Four ways to make your home safer – and to drive down Home Insurance

Home insurance is something we all have to consider sooner or later. Last week The Times reported that we are wasting hundreds of pounds on unnecessary policies, but with just four common sense steps to making your house safer and more secure, house insurance premiums can be cut quite significantly.

Adequate fire protection in the home is the first step to cheaper insurance costs. Not only is it important to install smoke detectors throughout your house (these cost between £15 and £25 online), premiums can be made even cheaper by purchasing a small fire extinguisher for your kitchen. Costs for household fire extinguishers also start at the £15 mark.

Similarly, it is also important to take necessary security action. Burglar alarms are an important step. Entire systems retail for between £70 and £90 pounds, but if this seems too expensive, such cheaper steps as being sure to install mortise locks on both your front and back door and adding locks to your windows can all add to increased home security, and consequently cheaper insurance premiums.

Third on the list may seem a little surprising as such a humble pastime as gardening may not usually be linked with security and safety. However, if you happen to live in a property that is close to any trees, it is a good idea to keep them trimmed back for the simple reason that the bigger the tree the bigger the roots, which could lead to damp house foundations. Being sure to have dry foundations lessens the risk of subsidence and can also assist in keeping home insurance premiums down.

Lastly, and perhaps the cheapest measure of them all concerns the risk of burst pipes. Flood damage occurs every year because of water pipes freezing during winter time. Making sure your water pipes are well lagged can greatly reduce this risk, not to mention annoyance of having to salvage your wet belongings.

Of course, these four quite simple methods should not only make your home contents insurance cheaper, but you can also be sure that you are safer and your belongings are more secure. And in some cases your energy bills might be cut too.