvertently rendering your home insurance invalid by failing to read the small-print.

It is important to look at your home insurance policy to check that you are fully covered, should things go wrong, bearing in mind that most policies will only pay for damage as a result of DIY mistakes if you have cover for Accidental Damage. This being said, it is also necessary to take extra safety precautions, as DIY disasters can cost lives; botched home improvement attempts are already responsible for sending approximately 200,000 people to hospital each year.**

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

*Statistics taken from independent research of 2000 people, by Tickbox

** Statistic taken from the Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents (RSPoA)

For further information please contact:

Caroline Spindlove
Confused.com
07970 136 737

Gug Kyriacou/ Joanna Harte
Polhill Communications
020 7655 0550

You need a trusted person at home (especially useful if you can remember their phone number!), a photocopy and scanner(optional), your passports, the emergency numbers for your ATM/Credit Cards, your travel Insurance Document and emergency numbers.

Photocopy your passport - if you’re travelling with someone, get a copy with both passports on the same piece of paper. Leave a copy with your trusted friend/family at home - next, have one each in an accessible place - you will be asked to for passport details on checking into many hostels and hotels - you don’t want to be rummaging around under your clothes every time - the only people that need to see your identification are border guards and police (and if you get asked by police, go to the police station with them, do not hand over passports on the street - common street scam). Finally, for extra security you can scan a copy of your passport and email it to your self, in the event of losing everything.

Copy down all the emergency telephone numbers for your credit/ATM cards onto two pieces of paper, one for your underclothes wallet, one for a trusted person at home. Also email a copy to your on-line web mail account. In the event of a robbery, it is crucial that you contact these numbers as quickly as possible to avoid being liable for any losses to your accounts.

Get two copies of your travel insurance document, one for your underclothes wallet, and one for your trusted home person.

http://www.dashotels.net

Go for 100%

Although how much insurance you need depends on your financial situation, you should try and insure your home for 100% of its value, including the contents. This means that if anything really bad happens to your home the cost of putting it back to exactly how it was will be covered. This is more expensive than just setting an amount that your home should be covered for, but gives you the peace of mind that everything will be replaced with no depreciation. However, before deciding the amount of cover you need you should ask yourself a number of questions:

How much will it cost to protect my property?

Work out how much it will cost to replace everything in your property right now, and how much this level of cover will cost. If you cannot afford this level of cover then remove things that are non-essential from the policy.

Inflation protection

If you are insuring your property it is important to have inflation protection. If you don’t then the amount you receive for damages could be less than you need. If your policy doesn’t automatically include this then review it once a year to make sure you are properly covered.

Home improvements

If you make home improvements then you should make sure that your policy is up to date and covers these new additions. If you don’t then any damage will mean you lose the money you spent on the improvements.

Specialist coverage

If you live in an area that has specific problems, such as flooding, then you need to make sure you are covered for these items. Although it may cost you more if these things are big risks where you live then they are perhaps the most important things to be covered for.

Renting your property

If you rent your property to others then you need to have additional insurance to cover yourself for liability and medical problems should anyone be injured in the property. You will also need additional cover for the property itself and your belongings.

If you live in an apartment

If you live in an apartment, then the building itself is covered by the landlord’s insurance, although your property and liability are unlikely to be covered. You should have insurance on the items that you own in the rental property.

Keep an inventory

Whatever level of insurance you have, make sure that you keep an inventory of everything that you own and its value. If there are any problems then you can use this list to show exactly how much you are covered for. Although the amount of cover you get depends on your circumstances, you should always try and get as close to 100% cover as you can.

Datamonitor thinks that many of the costs insurers saw due to the 2007 floods, will be passed on the recoup by the reinsurance industry. However, the analyst went on to say that it estimates that the gross household insurance claims cost over 4 billion last year. The liabilities of many primary insurers could reduce the profit generated by the market from 2006s figure of 167 million, to an amazing loss of over 300 million in 2007.

A financial service analyst from Datamonitor, Mahreen Hussein, said: While the market suffered heavy losses in 2007, premium income actually held up pretty well, and as long as premium rates dont decline in 2008 we are forecasting a return to profit for the household insurance market.

Datamonitor also saw an increase in the use of Internet price comparison sites to get competitively priced home insurance deals. However it warns that this is leading to people choosing their home insurance policy purely on the price given.

