Ensuring that wheelie bins (particularly empty ones), are stored in garages/sheds or weighed down will prevent them being blown away and potentially causing damage to cars.  Trampolines and other garden play equipment can also cause problems where winds are especially high.  Plant pots in exposed areas can  be swept up/blown over by winds.  Checking tarpaulin is securely in place over BBQ’s/patio furniture is also a good idea.

Ensuring that fencing is in good condition and undertaking regular maintenance checks of roof tiles can minimise potential damage in high winds and heavy rain.

The Yellow warning of Storm Aileen (potential gusts of 50-60 mph) is in place for Wales, the Midlands, southern parts of northern England, southwest England and southeast England, with a higher Amber warning for North Wales, southern parts of Northern England, the North Midlands and Norfolk with gusts to 65-75 mph forecast.  Such winds predict the Met Office,  have the potential to cause damage from roof tiles, trees and branches with the possibility of power cuts. 

See https://m.bbc.co.uk/weather/warnings for most recent updates.

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In the event of any insurable claim, Insurers’ will also consider the general maintenance of a building to assess whether damage is due an Insured’ event and whether general maintenance issues apply.  Reductions or restrictions in Cover may be applied should Insurers’ qualify that pre-Loss, the condition of the property was not adequate.

Guttering and drains
-Do a check to ensure that gutters and drains are in a good state of repair.
-Clear gutters and drains regularly of debris (especially leaves at this time of the year), to prevent blockage and leaks in heavy rain or snowfall.

Garden area
-Ensure that garden furniture and children’s play equipment is secure and cannot be blown around by strong winds. Cover any equipment with heavy duty tarpaulin to protect it during the winter months.
-Make sure that fences and posts are sturdy and secure.

Frost/snow
-Insulate water pipes and water tanks.
-Consider ‘lagging’ external pipes (such as outdoor taps)
-When the temperature drops to freezing and below,  keep the heating on low so that warm air can circulate in a property.
-If you are going away or a property is empty consider leaving the loft hatch slightly open to minimise the risk of a frozen water tank.
-Frost can cause damage to mortar and brickwork on your home, garden walls and chimney breast.  These areas are exposed to the elements and water can get into porous bricks, may freeze and then damage the face of the brick.  Check brickwork, mortar and pointing before winter and get a professional in if necessary to deal with any issues.

Flood
If your property is in a high risk area and has suffered flooding previously; review the following for further advice: http://www.ajcconsultants.ltd.uk/flooding-plan-ahead/

General Tips:
Have your boiler serviced by a professional.
Locate your ‘stopcock’ so that in an emergency you are able to turn it off.

In the event that you have a Claim, or have any queries regarding a Claim, contact us direct info@ajcconsultants.ltd.uk for free professional advice or visit: www.info@ajcconsultants.ltd.uk  for more information.

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A recent study by Axa reviewed the level of cover in place for SME’s who had existing.  The aim of the study was to investigate what the gaps in cover may be.  The findings were surprising, the study found that of the 4.9 million business’ operating in the UK, many are unknowingly underinsured, with up to half a million potentially breaking the law.

Employers’ Liability Insurance – Axa found that over half of the businesses requiring this have failed to take out cover.   Businesses that employ staff in any capacity are required by law to have Employers’ Liability cover in place and to display the certificate.  (Axa found that almost a quarter of those with cover were failing to do this.)

Professional Indemnity Cover –  Axa discovered that only 48% of businesses in their study who provided business advice to clients and others had Professional Indemnity Cover in place.

Vehicle Cover – Many businesses fail to realise and take out the necessary cover for their vehicles when used for business purposes (40%).

Public Liability Cover – is crucial for protection when meeting with clients or suppliers or members of the public. Axa found however that 43% of businesses failed to have this cover in place.

Home Office – only just over a quarter (26%), of businesses in the study had discussed this cover with Insurers, with only 22% having cover for taking business equipment out of the home.

In the majority of circumstances, inadequate cover tends to be as a result of not knowing what is required or failing to inform Insurers’ of changes in circumstances.  Others may fear the additional cost of insurance.

However, should a business be in the unfortunate position to have to make a claim, costs could equate to thousands or millions of pounds, for example, a claim made against the business could mean expensive legal costs.

