Insurance for a granny flat or annex

Many of the most desirable country houses have appealing features – views, privacy, architecture and the setting. Some also have the facility to house guests somewhere outside of the main house in an annex or granny flat.

Converting a coach house or outbuilding into a self contained annex can also be a wise investment, adding 10% to the value of a house. However problems can arise when annexes are holiday let to generate revenue.

Having a self-contained annexe or granny flat that’s holiday let, whether attached or in the grounds of your home can present problems when it comes to annex insurance or granny flat insurance.

It’s likely that once the insurer of your main residence… read the rest of “Insurance for a granny flat or annex” >>

Ash cloud insurance policy launched

‘Hurray’ there are positive signs that Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano that caused the shutdown of European airspace throughout April and May is dormant. But for how long? There are warnings that the volcanic activity could continue for the rest of the summer – and possibly for years.

Concerned holiday let owners feared that this season’s bookings would be severely affected as it became apparent that holidaymakers could not get insurance to cover cancellation due to the ash cloud.

The knock on effect being holidaymakers delaying booking their overseas holidays due to the uncertainty of flight cancellations, or booking with a tour operator which offer more protection than booking direct with a holiday home owner.

Thankfully from 1 June… read the rest of “Ash cloud insurance policy launched” >>

Do open windows invalidate holiday cottage insurance?

With soaring temperatures over the last week, there are signs that the ‘barbecue summer’ that was predicted over the last 3 years (but never materialised) could actually happen this year.

Combined with a surge in UK holiday bookings due to the ash cloud chaos and the weak Euro, UK holiday let owners are set to have a record year.

However, holiday home owners are advised not to neglect their holiday cottage insurance obligations during soaring temperatures. Cottage owners could risk invalidating their cottage insurance by leaving windows or doors open during hot spells.

By leaving windows and doors wide open, holiday home owners are offering an open invitation to opportunistic thieves. Many insurance policies do… read the rest of “Do open windows invalidate holiday cottage insurance?” >>

Recap of holiday home news: 21 May 2010

It’s time once again for our holiday home news round-up, here’s what’s been happening: What to consider when buying a UK holiday home, is the ash cloud uninsurable? why choose a Euro mortgage, ten tips for holiday rental success and weekend flights cost more.

What to consider when buying a UK holiday home

Ash clouds and fluctuating exchange rates are expected to result in more and more of us holidaying at home or investing in a holiday let.

Bookings aren’t easy to come by, so consider these six golden rules before investing:

LOCATION – who is your market, is it seasonal? A… read the rest of “Recap of holiday home news: 21 May 2010” >>

Ash cloud: how to check if a flight is delayed or cancelled

It appears that flights will continue to be disrupted throughout the summer due to the ash cloud – with flight delays and cancellations inevitable.

This means that holiday let owners will need to keep track of guests flights in order to re-schedule dates, key collection details or further assist departing guests.

Having recently assisted a family member who was stranded abroad due to the ash cloud, these are the steps I used to keep updated on the status of a flight.

Ideally you will have a record of the guest’s flight number on your booking form to make this process easier.

• Check the airlines website to see if flights are disrupted or cancelled. Usually

Public liability insurance for an apartment in Spain

If you have apartment insurance in Spain through a community block policy or via a Spanish bank which provides the mortgage, then this insurance is likely to cover the buildings structure against perils, such as fire and flood.

But what about public liability insurance for your Spanish apartment? Most community insurance and foreign policies don’t cover public liability or provide low levels of third party protection. This can leave holiday apartment owners with a shortfall in liability cover.

Unfortunately, as with most insurance, this shortfall is only exposed when there is a claim and it’s too late.

What does public liability insurance cover?

This insurance protects against third party claims being made… read the rest of “Public liability insurance for an apartment in Spain” >>

Water leak from apartment above: who pays?

If you own a flat in France an apartment in Spain or Portugal then no doubt you will have concerns about who is liable should the apartment above have a water leak, from a washing machine or leaking pipe for example – which causes water damage to your apartment below.

This is how most holiday apartment insurance companies in the UK would deal with the claim (note: foreign insurers may deal with it differently, which often complicates matters. See below).

Any water damage to your property from the apartment above would have to be claimed for under your insurance policy and you would have to pay any policy excess, which would be deducted from… read the rest of “Water leak from apartment above: who pays?” >>