Category: Insurance

Any businesses that deal with vehicles, whether it’s working on them, cleaning them, transporting them, buying and selling etc. has to have motor trade insurance.

Motor trade insurance is a type of cover that provides protection for the common risks that are involved in running a business in the motor trade.

If you are thinking of starting a motor trade business or are just interested in how motor trade insurance works then below is a guide to help you.

Types of motor trade insurance

• Road risks – This type of cover is vital when you work in the motor trade. It will ensure that you and your employees are able to work on and drive customer vehicles. You can choose what level of protection you want from third party only; third party, fire and theft; and fully comprehensive.
• Liability claims – Liability claims are a risk for all types of businesses, especially those that are in the motor trade. Having a good amount of public liability cover included in your policy is therefore always recommended.
• Part-time motor trade insurance – If you work in the motor trade only part-time then you can get a policy that covers you only for when you need it.
• Combined motor trade insurance – A combined motor trade insurance policy enables you to protect all aspects of your business together. This means you can get cover for road risks as well as protecting your premises, tools, stock and cash.

Some of the benefits of getting quotes online

• Save time – A big benefit of getting motor trade insurance quotes online is that you can save a lot of time. Usually it’s simply a case of filling out one quote form to get quotes from several different providers. This is much easier than calling different providers by phone.
• Save money – By getting quotes very easily, you can compare them and pick the one that’s the best value for money. This is one of the best ways to make sure you get the best deal on motor trade insurance.
• Easily adjust your policy options – Getting cover online means you can easily add and remove cover options as you desire.

Owning a minibus can be a great way to make a living or just help out your local community.

If you’re considering purchasing a minibus then it’s a good idea to know what things to take into account so you can make an informed decision.

Below are some of the biggest things to consider.

The price

Price is always going to be a big consideration when you’re making a large purchase such as a minibus. Minibuses generally aren’t cheap but price can vary a lot depending on the brand, the size of the vehicle and whether you choose to buy new or used.

If you’re buying used then you might be able to haggle for a lower price depending on where you get it from. Always be sure to check any vehicles you’re considering for faults or damage.

The number of seats

The number of seats a minibus has is another important consideration, particularly if you’re going to be using it for commercial reasons.

Larger minibuses will generally cost more to insure. You can help to keep the cost of insurance to a minimum by comparing minibus insurance companies.

The cost of insurance

The cost of minibus insurance will depend on a few key factors. These include –

• The size of the minibus – The size of the minibus you’re insuring is certainly something that insurance providers will take into account. If you want to keep costs to a minimum then, you should consider a smaller vehicle of say 9 seats.
• Its value – The value of the minibus will affect the cost of insurance too. This is especially true if you take out a comprehensive policy where your vehicle is covered even in accidents where you’re to blame.
• The level of cover you take out – The level of cover you take will of course affect what you pay for insurance too. If you want to get the cheapest cover possible then a third party only policy is what you’ll want to go for. If you want to get more protection you can also add options such as public liability and breakdown assistance.
• Where you park it – Where the vehicle is parked is always something insurance providers pay close attention to since it will have a big impact on how much risk there is of theft/damage. Ideally you would have a locked garage or at least a driveway where you can park your minibus.

 …

If you’re thinking of buying a thatched roof cottage then it’s important to be aware of the most important questions you need to ask.

Thatched properties are different from regular domestic homes in that the roof requires special expertise to build as well as there being a greater risk of fire if the property isn’t properly maintained.

Below are some of the most important questions you should ask when buying a thatched roof cottage.

Is the property listed?

This is a very important question to ask if you’re looking to buy a thatched roof cottage. Listed buildings are considered to be of great cultural or historical value and therefore if you own a listed building it’s your responsibility to ensure it’s kept in optimum condition.

It’s also important to find out if the cottage is listed as you’ll need to seek permission from the council if you want to have any structural work carried out on the property.

How are the insurance costs?

The cost of thatched cottage insurance cover can be quite high when compared to more conventional properties

The cost of repairing the thatch isn’t the only thing that insurance providers take into account of course. There are also other consideration such as –

• Where the property is located
• The size of the property
• How secure it is
• How often the chimney is cleaned/inspected

If you get chance to speak to the current owners then you should certainly find out roughly what insurance costs since it might be outside your budget.

When did the property last have an electrical inspection?

Fire safety is always a key concern for owners of thatched roof properties. It’s often assumed that the main danger for fire comes from the chimney in a thatched roof property but the wiring can be just as big a concern.