The best precaution to ensure you have the correct cover in place for your business is to discuss your requirements with your Broker or Insurer and to keep them informed of any changes.

Sources: Axa   The Post

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Whilst no one would deny that the sign of growth in the economy evident in the upturn of the building of new homes is positive, there is disagreement as to where the new homes should be built.

The Governments’ new  ‘Help to Buy Scheme’  which enables people with a deposit of as little as 5% to buy a ‘new build’ has significantly boosted the building industry with reports of a potential shortage of skilled trades to meet demand (CSN January 2014).  With relaxed planning laws, a significantly higher proportion of larger scale housing developments are been passed.

There is significant support to protect Green Belt Land with concerns to the degree that large new developments requiring supporting infrastructures are impacting the countryside.  Whilst current Government Policy is to build on ‘Brownfield’ first,  building in towns and cities on Brownfield sites can be a costly and risky choice for developers,  incurring costs of clearing and preparing the land and in some cases decontamination of the site.  Whilst incentives such as tax breaks exist to encourage building in urban areas, it is argued that documentation and procedures required to access these discourage developers from applying.

Those in support of building on Brownfield sites point out that industrial land in urban areas with infrastructure already in place could provide around 1.5 million homes.  Opposing views stress that currently only 8% of Green Belt Land has been built on and call for more building on green land and a review of Green Belt rules to make the process more straight forward. Lord Wolfson has argued that there is wasted, flat green land – not used for leisure or agriculture and that isn’t flood plain, which could be used for building. He also suggests that political parties should consider a review of the National Planning Policy Framework which was introduced in March 2012, which he states is still a barrier to gaining planning permission for new developments.

The Governments’ Planning minister Nick Boles, has today (7^th May), stated that Green Belt Land will be protected  but that it has to be accepted however,  that more than 1,500 square miles of countryside will have to be built on to meet demand.

Use this interactive map to identify Green Belt areas where you live:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenpolitics/planning/9708387/Interactive-map-Englands-green-belt.html#

Source: Interactive Map: Daily Telegraph

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Following the Governments’ announcement to make £5,000 available to homeowners and businesses as part of its package to assist those affected by the recent floods, the Co-operative Insurance Service has revealed that they are launching a new service to assist home owners in accessing the government grant and to provide free advice on how to make flood resilient repairs to weather damaged properties.

Grants up to £5,000 are available from 1^st April for homeowners in England to implement safeguards against future flooding. The repair and renewal grants provide funds beyond that of insurance claim settlements which cover reinstatement works following flood damage.

There are several measures which can be taken to reduce the potential impact of flooding. These can be considered in terms of minimising the chance of flood water entering the property through use of flood boards and air brick covers for example, taking steps to protect belongings should flooding be inevitable  such as wall mounting the television and raising electrical appliances on plinths, or making changes which will assist the speed of any clean-up operation and reinstatement work such as having tiled floors with rugs rather than fitted carpets and moving sockets to 1.5 meters above floor level.  For further information on flood preventative measures see http://www.ajcconsultants.ltd.uk/flooding-plan-ahead/

Recent research undertaken by One Poll of 2,000 people which was commissioned by Co-operative Insurance found that over 40% of people were considering making changes to make their home more flood resilient.

Sources: Insurance Times

               Co-operative Group

Further advice:  http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

                          http://www.ajcconsultants.ltd.uk/flooding-plan-ahead/

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The Association of British Insurers’ (ABI) has called for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to be routinely fitted in all new vehicles to improve the safety of drivers.  Using radars, lasers and optical lenses to identify other vehicles and pedestrians, AEB automatically applies the brakes if the driver has not responded to the potential hazard. Currently, only 23% of new vehicles in the UK are fitted with AEB technology as standard.

The ABI argues the role that AEB plays in significantly reducing the number of low speed collisions – a 27% reduction in accident damage, impacting the number of personal injury claims.

