Owning your own home

I took it down a few notches and although it's still recording/uploading absolutely everything, it only sent a notification when Mrs Hammer came home and opened the front door, so that's progress at least!

Just about to take out home contents insurance. Any recommendations for decent cover for usual contents plus bikes?

John Lewis (middle tier) was the best I could find if you have bikes worth more than £1000 each. I paid around £220 for contents + 3 named bikes. No experience of making a claim with them though.

I'm also interested in contents insurance (inc. bikes) - Would the contents of a garage (not attached to main building) be included in most policies?

I'd check with the insurer but ISTR my old John Lewis policy used to include all outbuildings too.

I'd assume it only covers outbuildings on the same plot as the house, not a completely separate garage that you rent/own elsewhere.

http://www.johnlewis-insurance.com/homepage/customer-services/policy-wording.html

Theft from outbuildings and garages : Cover 3 and 4 : £3,000

"

1. Theft or attempted theft using force and violence to get into or out of your home.
   
   

(What is not covered)
Any amount exceeding £3,000 for each claim for theft or attempted theft from any detached outbuilding, garage, shed or greenhouse. Loss or damage when the home in which you live has not been lived in by your family for more than 60 consecutive days.
"

Saving accounts are not cerdit products therefore, not subject to credit checks

Yep, you can open as many savings accounts as you like and it won't make you look like a rate tart. The only hassle it will cause is that when you apply for a mortgage you'll have more paperwork to collate. Some mortgage providers act right arsey when you tell them you have no paper statements, although eventually ours said "oh well you can always just email us a PDF" after a week of to-ing and fro-ing.

Just about to take out home contents insurance. Any recommendations for decent cover for usual contents plus bikes?

I've just gone with Pedalcover. Underwritten by AXA, treat bikes as unspecified personal possessions just like any other valuables, almost £200 cheaper than M&S for building and contents.

No experience of claiming, but customer service on taking out the policy was excellent. (I'd got a quote a year ago, but it was a couple of days after my existing policy had auto renewed and I couldn't be arsed with the aggro of cancelling it. Emailed them this year asking for updated numbers, had a call a couple of hours later from Darren who runs the place, and got what felt like properly personal, flexible advice on levels of cover and premiums. Policy documents (and a useful freebie) arrived the following day.)

I always keep all my paper work dating back probably about 10 years... not in any logical order, but I know they are there...

Paperwork is my middle name - occupational hazard: trained as a photogrpaher, work as a technician by title - actually works as the team PA... I hate Excel but I am exceptionally good at it etc etc

If John Lewis content / building insurance is underwritten by the same insurer - RSA and if it's the same divison as their pet insurance then tread very carefully and question them with every last bit of details you can think, every last possible scenarios that could ever happen you and your belongings. Read every single word in your policy docs at least twice and DO NOT believe everything it states in there. They are sneaky bastards, they had the guts to tell me they are not, by law, obliged to disclose all important T & Cs that would affect your policy, renewals and claims, as the underwritings are so complicated that it's impossible for them to disclose everything and customers won't understand anyway...

My experience with them is for pet insurance and now it's the the hand of the financial ombudsman - that I have been misled into buying something I was not presented with all the facts, therefore, I could not have made an informed decision.

Pet insurance can only be cheaper and simpler than content / building insurance, so tread carefully!!!!

Don't be fooled into their good customer service and personal touch etc etc, because they are very good at this.

What scenario is this in reference to, if you don't mind me asking?

I currently have some pet (cat) insurance with John Lewis so this comment raises bit of a red flag!

If you go to the Cat Thread, I have been ranting / warning people just last week. They are bastards!!! Absolute bastards.

Cheers - will have a look!

@Tenderloin I see that one next to you has gone on at 650k. it is with foxtons tho lolz..

haha yeah I just pm'd you.

Pretty lol

They've added bedrooms were we've taken away. It does make me want to put in a loft conversion badly though. I can't believe how badly thought through that house is tbf.
Shower in the kitchen, 2 small living rooms in a 5 bed, tiny bathroom with no shower on 1st floor and neither has any natural light. That's £200k more than I paid 9 months ago and even with the Foxtons tax I'm happy enough.

No pics of the outside, ugly pebbledash and even uglier neighbours :)

i'll be doing a loft extension in a few months time - you do get a lot of space but those L shaped ones are fking ugly...

but its one of the best returns you'll get for 30/35k. my house is the same as yours with the big bathroom instead of the small bathroom and bedroom. its what sold the house to us actually, so you did the right thing.. im also going to put some velux windows in the bathroom too which should flood it with light. no one wants a poky bathroom. no one. I remember when we walked into the bathroom of our house when we viewed it. we didn't know what to say. seriously.

ive got some vented solar tubes in my utility room which have got rid of the damp smell and let in some light. but they come with big round barrels which have to go on the roof and aren't that pleasing to the eye. It'll cost a bit more but i'll stick with the velux windows.

http://www.dezeen.com/2016/02/19/studio-octopi-plywood-lined-loft-extension-gallery-house-battersea-london/

They can be made to look nice, it's just the ones round our way that look grim.

I'm getting a quote to remove the pebbledash and rebuild the front wall in matching brick, also sorting out the ugly porch.

that and a new front door and yours will look the shit.

problem is that those lined loft extensions will be closer to 100k than the 45k odd that the bog standard L shaped lofts cost. I can stretch to one but not the other unfortunately...

I reckon it wouldn't cost anymore to use sheet metal or copper rather than those naff terracotta jobbies. I saw someone who just used copper offcuts and it worked out cheap and looked great. Or clad it in larch.

We're debating whether to remove the front porch door and just have one door or keep them both...

I think the problem with that is the planning department might not appreciate such creativity

Hiscox is worth a look. I have contents unlimited cover and up to several thousand per bike, without being named/ itemised. Costs a bit over 200 pounds per year. I think the key is that I don't have any collections art or expensive jewellery /watches.

How many bikes does that cover? Been looking at specific bike insurance and it comes out at about that, not including my current contents insurance...

At least 4, can't remember if I declared or not. But they're definitely not itemised. The limit is either 2k or 3k each and you can cover more valuable bikes but do have to itemise. I have accidental damage and loss, and that includes forgetting to lock up and crashing in (non professional) races.

I got cover with the AA. They do two levels and the higher one with almost limitless bike and valuables cover actually worked out cheaper than the lower level with all the things named.