Latest From The Blog

Coronavirus self-employed help is a very hot topic right now. As there is such a large volume of information to digest in terms of support for businesses from the Government, as your broker we wanted to bring the below to your attention as we feel it is particularly pertinent. This scheme for self-employed will allow you to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of your trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for the next 3 months. This may be extended if needed. Who can apply for Government Support for Self-Employed You can apply if you’re a self-employed individual or a member of a partnership and you: • have submitted your Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19 • traded in the tax year 2019-20 • are trading when you apply, or would be except for COVID-19 • intend to continue to [...]

Business Insurance Cost When choosing insurance for your business, there will be two main questions that you may be asking: How much does Business Insurance Cost? What does Business Insurance Cover me for? To answer these questions, it is important to understand that every business has its very own particular risks that may not be similar to another. Therefore, the premium may differ as it' s not a once size fits all approach! How much will my Business Insurance Cost? In order to get the best premium for your Business Insurance, it is important to show your insurer (or potential insurer) that you have been trading with little to no hick-ups along the way - and by that, we mean you have a clean record with little in the way of claims. This will demonstrate to your insurer that you know what you are doing and that you know [...]

Government support for Business Interruption As there is such a large volume of information to digest in terms of support for businesses from the Government, as your broker we wanted to bring the below to your attention as we feel it is particularly pertinent. CORONAVIRUS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION LOAN SCHEME The new Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme supports SMEs with access to working capital (including loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance) of up to £5 million in value and for up to 6 years. The government will pay to cover the first 12 months of interest payments and any lender-levied fees, so smaller businesses will not face any upfront costs and will benefit from lower initial repayments. The government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each loan (subject to a per-lender cap on claims) to give lenders further confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. This [...]

How to get better Landlords Insurance prices! If you are looking for a Landlords Insurance NI Policy you might ask, "What insurance do I need & how can I save money?" Always remember in addition to getting the right policy, you should take note of some of the important legal aspects, relevant laws and Fire Safety Practices that are expected not only by your tenants but by your insurer also. Apply good practice to your Landlord Property and it will even save you some money along the way! If you have a few flats in the same block - a block can be a converted house also, be sure to check out the information on our block of flats insurance page.It is common knowledge that landlords have a level of responsibility for tenants in a typical rental property. However, landlords should also know that safety and more specifically Fire [...]

Can you insure a Garage? Believe it or not, this is an extremely common question! Mostly, garages that are within the boundaries of the main property residence are insured automatically and included within the buildings sums insured specified. However there is an ever growing need for standalone garage insurance – what we mean here is, insurance for garages that are outside the boundaries of a home. This is mainly due to: Garages that are rented out to tenants Garages that are not listed on the same property deeds as the main residence Garages that are rented out to tenants Garages can be a superb investment opportunity. Once frowned upon as an investment, they are now extremely popular with a steady rental yield which will appeal to investors. The market value has also increased substantially in recent years, primarily due to a surge in their demand, driven by an increase [...]

Is it more expensive to insure a Listed Building? The two most common questions we are asked at Property Insurance Centre (PIC) in relation to Listed Building Insurance are: Is it more expensive to insure a listed building? What does insurance cost on a grade 2 listed building? To answer these questions, it is important to understand what listed buildings are & the various categories of listed buildings there are: Listed Building Categories Grade 1 – These are buildings of exceptional special interest Grade 2* - These are particularly important buildings of more than special interest Grade 2 – These are buildings of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them Straight away you will see which one will carry to most risk for insurers & therefore might cost more if it require reinstatement! Get a Quote Insurance under one roof [...]

How much is the average house insurance? This is a fairly subjective questions and there are many factors to consider when looking at premiums for all homes, including older properties & for new build insurance policies. These factors, will or course be considered by the insurance company or insurance broker. The insurer, however which avenue you pursue, will take into consideration some of the following factors: Please note the list is not exhaustive, but it will generally give you a basic idea as to why your premium is lower of higher than that of your workmate! Age of the building How many years you have owned the building Claims experience Postcode (some areas carry a higher risk that others) Rebuilding costs Amount of contents insured Amount of personal possessions insured away from the home We get told over and over, that their friend is paying cheaper insurance – but [...]