In a speech at the ‘Inside Government forum on The Future of Road Safety in the UK’,  Scott Pendry (ABI’s Motor Policy Advisor), presented three positive outcomes of AEB as standard on new vehicles; improved safety for passengers, lower cost of motor insurance – vehicles fitted with AEB will enter a lower Group Rating, and finally, that as a major advance in car technology  AEB has already been incorporated in the Euro NCAP 5 start rating system – vehicles not fitted with AEB will not be able get a 5 star rating. The ABI calls for the above to be an incentive to the car manufacturing industry to include AEB as standard.

The ABI’s support of AEB forms part of its overall commitment to improve safety for drivers.  Statistics show that young drivers are by far the most likely group of drivers to be involved in a collision (despite 17 – 24 year olds making up only 8% of the insured’).  As young drivers pose such a high risk this is reflected in their premiums.  Incentives which provide evidence of reducing risk will also impact premiums. To this end, the ABI also support the introduction of the Graduated Driver Licensing in the UK (calculating that full implementation of the GDL would reduce premiums in this category by 20%), and reflects that international evidence is compelling.

The ABI calls for the Government to issue the awaited Green Paper to fully address all the issues relevant to this area and thus seek to improve young driver safety without further delay.

Source: Association of British Insurers

For further details see:  https://www.abi.org.uk/News/Speeches/2014/02/Scott-Pendry-speech-at-The-Future-of-Road-Safety-in-the-UK-forum

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Flooding can be as a result of rivers or seas, or due to saturation of the ground and the inability of drains to cope with a high volume of rainfall.  The steps below may protect and reduce the impact of flooding of your home. Be prepared.  Buy equipment and plan well in advance:

1. Consider implementing the following to minimise flood water entering the building:

• Flood boards can be purchased to fit onto the bottom of external doors in the event of a flood to keep flood water out.
• Identify stockists of sand bags or purpose non-sand flood bags in your area.  (In cases of ground water flooding – sands bags will be ineffective.)
• Air brick covers can be purchased specifically for the event of flooding. (Alternatively anti-flooding air bricks can be put in place.)
•  Ensure that the exterior of the property is maintained. Check pointing, water-proof sealant   can be applied to exterior doors.
• Drains and water inlet and outlet pipes can be fitted  non-return valves . (This will prevent wastewater from flowing back into the property through sewerage pipes for ground floor toilets and sinks.)

2. Whilst flooding may be inevitable, taking the following steps will help to protect your belongings:

• Store high value or irreplaceable items on high, wall mounted shelves.
• Fix audio –visual equipment to the wall, about 1.5 meters’ above floor level.
• Where possible raise fridges and other appliances on plinths.
• Extra-large sealant bags can be used to protect items which may be difficult to move.

3.To make the process of clearing up and drying the property easier and quicker afterwards consider taking the following steps:

• Use materials which are water resistant for internal fixtures and fittings such as water resistant skirting boards (or varnish wooden ones) and fitting synthetic or waxed internal doors (or easy to move wooden ones).
• Furnish tiled floors with rugs rather than fitted carpets.
• In the kitchen and bathroom the use of stainless steel, plastic or solid wood will fare better than chipboard.
• Electrical sockets fuse boxes, controls and wiring should be increased to 1.5 meters above floor level.

For further information about Flooding and Flood Risk see http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

Source: The Environment Agency

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Recent coverage in the media has highlighted a worryingly growing trend by fraudsters issuing fake insurance documents.  Innocent motorists assume that they have insurance but in fact they have merely paid for fictitious policies.

Police have made several arrests for ‘Ghost Broking’ across the country.   Perpetrators of this crime use social media, the internet and small-ads to advertise cheap insurance targeting mainly young drivers.

Either fictitious documentation is issued for policies which do not exist or the fraudsters alter key information given to them (address, date of birth) and apply to insurance companies on the customers’ behalf.

With increasing insurance costs – particularly for young drivers, many are looking for cheap ‘budget’ insurance and such scams can appear attractive.

In November 2011, the BBC estimated that 20,000 motorists could be driving around uninsured after buying fraudulent or fake cover.  Innocent drivers in such circumstances could find themselves in the position of having their vehicle seized and face fines. In the event of an accident or theft they will have no cover.

