A home is where the heart is! For most, it is not only a place, but also a feeling. And like any other place , unfortunate & unforeseen events can wreck havoc to a person’s prized possessions.

A home is where the heart is! For most, it is not only a place, but also a feeling. And like any other place (and feelings too), unfortunate & unforeseen events can wreck havoc to a person’s prized possessions. Home Insurance (sometimes called Home Owner’s Insurance or Householder’s Insurance) can make good a lot of those worries that goes with the financial impact which results from such events. One will be surprised to see how cost effective is to buy this protection.

1.Don’t hesitate, buy a Home Insurance Policy NOW

Procrastination is an evil and many have paid the price. In UAE, we have witnessed quite a few incidences of fire in residential buildings. And, unfortunately, many of the apartments/houses were uninsured resulting in financial losses to the owners and the tenants. So, get going and look for advices on this aspect. Insure your home as early as possible. But does one size fit all? Never. It is imperative that you buy the right Home Insurance covers so that it actually helps you in time of an unfortunate event. This takes us to our next point.

2.Get the right right policy

You need to understand your interest and buy accordingly.

If you are the owner of the apartment / villa and you have rented it out, Home Insurance policy will not be the best solution. For ownership apartments, the ownership association should ideally take a STRATA Insurance cover to protect the building and common areas. However, you can also insure the apartment and permanent fixtures therein. A basic PAR (Property All Risk) insurance will hold good. But, my suggestion would be to go for a full fledged Property Owner’s Insurance cover which will include the PAR part and is extended to cover your liabilities as a property owner. On the above scenario, you should also ask your tenant to take a Home Insurance policy with a Tenant’s Liability cover, with adequate limits. If you are staying in the apartment / Villa either as an owner or as a tenant, you should buy a Home Insurance policy. If you are the owner, you need to take the “Building” cover as well in your Home Insurance policy.This brings us to our next challenge. How do you choose your covers? You can’t ignore any of the exposures and yet insuring out of turn doesn’t really pay off.

What are the Home Insurance covers that you should consider?

• If you are the owner of the apartment / villa and you have rented it out, Home Insurance policy will not be the best solution. For ownership apartments, the ownership association should ideally take a STRATA Insurance cover to protect the building and common areas. However, you can also insure the apartment and permanent fixtures therein. A basic PAR (Property All Risk) insurance will hold good. But, my suggestion would be to go for a full fledged Property Owner’s Insurance cover which will include the PAR part and is extended to cover your liabilities as a property owner.
• On the above scenario, you should also ask your tenant to take a Home Insurance policy with a Tenant’s Liability cover, with adequate limits.
• If you are staying in the apartment / Villa either as an owner or as a tenant, you should buy a Home Insurance policy. If you are the owner, you need to take the “Building” cover as well in your Home Insurance policy.This brings us to our next challenge. How do you choose your covers? You can’t ignore any of the exposures and yet insuring out of turn doesn’t really pay off.

3.What are the Home Insurance covers that you should consider?

typical Home Insurance Policy can cover the following: -

• Your building (structures, terraces, garages, swimming pools, walls, gates, Landlords’ fixtures and fittings, etc.) – This cover is only advised if you own the home or by contract obligated to insure it. If you don’t, you can omit this cover. However, it is advisable to check your tenancy contract.
• Your Household Contents like Furniture, household goods, electrical appliances etc) – Now, this is a key cover and should be purchased in all circumstances. Please insure an replacement value.
• Alternate accommodation – You should take this cover since you might need extra financial help to pay rents for an alternative accommodation if your home is untenable to live following a loss covered by the same policy. Here again check the adequacy of covers.
• All Risk worldwide cover for Your personal possessions like expensive jewellery, personal effects, cameras, laptops, mobile phones etc - Please check that you get worldwide & all risk cover for these items. Insurers might ask you to declare these items while applying for the insurance. It is also advisable to check the requirements of original invoice with your insurance consultant / broker.
• Sports equipment, pedal cycles & other accessories – If you possess such items, include these in your policy.
• Third Party Liability – You can incur legal liabilities either as a tenant or an owner. So, it’s advisable to include this cover in your policy.
• Cover for domestic help – – If you have sponsored your domestic help, you can consider taking this cover since as an employer, you can be held liable for their injury or death. It might so happen that your maid negligently causes damage or injury to others such as your guests, neighbors etc. For example, accidental fire triggered by the maid while cooking or forcing the pram on a car while moving your child. Such events can lead up to a situation wherein you are held financially liable for the negligence of your domestic workers. Such liabilities can be covered under your home insurance policy.The legal liability section under your home insurance policy will cover any legal liability which you or any member of your household (including maids) becomes legally liable to pay in respect of accidental property damage or accidental bodily injury to any person (third party).

Having seen the type of policy to be purchased and the type of covers that should be taken, one last question still remains. How much of insurance is optimum?

4.Fix the correct Insured valuesFix the correct Insured values

Don’t underestimate your values and similarly, don’t overestimate. The table below can come as a basic guide to fix the correct values.

A home was not built in a day. It took away a lot of your sweat and your earnings in return of peace and protection. Thus it becomes very important to protect the valuable asset with an insurance cover that takes care of the financial losses you incur when you face with such accidental incidents.

Contact us to get comprehensive coverage and affordable premiums on home insurance