Squirrels and Home insurance!

In case you didn't know, squirrels are rodents and in many home insurance policies they are considered as included under the definition of "pests". Damage caused by pests is generally excluded.

For many, the squirrel is a quirky and cute little animal. The harsh reality is however, that they can be responsible for damage to your home that may not be covered by your home insurance. Their little teeth are in a continuous state of growth, which means that they like nothing more than gnawing and chewing to keep up their dental maintenance. It is a near certainty that anyone holding Home insurance presently, will not be covered for damage from the little grey blighter's!

Damage squirrels can cause include:

-Getting into your attic and ripping up insulation for nests

-Tearing insulation material off wiring

-Falling into open water tanks, drowning and contaminating the contents

-Gnawing and defacing woodwork

-Burrowing in and around property

To avoid unnecessary losses, try and look for ways to squirrel proof your house and avoid encouraging them in the first place. Bird feeders can be a major attraction for squirrels. The last thing you want is to show the animals that there is a regular food source for them that is easily accessible, they may just set up camp around you house!

If you are hearing scratching noises in your loft and roof or see larger sized rodent droppings, you could be facing a squirrel squarer. Be wary of any squirrels you may run into if you go into the roof space to check things out. Like any parent they can be fiercely defensive when with child and have the ability to leap enormous distances for their size.

How can you keep them out?

There are some things you could do yourself, a little online search for "squirrel proofing" will bring up a few decent links. A few minutes on a Sunday in front of the telly might be worth it to double check your options.

If you use that bird feeder, look for one that is as squirrel proof as possible. They are very good at cracking puzzles, so short of a Rubik's cube, you can only do so much.

Check the outside of your house for access holes. If you are happy for swifts, swallows and bats to make your house their home, you might be reluctant to block off all access but it is worthwhile if you have seen a lot of squirrels nearby.

You might consider coating any entrance and nearby open wiring with something that will make a squirrel think twice about chewing on it. Making things soft helps, like wrapping it in material- they chew to grind their teeth down and these become less attractive posts for such a thing. You could use chilli powder, but be aware that might not be effective and could attract other pests.

Ideally, its best to speak to a pest control company, you don't necessarily have to think about extermination, blocking and prevention are achievable and might be cheaper. You also don't have to keep repeating it if you do it right the first time, it could avoid having a big squirrel related house bill.

You may think this is something that isn't worth doing, be warned, they are considered pests and most insurance providers do not cover this. They do not cover them for a reason, there is a much higher likelihood that people will be victims of squirrel related pest costs and the cost of covering it might make the insurance too expensive for many shoppers. Unless shoppers are undertaking domestic risk management with regard to pests, it wont be covered as standard.

If you would like to have squirrels included in your cover, some insurers will consider removing "squirrels" from the exclusion section. This will cost you in the form of a loading of premium. You could reduce this cost by proofing your house of course.

Our preferred online home insurance product does not cover squirrels presently, but we're straightforward and want to help shoppers think about their daily risks.

As ever, our team are standing by to help 0845 355 1150

James *

Marketing & Branding

Home insurance 'dual pricing'- renewals and new customers

There is a debate raging within the professional insurance community at the moment, it is about your insurance premiums. Some insurers have taken the stance that new customers should receive 'incentivised' prices, rather than existing clients being offered sustainable prices. Its been termed, "dual pricing". Because there is one set of rules for the new shoppers and another for those renewing. Often, such a policy can sting the loyal customer!

Home Insurance retail has of course changed a little, consumers are now comparing a lot and this has almost re-written the old adage of sticking with the same brand and building a long term relationship.

We have talked a lot about this issue in the past; people don’t go changing their bank or type of car completely when presented with cheaper interest rates or fuel, do they? Perhaps they do. One thing is for certain though, the fact that other brands are pricing loyalty out of the equation is a shame. It forces consumers to do the extra leg work.

There is nothing wrong with comparing but there are plenty of things that are right about sticking with a good insurance provider. Its all about cost- benefit analysis.

Insurance is not a commodity, it’s a relationship

By changing policies each year, home insurance would be in danger of becoming a commodity like coco or silver, with wildly fluctuating prices each week, traded frequently. Insurance is actually about trust and real life. The danger of such uncertainty is that it becomes an ally of risk. What your home insurer needs to be is reliable and simple, not evasive and unpredictable. Look at what has happened to the financial sector when they used instruments that they did not have any control over. It was chaos. The word sustainable is used a lot these days, nevertheless; when it comes to home insurance prices, wouldn't it be better for us all?

We are not suggesting that home insurance buyers should put the blinkers on. In reality, an insurance shopper should of course check they are getting a good deal and are wanted by their insurer.

Your brand should contact you with renewal terms and you should feel comfortable picking up the phone or emailing to clarify certain points. Negotiation is possible. We actually stock other products besides our preferred online option; if you want to stay with us but need a little extra, we are happy to go that extra mile to keep you with us. Within reason of course! That is what you deserve.

We make no unnecessary price rises!

More critically, a customer should not open their renewal offer and leap out of their chair in shock, because their premium has risen inexplicably. This is the reality for a lot of customers. Sure, the comparison ability of modern insurance is huge, but this is unfortunately also causing insurers to act differently.

We are moving forward with our integration onto aggregators, we must confess, it has taken longer than we had hoped. Ironically, our quote engine appears to quick and simple and we had to add in a lot of other questions. We were happy to do this, but it obviously lengthened our wait to launch.

Insurance4everyone wants to be compared by news customers and selected on our competitive prices and excellent service. We also however; want our existing Home insurance customers to compare us on renewal; they will see that we promise not to raise their premium if they haven’t claimed. Who else offers that kind of deal? The answer is very few.

If you want to re-engage with your insurance and have a simpler life, we could just be the brand for you.

We aren’t going anywhere and neither are our competitive deals. New clients or renewal clients- you are both important to insurance4everyone.