Insurance Articles
Home safety & insurance tips – fire precautions
Posted by admin - 25/01/10 at 04:01:41 pmOne area of home safety that we all need to be aware of is fire safety. Fires in the home can be extremely serious and can result in widespread damage to possessions, and unfortunately, our health.
However, there are a few precautions and checks that we can keep in mind to make fire safety a priority in our homes. The NSW Fire Brigades Safety Tips include the following -
- Making sure you have an adequate number of working fire alarms in your home.
- Having a fire escape plan in the event of a fire, and making sure all residents of your home are aware of how to put it into practice.
- Make sure you have keys available to all locked doors that are accessible easily.
- In Winter, use caution when using heaters, electric blankets and other appliances.
- Take care around the home with stored chemicals in sheds, and fuel that is used for BBQ’s. Always handle this material appropriately.
- Never leave cooking or any other open flame such as candles unattended.
- Regularly test your appliances to make sure that the cords and their elements are in good, fire safe order.
1300 Insurance takes fire safety extremely seriously, as they recognise the importance of the home and it’s possessions to your family. 1300 Insurance offers home and contents insurance which can give you peace of mind in the event of an accident.
Home and contents insurance is one element of everyday insurance that can give you security, however it is important to be vigilant in practicing fire safety to prevent accidents where possible.
Insurance Articles
Bringing in 2010 with a fresh approach to insurance
Posted by admin - 21/01/10 at 12:01:31 pmWith a new year beginning, many of us are thinking of improving our financial positions and taking a new approach to financial planning. Insurance is a valuable feature of responsible financial planning, however, finding the appropriate policies for your use doesn’t have to mean a long and time consuming search.
1300 Insurance presents insurance policies across a number of different everyday insurance needs, all backed by some of the most reputable underwriters in the business, with the convenience of being able to buy online, or through the friendly 1300 insurance sales team.
1300 Insurance offers car insurance that is suited to your budget, lifestyle and needs. With a range of comprehensive, gold comprehensive and third party cover, car insurance is made simple.
1300 Insurance recognise the significance of the home to you and your loved ones, and are proud to offer a range of home insurance policies and home and contents insurance for your most valuable assets.
Additionally, 1300 Insurance offer competitive and easy to use travel insurance online. Travel insurance is one of the ‘must have’ insurance policies to have in place when travelling for peace of mind.
Recently, 1300 Insurance have introduced life insurance, policies available for Australians, and presented with lots of easy to understand information. Life Insurance offers a security of lifestyle for your family if an unfortunate accident occurred to you.
A big growth in demand for pet insurance has seen 1300 Insurance offering a range of pet insurance plans to suit your pet. We all consider pets to be part of the family, and their vet bills can be large – pet insurance offers a manageable approach to their care.
So, with the new year well and truly underway, why not consider updating or reviewing your insurance policies and make sure you are prepared for whatever 2010 throws your way?
Insurance Articles
Christmas lighting hazards and home insurance
Posted by admin - 21/12/09 at 02:12:28 pmAround the Christmas period, accidents about the home can happen. However, there are a few preventative and responsible steps that 1300 Insurance customers can take to avoid potential fire and health hazards from one perennial Christmas favourite – Christmas lights.
Safety first around festive lighting needs to be a priority. In a survey conducted in the UK, it was found that dangers from Christmas lights were widespread, presenting a direct threat of electric shocks and fire hazards.
As a leading provider of online home and contents insurance, 1300 Insurance has the following advice for ensuring safety around the home with Christmas lights;
- Ensure you have a safety switch installed on your powerboard.
- Make sure the lights you have chosen are used for their intended application; indoor or outdoor, and always read instructions before use.
- Only purchase festive lighting that has been approved by Australian regulatory standards.
- Use powerboards with overload and surge protectors, not double adapters.
- Turn off your Christmas lights when going out, going to bed, replacing bulbs and when it is raining.
- Always supervise children around Christmas lights.
- Pack your lights away safely when not in use in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
These few tips for practising responsible maintenance of Christmas lights should mean that your family has a safe and happy Christmas. Remember to update your home and contents insurance and ensure that you have peace of mind this Christmas.
Insurance Articles
Home security and home and contents insurance.
Posted by admin - 20/11/09 at 04:11:21 pmHome security and Home and Contents insurance are one very important feature of everyday life in Australia. With the Summer holiday period coming up, many Australians find themselves away from their home, and at greater risk of theft whilst the house is unoccupied.
However, there are valuable tips which can assist in making sure your house is as secure as possible. Of course, preventing and deterring would-be criminals is one of the biggest tips.
Here are a few tips on how you can protect your home and valuables while you’re away.
- Make sure that your doors and windows are locked securely. If you have an alarm, make sure you activate it before leaving the house.
- Ask a friend or neighbour to collect your mail, put your bin out, or turn your house lights on and off while you’re away. Also, stop any newspaper subscriptions or have them collected regularly to prevent them from accumulating at the front door.
- Avoid leaving boxes which had contained expensive items in sight – such as plasma tv boxes or games console boxes.
- Check your home and contents insurance is up to date before you go away.
- Store important documents, expensive jewellery and sentimental items in a safe before you go away.
- Lock away tools and implements that could assist in a break in should they be lying around outside your home.
- Leave blinds and curtains partially opened to give the house a lived in appearance.
Home security and home and contents insurance plays a vital role in assuring you and your family of the security of their precious objects.
Source: Yahoo.com
Insurance Articles
Reviewing your Home and Contents insurance
Posted by admin - 29/10/09 at 09:10:46 pmWith the Australian bushfire season coming up, The Insurance Council of Australia have urged householders to make sure that they have the appropriate insurance cover to avoid the chance of a severe financial loss in the event of a disaster.
