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Tag: home insurance

Electrical Installation Condition Report

Posted on by Matt Bloomhill

What is an EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) and how do you fill one in? An EICR, is an inspection report on a property’s safety relating to its fixed wiring.

This report has also been labelled as the Landlord Safety Test or Homebuyers Test.

The tests are conducted by qualified electricians. It is highly recommended you have an EICR inspection carried out every ten years for your home.

For rental properties, one should be carried out every five years or if there is a change of tenancy.

Why do I need an EICR?

The main purpose of an EICR is to guarantee the safety of the residents and to ensure they are not susceptible to electrical shocks and/or fires.

It is essential to conduct regular EICR testing to ensure electrical safety and comply with regulations. Property owners should be aware of their responsibilities, including obtaining proper certification and adhering to safety standards to mee these legal requirements.

Landlords have important responsibilities when it comes to EICR testing and ensuring electrical safety in their rental properties.

  • Regular testing: Landlords are responsible for scheduling regular EICR testing to identify any electrical issues or hazards that may arise.
  • Maintaining safe conditions: Landlords must promptly address any electrical hazards identified during the testing and take necessary steps to ensure the safety of their tenants.
  • Compliance with regulations: Landlords must comply with legal requirements regarding EICR testing and provide evidence of testing to authorities if requested.
  • Tenant communication: Landlords should communicate with tenants about the importance of EICR testing, any scheduled testing, and the potential impact on their electricity supply during the testing process.

EICR testing can have a significant impact on insurance coverage. These requirements aim to protect the insurer’s interests and reduce the risk of accidents or damage.

  1. Proof of compliance: Insurance companies may require property owners to provide evidence of a valid EICR report to ensure that the electrical installations meet safety standards.
  2. Renewal conditions: Failure to comply with EICR testing requirements could impact policy renewal, and insurance companies may ask for an up-to-date report before renewing coverage.
  3. Coverage limitations: Non-compliance with EICR testing could result in coverage restrictions or exclusions for incidents related to electrical issues.

Neglecting regular EICR testing can lead to higher premiums or even limitations and exclusions in coverage. It is essential for property owners to comprehend the connection between EICR testing and insurance policy renewal to ensure they meet the necessary requirements and maintain adequate coverage.

What is the aim of an Electrical Installation Condition Report?

  1. To make sure your electrical installations are safe, until the next inspection and record accordingly.
  2. To find any damage and wear and tear that might affect safety, and have it reported.
  3. Record the installation’s condition at the time of the inspection. This can be used in any future inspection.
  4. To find any components of the electrical installation that do not meet the IET Wiring Regulations.
  5. To help identify any appliance or object that could cause electric shocks and high temperatures.

The different types of a condition report: can I do this myself?

Typically there are two types of domestic EICR:

  1. A ‘visual condition report’ – this does not include testing and is only suitable if your installations have been tested recently.
  2. A ‘periodic inspection report’ (EICR) – this is a better and safer option. Many underlying electrical faults can be very difficult to spot. The EICR is more comprehensive than a visual condition report. It will test all your installations, including circuitry hidden behind walls, making it more likely to find any hidden dangers.

It is recommended that you have an EICR conducted if you have not had one in the last ten years (or five years for rented property). These can easily be arranged and conducted by a registered electrician.

Once they are done,  you will know that you are complying with the legal requirements for property owners and ensure you are complying with electrical safety and regulations. By doing so, property owners can ensure the safety of their premises and the well-being of their occupants.

If you are worried about whether you need an EICR or if you need a recommendation of who can provide you an EICR, contact us on 01256 463090.

Home Renovations / Insurance Builders need

Posted on by Matt Bloomhill

No matter what building work you’re having done, everyone wants their home improvements to go well with no “hiccups” along the way. If something goes wrong, insurance may be able to step in. That’s why as a homeowner, you’ll want to know that any tradesperson you have working for you, has the right cover in place.

Public liability insurance can cover legal and compensation costs if someone is hurt or killed, or their property is damaged a result of their work. For example a post-worker may trip over your builders tools and injure themselves. This cover is a legal requirement, but if your builder doesn’t have it – you should consider having this cover yourself.

Employers liability covers your builder if one of their employee’s is injured or killed whilst working on your home improvements. It is a legal requirements to have this insurance.

What happens if a storm damages a partial build that isn’t completed yet? Contract works insurance is designed to cover any works in progress that have been affected by certain scenarios listed on a policy.

A reputable builder should happily want to show you their certificates before you hire them. Always ensure you check how long the policies are valid for as your building work may take some time to complete.

It is essential that you let your home insurance provider know when you’re having work done so you can make sure the policy remains valid. It may be worth considering taking out accidental damage insurance and legal cover just in case there are any issues with the work completed.

Always ensure you are fully insured before beginning your renovation journey!

What’s the rebuild cost of my home?

Posted on by Matt Bloomhill

When it comes to home insurance, correctly working out the rebuild cost of your property will help ensure you buy the right amount of cover. But how do you come up with a figure? 

The rebuild cost of your home is the amount it costs in labour and materials to reconstruct it from the ground up if it was destroyed by fire, flood or a storm.

There is a difference between the rebuild cost and market value of your home. The market value relates to how much someone may pay to purchase your property. The Market value is likely to be significantly higher than the rebuild cost because it also takes into account factors such as the value of the land the property sits on and the desirability of the location.

If your home is made of specialist materials, such as thatch or even timber and concrete, it could be more expensive to rebuild than a typical bricks and mortar home. The same applies for a listed building, to check whether you live in a listed building you need to check with the English Heritage, Historic Sctoland, Cadw or the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

The type of property is also important. If you live in a block of flats, the rebuild may affect the entire building, making it more difficult to estimate how much cover is required. You need an estimated cost for rebuilding your home so that you know how much buildings insurance to take out. If you underestimate the cost, there could be a shortfall if your home needs rebuilding. If you overvalue the amount, you’ll be over-insured and pay too much in premiums. Given flats and maisonettes are constructed differently to houses, a surveyor may be required for an accurate valuation.

To check your rebuild costs you can take a look here. We are not affiliated with Rebuild Cost Assessment however we have used them many times.

For home insurance quotes, please get in touch with us to obtain a competitive quote from your local independent insurance broker – Bloomhill Insurance Solutions Ltd.