This is boosting rivalry between insurers, and forcing companies to keep their prices down because of the prices other insurers are offering for similar policies. The ability to use these comparison sites such as Only Insurance, means customers can search for the best price they can get from the majority of insurers available on the market.

Premiums increased marginally in 2007, it is thought they didnt rise by any significant figure thanks to the abundance of competition across the market. The Association of British Insurers said that its member companies dealt with 165,000 claims as a result of the appalling weather last year.

The floods in Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire cost the industry all together more than 3 billion, combined with other events from last year this made 2007 the worst ever year for weather related claims. According to the ABI the average cost of the property flood damage was 20,000, in many cases all of which was covered by a home insurance policy.

The governments recent list of flood plains across the UK has bumped up policy prices for many home insurance customers across the country. Insurers have learnt a hard lesson after the huge losses they experienced last year, and have increased their policy prices for people living in these areas accordingly.

The ABI has called for a 25-year flood strategy, including planning controls to make sure new properties are not built in high risk flood areas. It also believes that a single national body responsible for flood management should be launched to manage the situation.

Hussein went on to say: insurers may fall into a trap of continuing to compete aggressively in 2008 in a bid to retain their market share and this will hinder the ability of insurers to bring in very strong rate increases, leading to only smaller levels of profit for 2008.

American Integrity’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Robert C. Ritchie, said, “American Integrity is committed to continually producing insurance policies that meet the needs of the Florida insurance consumer. Our company has the experience necessary to provide superior service to manufactured homeowners and we look forward to working with those seeking this type of coverage for their residences. ”
About American Integrity http://www.aiicfl.com/ Phone-813/880-7000:
American Integrity Insurance Company of Florida was founded in direct response to the overwhelming need for property insurance choices in the state of Florida. The company, rated A (Excellent) by Demotech, has over 90,000 policies that were assumed from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and is continuing to takeout Citizens policies this year. It has surplus in excess of $25 million.
CONTACT: Lisa Miller of American Integrity Insurance Company of Florida, 1-850-528-9229
Web site: http://www.aiicfl.com/
COPYRIGHT 2008 PR Newswire Association LLC
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Change your home insurance policy to
another insurer if they offer lower premiums, cut back on your water and lights
bills by watching your usage and walk when you can, instead of wasting fuel on
the car.

Here are a few great low cost yet yummy
recipes for you to try at home:

Healthy
Garden Veg and Pasta Salad

Take 4 cups of cooked wholegrain penne
pasta and mix with one cup of chopped and fried mushrooms, one cup of thinly
sliced baby marrows, raw or steamed, and chopped one sweet red pepper. Toss
with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and you are good to go.

Spicy
Spanish Rice with Fish

Fry up some red and green peppers, a few
handfuls of mushrooms, a clove or two of garlic, some leeks or spring onions, a
cup of green peas and a hefty pinch of your favourite spices. When veggies are
tender, toss with a few cups of cooked yellow rice, and top with steamed fish
of your choice. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with coarse salt. Easy
and fast!

The secret of low cost yet yummy cooking is
in the simplicity of the dishes. Lots of veggies and some starches, with small
amount of meat and plenty of legumes to bulk meals up.

Direct Line offers great competitive rates
for home insurance, so
get an online home
insurance quote today.

ArticleSource: ArticlesAlley.com

Choosing and staying with one insurance company is an advisable idea to be considered for discounts. Loyalty benefits your home insurance policy plans. More the number of years with a particular company, the more the rebate is likely to be. Insurance company rebates increase with increased familiarity with you. It can be even up to a good 15 per cent. However, different situations need to be dealt with different strategies. Sometimes you might be able to save much better by purchasing different policies.

You, in fact, have to weigh your options, whether staying with the same company is more profitable or whether switching over is better. And of course, you can even negotiate accordingly after understanding the premium rates in the market. Proper research helps in a major way in this. It is important to invest some time doing this to save on a lot of premiums as well as to get good coverage. In general, it is advisable to get as many of your belongings covered as possible, especially your precious possessions inside the house, that is furniture, electronic goods, jewellery and other valuables.

Applying for home insurance quotes from different companies serves you good, as it increases your options in hand. Furthermore, it is easy to do. All you need to do is fill out an online application when you visit the websites of the companies. It helps you to compare between many insurance options. And you can finally go for the one that gives you reasonable coverage under flexible conditions. The Internet has made insurance application free, quick and easy.