5 Precautions to take to protect yourself from ‘Ghost Broking’

1.  Compare the quote for your motor insurance with other quotes – if it appears significantly lower than other quotes you have received –check it out. (See below 3 & 5)

2.   You can see whether your Policy is listed on the ‘Motor Insurance Database’.  (This records the policy details of all vehicles insured in the UK.) If your vehicle is not listed on the database your policy is not legitimate.

3.   If you have concerns regarding whether a Policy is legitimate (even if recorded as in point 2), you can contact the insurer or insurance underwriter direct. (Note: The contact numbers given on the documents/advertisement may be false.)

4.   If your personal details on the documentation are not accurate or do not match the information held by your insurer you may have been sold a fraudulent policy.

5.   Before taking out a policy, you can check that the insurance adviser is on the Financial Services Register before you buy a policy from them.

Should you be the victim of fraudulent or fake insurance cover you should contact the Police.

Sources:          Association of British Insurers              BBC News

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Many of us renew our home contents insurance year on year without reviewing whether the level of cover is adequate.  It’s important that the value of cover for contents is accurate – should you have a claim and the level of cover not be adequate then insurers will not be in a position to settle the full loss.  Alternatively if your cover is higher than you need you may be paying too much for your premiums.

A frequent oversight is in relation to the maximum cover for a single item.  For example, you may have cover with a maximum single item value of £1,200 but have a piece of jewellery which is in fact worth £2,500.  In the event of a claim, insurers would only pay out the £1,200 for the item. Inform insurers of any specific item which exceeds this sum and request that it is covered as a specified item on your policy.

Don’t get caught out…follow the 5 steps below to calculate the value of your contents to ensure that the level of cover is correct.

1. Go through each room in your house and made an inventory of all your possessions.
2. Don’t forget to include the sheds, garages and attic!
3. List the approximate cost of each item – if you are not sure look the value up on the internet or in catalogues.
4. Get in to the habit of keeping receipts for significant items purchased and taking photographs of those of value. Should you have to make a claim it will make it both easier for insurers to validate the claim and to value the items.
5. Inform insurers if you purchase an item which exceeds the single item value.

Finally….do get into the habit of actually reviewing the level of cover for your contents at your policy renewal!  Lower premiums may not necessarily provide adequate protection.

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It’s the time of year when many of us are looking forward to our summer holidays.  For some, that will involve a flight to a warm and sunny destination.  Unfortunately for some, they will be disappointed and frustrated to encounter delays to their flight.

In such a scenario, are you entitled to compensation?

The European Commission has published some new guidelines on what counts as an extraordinary circumstance. An extraordinary circumstance has to meet the following three criteria – unpredictable, unavoidable and external.

The Civil Aviation Authority defines extraordinary circumstances as ‘When the flight would have been delayed, even if the airline had taken all reasonable measures.’  Such instances include bad weather, strikes, political instability, security risks, unexpected flight complications (for example, technical problems which would not ordinarily be picked up by routine maintenance), and air traffic management decisions.  If it can be proven that the delay was due to an ‘extraordinary’ circumstance than no compensation is payable.

How much compensation could be paid?

If compensation is due, it is calculated using the flight distance and length of delay.  This ranges from 250 euros (distance up to 932 miles/3 hours delay) and 600 euros (+ 2,175miles more than 4 hours delay). Note: Guidelines are due to be revised from June 2014.

 Denied Boarding Regulations

Regardless as to whether you qualify for compensation as above, if you are travelling with an airline based in the EU or with a non-EU based airline flying from an EU airport, then you’re protected by the Denied Boarding Regulations.   These state that you would be entitled to:

Two free phone calls, faxes or e-mails

Free meals and refreshments appropriate to the delay

Free hotel accommodation and hotel transfers if an overnight stay is required

You can also choose not to travel, and get a refund of your ticket cost if the delay lasts for five hours or more (but the flight is not cancelled).

As long as your flight meets one of the following requirements:

A flight less than 932 miles is delayed for at least two hours

A flight within the EU (more than 932 miles) is delayed for at least three hours

A flight that isn’t within the EU but is between 932 and 2,174 miles is delayed for at least three hours

If any other flight is delayed for at least four hours

If you are unsure as to whether you are entitled to compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight or if you meet the criteria above and your claim has been declined, contact AJC Consultants on 0121 632 2970 for  free, no obligation advice.

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