Dingdongler

This may sound like a stupid question but is this company inferior to other companies like aviva, direct line?

The reason I ask is that I'm having problems with renewing home insurance. Most companies won't give buildings cover for over 5 beds without written proof of the rebuilding cost. I don't have this and haven't got time to do it (and don't want to pay somebody to do it!)

I recently added bedrooms with a loft conversion and that's why it has now become an issue.

The only company that will still offer up to £1 million blanket rebuilding costs on above 5 beds is Liverpool and Victoria. Are they as good as any other company?

Thanks

davegtt

I believe they have a good rep. They were one of the first offering good quotes on cars (imported/modified etc) if I recall correctly.

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

I've worked with Liv Vic from a reinsurance perspective and they're just as good (if not better) than some of the larger insurers. Been going since the 1800's in one form or another.

hodgy0_2

I have done quite alot of consulting for LV and they are a great company imo

really good culture and ethos

David Lock

I have used them for many, many years and find them excellent. For home and cars.

I think rebuilding is up to £500k and that gets you a big new gaffe if you already have the land. dl

Trout

iTrader: (1)

You should be fine.

Just make sure you read the key terms and are happy with them.

If your premium is over a grand for buildings and contents it is worth getting a broker.

I have always done as well or better using a broker for my needs than going direct.

Dingdongler

Thanks.

My current insurer is aviva and they are playing silly buggers. I orginally had unlimited rebuild cover but because I now have extra bedrooms in the loft they want to charge an extra £250 to give me just £500k rebuilding cover. That would take the charge to about £1300 per year and I have no expensive valuables etc specified.

LV give a million £ rebuild cover despite the number of bedrooms and all for £750. They also give £70k of contents as compared to £50k for aviva.

I feel reassured by the comments above and will switch.

I've never switched insurers when its not renewal time, will aviva give me the remaining money and.charge me an admin fee?

Thanks

David Lock

Seems a lot to pay??

I had quite a big place (moved now) but home insurance with pretty good contents cover but no super valuables was £240-ish.

Had some minor claims which they paid up without quibbling or stuffing the next premium.

Do you reside in a particularly dodgy area?

d

Tip. Join the Civil Service Motoring Associatio, CSMA, as L & V give a decent member discount. To join just say you did some post office work some time ago. They won't check and this will quailfy you. I think Lewis is a member so you can tell they're not fussy

Trout

iTrader: (1)

£240 for buildings and contents? Where did you live, in a shoe box without any shoes?

In 25 years of property ownership I cannot remember ever having a combined premium so low, even when I had no possessions and a one bed micro flat!!!

Dingdongler

Trout, if you see the recent thread 'how much to run your house' there are loads of people paying less than £200. This had me gobsmacked as I couldn't believe combined insurance could be so low.

Dingdongler

Thanks for the tip on that David.

Not a dodgy area at all lol. Quiet peaceful suburb.

Scooby Jo

I've got 6 bedrooms and I'm with Privilege for buildings insurance, no probs and unlimited rebuild, good price too. I'm with LV for my car insurance, again absolutely fine and seem to be undercutting many of the big names.

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

I pay £127 for building up to 500 k
£50 contents for 50k for my 4 bedroomed detached inc conservatory
And outbuilding

And 118 for building and contents on the bungalow with 300k rebuild inc a 20k
Cons and double garage detatched with Churchill
Maybe being surrounded by sheep rather then villains helps

Jamescsti

I pay £150 buildings and contents insurance with my omega sea master specified on the policy with esure no one can ever beat them

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

Mine's only cirza £150 for buildings/contents. Was about £550-600 7 years ago when I first bought my home. 3 bed Edwardian mid-terrace. Good size compared to the paper-mache modern estate houses

David Lock

Well it was quite a big shoebox - 4200 ft2 over 3 floors with 5 beds and a couple of acres on Sussex/Surrey border. I did use a broker at first but they wanted over £600.

They were also very good about cars with kids driving.

I must have a trusting face

dl

Trout

iTrader: (1)

This is for a 5 bedroom house - no additional details requested other than date of build.

They did give me a contents quote of £207 which would have left me dramatically underinsured should I take it up.

Dingdongler

Why did they turn you down for buildings cover Trout??

zip106

Because his stash of **** in the loft was making the house unstable?

Dingdongler

I don't understand Cob. Are you saying that your premium has dropped from circa £500 to £150 over 7 years? Why is this?

RRH

I've been with LV for quite a few years now. Never had any problems with them, have had a couple of claims and no issues. Great price too.

zip106

Because he gave hs unstable stash of **** to Trout.

Dingdongler

john banks

LV are fine Deep, but be careful on rebuilding cost which includes site clearance and professional fees, and for my old pile of stones is £2000/m2, and that is just the starting price for interesting houses: http://www.hiscoxbroker.co.uk/Downlo...f6eadce1d9.pdf

I can almost guarantee you that £500k will not be enough.

Chip

Had a claim with L&V some years ago and it was sorted out very quickly.

At the moment we pay about £300 buildings and contents for a 4 bed detached which includes a few items (guitar and art) that are valued over £5k per item.

Chip

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

Well the first quote was through Halifax before I became savvy and used the interwebnets/compare sites, so that would account for a drop. The rest is because I have claim free years, i.e. never claimed I don't think, even when my shed was broken into as I didn't want to fork out £50 excess for an old bike/broken shed door.

Maybe my house insurance goes down but everyone elses doesn't, always ask me if I've been claim free for 4 or 5 years, can't remember.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

That was the only response I got - I suspect it is the age of the house. Anything before 1920 is typically deemed a potentially unusual risk by underwriters.

I live in a very low risk area - almost zero crime in the post code - car insurance is pretty cheap - but buildings insurance is not!!

Also the contents as they stood would have underinsured me.

Issue with lots of people 'gaming' online quote systems to get the best deal is that at the end of the day they are underinsured come claim time.

Just make sure you read key terms very carefully and take all assumptions seriously, e.g. if it says 5 lever locks and you don't have one - no claim.

Moley

iTrader: (9)

I can only comment on their motor vehicle insurance, but they are VERY good IMO.

Dingdongler

Thanks JB, yes I suspect £500k may not cover it when everything is taken into account. LV give £1million cover which would be more than enough.

Thanks Cob, Moley and Chip.

Trout, yes will take all the small print seriously.

Funnily enough I left my car insurance broker of 17 years because the quote suddenly shot up last year. Wanted £1800 to insure the diesel 5 series when I'd never paid more than £1000 to insure my M, AMG and RS cars. The only company to give me a sensible quote was LV and so I switched to them.

Looks like they will get my business for home insurance as well

Trout

iTrader: (1)

£1,800 for a Diesel 5 Series!!!! Where the hell do you live?

We paid less than £500 last year and the new X5 is not much more.