Insurance World

Pests and vermin are costing homeowners money – a survey carried out by ICM revealed that in the last year, one in ten homeowners have had to pay a bill as a result of damage caused by the little critters. Most of the damage is caused by the five most common pests: mice, wasps, grey squirrels, rats and hornets – and which year on year invade our homes, causing all kinds of damage.

The problem is that although most home and contents insurance policies cover the results of a pest problem, for example a fire caused by chewed wiring, under the accidental damage part of the policy, they don’t cover the damage itself. So if you discover that you are sharing your house with vermin, then you will probably have to cover the associated costs yourself.

There are a few exceptions. Saga, for example, includes damage caused by squirrels in all its policies. Choose its Cover Plus policy and damage by all vermin is covered.

Esure is another notable exception, and they now offer full cover for damage from the top five most common vermin to all policy holders for an extra Ј21.99 a year. Compare that to the cost of having a hornet’s nest removed - Ј100 – or Ј150 to have rodents eradicated, and it seems like a good investment.

Peter Priestley, president of the British Pest Control Association, has seen some of the worst pest cases, the most notable being a house in Preston where the upper floor of a house completely collapsed as a result of rats chewing through the joists. In the Isle of Man, they have a particular problem with rats. One man was found dead, having fallen down the stairs – the bottom half of his torso had been eaten by rats that had entered his house.

More everyday cases involve squirrels breaking ornaments and damaging furniture – causing damage that regularly adds up to Ј4000. Mice and rats chewing through flooring is another expensive problem, the bill can reach Ј1500 in a worst-case scenario. The costs of eradicating the pests can also be inflated due to the fact that the pest control is currently unregulated. As an Esure spokesperson said, “Many people are left to find their own contractor, potentially calling out ‘cowboy’ pest controllers to their homes to then be faced with a hefty bill.”

The best insurance is prevention, and we have put together some tips to help you avoid being targeted by vermin.

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Keep your garden and the area around your house free of spilled rubbish, make sure the rubbish goes in a bin that had a lid.
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Don’t leave spilled birdseed under feeders and bird tables – it could attract mice, rats and squirrels.
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Seal up holes around pipework – mice can get through tiny gaps. The basic rule is, if a pencil fits in the hole, so can a mouse.
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Keep your home clean – don’t leave dirty plates out, clean up spills and vacuum on a regular basis.
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Don’t leave piles of wood, leaves, pipes and other detritus in the garden as it provides a perfect hiding place for mice.
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Try not to keep items like clothes, cuddly toys and tissue paper in the loft – it provides a perfect nest for wasps and hornets.

If you live near a nature reserve or an area that is rich in wildlife, then it may be worth considering getting cover against pest damage. However, if you follow the above advice and also make regular checks then you may catch them in time, before they ruin your roost!

Affordable health insurance - it seems, especially today, those words just don’t belong together in the same sentence. Health insurance monthly premiums have become the biggest single expense in our lives - surpassing even mortgage payments. In fact, if you have any permanent health problems, such as diabetes, or have had cancer at one time in your family history, your monthly cost could easily be more than the house and car payment combined.

Shopping for affordable health insurance can certainly be an eye-opener. If you have always had a health insurance benefit where you work - especially a state or federal employee - and now have to buy your own, you may not be able to afford the level of health insurance coverage you have become used to.

Affordable health insurance, however, is definitely available -if you know how and where to look.

When you are looking for affordable health insurance, you want the lowest cost per year that will fit your budget, of course. But, even more importantly, you want a company that has a good record for paying without fighting with you on every detail. Just as there is a car for just about any budget, there is also affordable health insurance. You may not be able to afford a “Cadillac” policy - but then you probably don’t need all the frills anyway.

Shopping for health insurance on the internet is the easiest and best way to find affordable health insurance. Here are five reasons why.

1. You don’t need a local agent to help you submit the claims for health insurance. The medical provider does it for you. You save money because the health insurance company saves money by not paying the agent commission. This could amount to an 8% to 12% savings to you.

2. All the top health insurance companies are at your fingertips on the internet. Most local agents can only quote you from the few companies that they represent. They may not offer you what is best for you financially or health-wise but only what they happen to have available.

3. Health insurance companies have to be extremely competitive because it is so quick and easy to compare them with their competitors on the internet today. In the past you would have had to visit physically eight to ten agents to do a similar comparison. Most folks just didn’t have the time or desire for that.

4. You can change your coverage, deductibles, and payment options with just a few clicks rather than going through the paperwork delay with a local agent (and then finding out he/she made a mistake - more delay).

5. Charging to a credit card means you aren’t going to forget a payment and be without insurance. Also, it gives you another 30 days before you actually have to pay. Also, many companies today give an additional discount for “auto-pay”.

The key, however, to finding affordable health insurance is realizing that the purpose of any health insurance is to protect you from a major financial loss - not to protect you from spending small money on clinic visits and sliver removal. These small expenses may be cumbersome but they generally will not hurt you. It’s the $100,000 heart operation that will break you. That’s the financial disaster health insurance was originally designed to prevent.

Also, keep this in mind. Health insurance, as with any insurance, is a gamble. You are gambling that you will draw out more than you pay in. Your health insurance company is gambling they will pay out less. The odds are in their favor for two reasons. They have all the facts for millions of families to average out, so they know the risk in advance. Also, they get to set the rules and the prices. The higher you set your deductible, the more risk you take. This is not a bad thing at all. You will most likely be the winner in the long run.

Yes, finding affordable health insurance is much easier than most people think.

Taking more of the risk with higher deductibles, spending a little time on the internet comparing eight to ten different companies, and deleting coverage that you will not likely need (such as maternity for many folks) will make it very possible to find your own affordable health insurance.