Natural disasters are an unfortunate occurence in Australia, and are stressful enough without the added worry of financial difficulty.
The Insurance Council of Australia says that a home and contents insurance policy, appropriate for your circumstances, is an important feature of any risk management plan.
Even if your home is not in an area generally effected by natural disasters, their occurence is enough to remind us all to take a detailed review of our insurance needs and our level of cover.
The Insurance Council of Australia advises taking an inventory of the cost of rebuilding your home and the cost of replacing property items in and outside the home, room-by-room. This should provide an up to date requirement of your home and contents insurance needs.
By staying up to date with your home insurance requirements, you can make sure you’re prepared for any circumstances.
Insurance Articles
Advice on Home and Contents Insurance
Posted by admin - 29/07/09 at 04:07:40 pmNational Australia Bank state general manager retail banking Ann-Marie Chamberlain said recent events such as floods and bushfires highlighted that home and contents insurance was a “must-have” for householders.
“The cost of protecting your home and possessions with insurance is a fraction of what it would be if you were forced to pay replacement costs out of your own pocket,” she said.
“It is important that the level of cover provided by your home and contents insurance policy properly reflects the value of your assets.”
SGIC state manager Lee Jameson said when calculating the insured sum for contents insurance, people often overlooked items such as kitchen appliances, manchester, CDs, toys and clothing.
“It’s important to regularly assess your level of home and contents insurance cover – especially after renovating or making a big purchase, such as a new TV or whitegoods,” she said.
Source: www.adelaidenow.com.au 19 April 2009
Insurance Articles
Home Contents Insurance
Posted by admin - 09/04/09 at 04:04:58 pmWhen was the last time you reviewed your home and contents insurance?
For example, if you have just finished renovations on your home, the value of your home and contents would have changed. Its is important to insure you are adequately covered in the case of theft or even fire. We hear on too many occasions after a house fire, the damage bill is more than the amount insured. Don’t let this happen to you.
Also take into consideration what it would cost to rebuild your home. It most certain building costs have risen since you last reviewed your insurance cover.
Click to get a home insurance online quote or call us on 1300 467 872 (1300 Insurance).
Insurance Articles
Is your home underinsured?
Posted by admin - 01/04/09 at 01:04:25 pmWhat is underinsurance?
Recent surveys in Australia have found that between 27% and 81% of home owners were underinsured. This means that their home is insured for 90% or less of the cost of rebuilding it. Between 7.5% and 59% of owners had only insured their home for 70% or less of the cost of rebuilding.
There are a number of reasons why you might not have enough home insurance cover:
* It can be hard to know what it would cost to rebuild your home, and you might not know how to check the cost of rebuilding
* You might have had your insurance policy for 5 years, 10 years or more. You might not be sure how much the cover has been increased each year, or whether you still have enough cover.
* If you have completed renovations recently you need to increase your level of cover, if you haven’t already done so.
TIP! Even if you think you have enough insurance, you should check your level of cover, particularly if you haven’t increased it for a number of years.
You might be aware that you don’t have enough cover, but you can’t afford to pay more for your home insurance. You might be surprised—just because house prices have been going up doesn’t mean your insurance premium will have increased at the same rate.
Source: www.asic.gov.au
Insurance Articles
Melbourne’s second earth tremor in as many weeks
Posted by admin - 18/03/09 at 05:03:55 pmMelbourne was hit with it’s second earth tremor in as many weeks. It shook Melbourne at approximately 4.30pm AEST on Wednesday 18 March 2009. Geoscience Australia the government department responsible for monitoring seismic activity in Victoria reported that the quake measured 4.6 on the Richter scale.
While the quake was big enough to rattle buildings and windows it was not expected to cause any damage, with exception of perhaps the epicenter – which is yet to be identified.
People have reporting feeling the tremor in the CBD, St Kilda, Port Melbourne, Emerald, Warrandyte and Heathmont.
Melbourne experienced another shock on March 6 which also measured 4.6 on the Richter scale.
It may be a timely reminder for people to contact their insurer to ensure that their Home and Contents Insurance covers them for all eventualities. Greg Read from 1300 Insurance says “its not something people really consider a possibility… although they might have thought that about a bushfire until recently”.
Insurance Articles
One in four homes destroyed in bushfires under-insured
Posted by admin - 13/02/09 at 09:02:03 amINSURANCE companies have revealed one in four homes destroyed by Victoria’s fires might not be covered by contents insurance.
Twenty-five per cent – 490,000 -of Victorian homes do not have contents insurance and 3.7 per cent – 50,000 – do not have house insurance, figures provided by the Insurance Council of Australia show.
Insurance companies are rushing to offering cash advances to homeowners who have lost property in the bushfires and have urged homeowners to contact them as soon as possible so that they can start processing claims.
With more than 750 homes destroyed by the fires and countless others damaged the damage bill is expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
But the Insurance Council of Australia said it was too early to estimate the total bill and number of claims.
Insurance Council of Australia chief executive Kerrie Kelly said insurers assessors would be assessing claims as soon as they were able to access fire-affected areas.
“At this stage it is too early to provide an estimate for the expected insurable recovery cost.
“The Insurance Council has established an insurance task force and is working closely with the Victorian government as well as the Master Builders Association in order to start the rebuilding process as soon as possible.”
Ms Kelly said policy holders who had lost their documentation should not worry as insurance companies kept electronic records.
Some insurance companies have experienced a surge of phone calls from uninsured home owners in at-risk areas.
However, the owners are being told new policies will not cover them for fire damage in certain areas or for a particular period.
Source: www.heraldsun.com.au 9 February 2009