Delving into the data from previous rebuild cost assessments, fewer than one in 10 buildings in Britain have a suitable sum insured. Roughly 20% of buildings are overinsured, on average by almost 160%. This means that one in five property owners are paying too much for their buildings cover.
More worryingly, it's estimated that about 65% of property owners are underinsured, on average only insuring for about 65% of the correct rebuild cost. This means that should a claim occur, the property's insurer will likely apply 'the average clause' and proportionately reduce the amount they pay.
What does underinsurance look like?
Let’s say your property is insured for £650,000, but if the building was to collapse and need completely rebuilding it would actually cost £1,000,000, this would mean you would be underinsured. If you had to make a claim, whether big or small, the claim you make for the property could be reduced by 35%. So basically, by only insuring for 65%, you can only claim for 65%.
For example, if you need to make a claim for £100,000 and you have only insured for 65% of the rebuild value, the insurer would only pay £65,000 of the claim leaving you to find the remaining £35,000 from your own funds.
The Solution
All you have to do is make sure you are insured for the correct rebuild cost and you won't have the issue of disputing the amount paid out in the event of a claim. This used to be easier said than done but we are now offering Discounted Rebuild Cost Assessments to clients with qualifying policies.
The process of getting a Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) report for your property will not take you long, in fact, all you have to do is complete the form below!
Once we have obtained the report detailing the rebuild cost and rebuild period for your property, we will guide you on any action that might need to be taken.
Free Rebuild Cost Assessment
Complete the fields below to request your free rebuild cost assessment.
Only the fields with an orange mark in the box are compulsory.
Please read and agree to the terms and conditions for this service.