Home Insurance Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I have home insurance?

If you have a mortgage then your bank will insist on you insuring the buildings as a condition of the loan. This is to ensure that if an event occurs that results in the home being destroyed the rebuilding costs will be met, thus safeguarding their investment.

Home insurance provides you with the security and peace of mind to replace buildings or contents in the event of a loss.

What are contents?

Contents comprise everything that you could take with you if you were to move home. Go through every room including the garage and shed making an inventory of contents. Any satellite dishes or aerials are considered to be an extension of the television and are therefore covered under your contents policy.

How do I calculate how much insurance cover I need?

The market value of a home is dependent on many factors, including locality, local amenities, size of plot, etc, and therefore bears no relation to the actual rebuilding costs.

You may find your home's rebuilding costs in any valuation report or survey that was carried out when you took out your mortgage.

If you do not have a survey report, you may wish to instruct a surveyor to carry out a survey for you. The Chartered Surveyors link will advise you of members in your area:

http://www.scs.ie/

For contents cover you should calculate what it would cost to replace all your items at today's prices.

Can I get instant home insurance?

Cover can start immediately, once payment is accepted and authorised.

Are my personal items covered by my home insurance when I take them away from my home?
Only if you take out personal possessions cover. This extension provides worldwide cover for all your personal possessions up to the limit specified by you.

If I have worldwide insurance cover for my personal possessions, do I need Travel Insurance?

Although your baggage will be covered, we would recommend taking out travel insurance to cover you for medical emergencies, travel delays or cancellations. We offer competitive travel insurance on this site also.

Is my computer included in my home insurance?

Cover for your personal computer is provided under the contents policy as long as the computer is for personal use only.

To obtain cover for your portable computer - away from the home - you will need to take out personal possessions cover.

Are the contents of my shed and/or garage covered by my home insurance?

Yes but conditions or limits may apply.

Is insurance cover provided for items in my garden?

Yes, cover is usually provided for contents in the open for limits specified in the policy.

Can I get home insurance for my house that I rent out?

Yes, these quotes are also available online.

How do I know which door locks are fitted to my door?

Open the door and check the metal plate on the edge, it will usually be engraved with the name and type of lock.

I have a mortgage on my house. Do I have to take my house insurance out with with the bank or building society that provided the mortgage to me?

No. Competition legislation allows you the freedom to arrange your insurance where you like provided the buildings are insured to the sum insured stated in the valuation carried out by your bank or building society.

Is it safe to input my credit card details on-line?

Yes, we use the latest in encryption technology through SSL which guarantees that any personal information or credit card details that you have input on our website is protected. On-line purchase could not be made safer.

If, however, you do not feel comfortable with entering your card details on-line, please call us on 1890 30 20 20 and we will take these details over the telephone.

If I apply to go on cover and the system won't process it, what happens next?

You will receive a phone call or email from us on the next working day seeking additional information required to process your case. Occasionally this may happen if there were previous claims or if there is something non standard with the case.

What if a tradesman or other person is injured while carrying out a repair in my house?

You should ensure that all tradesmen that work in your house carry their own Employers and Public Liability insurance covers. The household policies extend to provide indemnity for domestic employees only i.e. cleaners, child minders.

What do I need to do if I move house?

Phone your insurance company with your new address, type of dwelling, security and any change in buildings or contents value or material change. Your old policy will be amended to cover your new dwelling and the premium will be adjusted accordingly.

After I go on cover on line, what do I do next?

Simply print off the proposal form, sign it and post it to Chill.ie, Carraig House, Brookfield Terrace, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. This must be done within 14 days of placing the cover on line. In the case of motor insurance you will need to enclose your no claims bonus and a copy of your driving licence.

What are Specified All Risks Extensions?

Referred to as specified cover for personnel effects outside the home on our web site. This extension is provided to cover any specific items valued at over ?1,000 where you require cover outside the home. The cover is usually on a world wide basis and valuations are required where the value of the item exceeds ?2,000.

What are Unspecified All Risks Extensions?

This extension is provided to cover any unspecified items valued under ?1,000 where you require cover outside the home. The cover is usually on a worldwide basis.You could have a sum insured of ?3,000 which relates to a number of items none of which individually are valued over ?1,000. An example of a loss where this cover would apply is where a car was broken into whilst on holidays and all the contents stolen.

Will my policy be affected if I go away on holiday?

No. You're covered while you are away providing you don't leave your home empty for more than 60 days. If you're planning to be away for longer than 60 days, simply contact us to arrange for your cover to be extended.

When could my claim be refused?

The most common cases for refusal of a claim are:

• if your policy does not cover the specified claim.
• if one of the conditions in your policy is not met (for example, reporting a burglary to the police).
• the damage was considered to be caused by wear and tear rather than a specific risk under your policy.
• if you did not have your alarm on during the time of a burglary, a claim may be refused by your insurer if you told them you had an alarm and got a discount for it.

If an insurance policy is not intended to cover routine maintenance rather than an unexpected incident.

Could I get less money than I claimed for?

If you have underestimated the value of your home and its content, your insurer is entitled to pay you less money than you actually claimed for. This is because of the ?average clause' that is included in some policies.

How 'average clause' works

If you insure the contents of your home for €30,000 but they are worth €60,000, if these contents are completely destroyed by a fire, you are only eligble to claim for the €30,000.

Even if you claim for €15,000, the insurance company will look at the overall amount you have insured your contents for and will still consider that you are only half insured. So, they may pay out only €10,000 ? half of the total damage.

For this reason It is very important that you insure your home and contents for the correct amount.

What is included in all-risks cover?

You can either chose an overall value for ?unspecified items' or else you can list each item individually that you would like covered and their value. Most policies also have an upper limit on the value you can insure each item for unless you specify it.