What is the definition of Wear & Tear in a Landlord Policy? Wear & Tear is often claimed for and always turned down by insurers. That’s because Wear & Tear is a maintenance issue. Maintenance is the responsibility of the Landlord and a Landlord’s Policy is not a maintenance contract. However, wear & tear is open to interpretation and we aim to shed some light on what it actually is & what influences it! If not Wear & Tear, what am I actually insured for? Well, every policy wording will have a list of ‘insured perils’. These are what you as a Landlord are insured for. Example may be Fire, Malicious Damage or Theft. Your policy wording will expressly state that wear & tear is not covered. Get a Quote Insurance under one roof We are specialists in many types of [...]

Property Insurance Centre Christmas Opening Hours 24th December - 9am- 1pm Christmas Day - Closed Boxing Day - Closed 27th December - 9am - 1pm 28th December - Closed (Saturday) 29th December - Closed (Sunday) 30th December - 9am - 1pm 31st December - 9am - 1pm New Years Day - Closed 2nd January - 9am - 5pm PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU INTEND TO RENEW ONLINE TO RENEW YOUR POLICIES EARLY - WE CAN ONLY PROCESS THE RENEWALS AND CONFIRM COVER WHEN WE RETURN ON THE NEXT WORKING DAY. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Insurance under one roof We are specialists in many types of insurance Block of Flats Unoccupied [...]

Escape of Water Insurance Escape of water is one of the most common types of claim there is on a buildings insurance policy, including Home Insurance, Block of flats Insurance and Landlords Insurance. It is therefore important that you have this cover under your current buildings policy. It can be a horrible experience & all of your floors, walls & ceilings take the brunt of it! The most common cause is burst pipes from cold weather & of course leaks from the bath or bathroom causing damage to the room below. Do not Panic! If you are reading this, hopefully you will have taken the most important step – turn the water off! If you are reading this and have no need to make a claim, why not act before disaster strikes with escape of water: CHECK where your Stopcock is CHECK the insulation of the pipes and tank [...]

The importance of Tradesman Insurance? Firstly it does not matter how experienced or good a tradesman you are, accidents happen and that is the very reason we have Public Liability Insurance as part of a Tradesman Insurance Policy.  A tradesman insurance policy will protect: You Your Livelihood Your Income Without a proper policy in place you will lose potential contracts as many clients will require you to have PL Insurance in place before they let you carry out any work. It also lets people know you are legitimate and mean Business.  Get a Quote Insurance under one roof We are specialists in many types of insurance Why do you need Public Liability Insurance? PL as it is known is a necessity amongst tradesmen. If your business has [...]

What is Underinsurance? Here are some important Statistics on underinsurance of commercial buildings before we explain - this is not just limited to commercial property it should be noted. Underinsurance affects all property owners, either COMMERCIAL or RESIDENTIAL! Around 90% of buildings are insured for the wrong amount 8 out of 10 buildings are insured for 60% of what they should be Underinsurance can mean you will not be paid for the full value of your claim if you are ever in the unfortunate position of having to make one! It can be costly to you & even catastrophic. The next time you review your insurance policy for your Commercial Building, please ensure you are not underinsuring. Below are some important points as well as a short video to help explain. Get a Quote Insurance under one roof We are specialists [...]

Why Business Insurance in Northern Ireland is important Every business in Northern Ireland should have the correct Business Insurance in place. There are various factors highlighting why this is so important, notwithstanding the fact that Employers Liability Insurance is a legal requirement – and this is why Business Insurance in NI is important! For the purposes of this article; let’s refer to Business Insurance in Northern Ireland as ‘Business Insurance NI’. Business Insurance NI provides a business with insurance cover for 3 important aspects – this list is nowhere near exhaustive, but are areas we have highlighted which are a major concern to business owners throughout Northern Ireland and beyond: Material Damage Business Interruption Liability Get a Quote Insurance under one roof We are specialists in many types of insurance [...]

Landlord Insurance Brokers Northern Ireland Landlords that we have helped in Northern Ireland: As one of the leading specialist landlord insurance brokers in Northern Ireland we have access to the best rates and exclusive cover with the major insurance underwriters.  While other insurance brokers concentrate on cars and home insurance for over 40 years we have stuck with our specialism in landlord and commercial property owners insurance with clients all over NI as well as mainland UK. Landlords Cover Includes Cover whilst empty Public Liability Escape of Water Storm, Flood, Fire Malicious Damage Optional Legal Expenses Contents Cover Full Accidental Damage Cover With our headquarters based in Newtownards and an office in London we have helped thousands of landlords all over the UK get the best rates and cover and there is no situation that we have not seen before and it is this expertise that means that we [...]