Five tips to help find the best home insurance

1 CONSIDER taking out both buildings and contents insurance with the same insurer. This will avoid any dispute over liability between different insurers in the event of a claim. 2 MAINTAIN your property. Insurers expect homeowners to take reasonable care of their home, regularly checking roofing, guttering, fences and pipes. 3 REMEMBER not to switch on price alone when moving

insurer. Policies vary widely with some things included as standard on some policies but not on others. Consider accidental damage cover – more than two in five claims are for accidental damage, according to Aviva’s UK Claims Report. 4 CHECK all limits and policy excesses. Most policies will put a cap on claims so make sure the limits are adequate for your needs. Understand the excess – the part of the claim that you will have to pay. Many policies will give you the option to reduce your premium in exchange for a higher excess. 5 REVIEW the value of your home contents regularly, including any expensive individual items, to ensure your cover is adequate. Also, check your rebuild cost is high enough. This is typically much lower than a home’s market value.