For this reason you want to find out when the cottage last had a proper electrical inspection. If it was a considerable amount of time ago then you certainly want to make it a priority to get one done by a fully qualified professional. This will not only give you peace of mind but also help to lower your insurance costs.

When was the chimney cleaned last?

Another key question to ask when you’re buying a thatched roof cottage is when the chimney was last cleaned. Chimneys can pose a big risk for thatched roof property owners since a build up of soot in the chimney flue can easily lead to a fire breaking out.

It’s recommended that you have your chimney cleaned at least once a year when you have a thatched roof property.

Whether you are an owner driver or have your own trucking firm, you must make sure that you’re protected by getting a good truck insurance policy.

To help you make the right decisions, below are the different types of truck insurance available as well as some great ways to keep costs down.

Types of truck insurance

• Road risks – Road risks insurance is a necessity for all vehicles in the UK in order for them to be road legal. When getting road risks cover for your truck(s) you can choose from a third party only policy; third party, fire and theft; or fully comprehensive.
• Fleet insurance – If you have a number of trucks that you need to insure together then you can do this by getting a fleet insurance policy. Fleet insurance often ends up being cheaper than getting individual policies too so it’s a good way to save money.
• Liability claims – Liability claims are something that all business owners must be prepared for. You can get a good amount of liability cover included in a truck insurance policy to ensure your business is fully protected.
• Legal expenses – Fighting liability claims in court can get very expensive so having legal expenses included in your policy is certainly not a bad idea.

Ways to save money on truck insurance

• Get a lot of quotes – Getting a lot of quotes will help you to save money on truck insurance since it will prevent you from overspending on a policy you could have gotten cheaper from another provider. Sites such as Clean Green Compare make it very easy to get truck insurance quotes from different providers.
• Hire good drivers – When you’re hiring drivers, you always need to think about how they’ll affect the cost of your insurance. Reliable drivers that have plenty of truck driving experience and don’t have any convictions will be the cheapest to insure.
• Secure your premises – Making your premises secure will also help to lower the cost of your insurance since you’re less likely to have your vehicles damaged or stolen.

If you have a conviction, whether it’s for a motoring offence or other type of crime, then you might worry that getting insurance for your home and your vehicle will be more challenging. It’s certainly true that insurance providers consider people with convictions to be higher risk and that some won’t even consider insuring you if you have a criminal conviction.

That being said – there are ways around this problem and finding both home and car insurance at a reasonable price needn’t be an impossible task.

Car insurance

If you have a vehicle then car insurance is a must in order for it to be road legal. By far the best way to get car insurance when you have a conviction is to go to a specialist provider. There are many providers of car insurance for people with convictions who will take the unique circumstances of your conviction into account (including insurance for and IN10 conviction) when calculating the cost of your policy.

Home insurance

Another thing that can be challenging to get from a mainstream provider when you have a conviction is home insurance. Luckily there are also many providers of home insurance for people with convictions so this isn’t an issue.

Why get cover online?

There are some compelling reasons to get insurance online when you have a criminal conviction. These include –

• Getting quotes easy – One of the main reasons that getting insurance online is a good idea is that it makes getting quotes incredibly easy. There are plenty of insurance comparison sites out there where all you need to do to get quotes from different providers is fill out one form.
• Tailor your policy to your exact needs – When getting cover online, you can clearly see what cover options are on the policy as well as other details. This makes it very simple to see what you want to add or take off the policy so it suits your individual needs.

Ways to save money

• Get quotes from a lot of providers – This is one of the best ways to ensure that you get the best deal on both car and home insurance.
• Pay for the policy annually – If you can afford to pay upfront then be sure to negotiate the best deal possible for the policy.
• Make security a priority – Making your home and car secure will certainly help to reduce the cost of your insurance.

Whether you have a personal collection of cars or you run a business that relies on the use of 2-5 vehicles, mini fleet insurance provides a way to insure your vehicles together in a way that’s cheap and convenient.

There are now many great places you can find mini fleet insurance online, so getting a policy at a reasonable price should not be an issue.

If you’re considering getting mini fleet insurance then below are some of the biggest advantages of it.

Why consider mini fleet insurance?

• It’s cheaper – One of the most obvious benefits of mini fleet insurance is that it usually works out cheaper compared to insuring your vehicles on separate policies. The cost of a mini fleet policy will depend on various factors, including how many vehicles you’re insuring, the value of the vehicles, how secure they are and the named drivers. However in most cases a fleet policy will be cheaper.
• It’s easier – Another big benefit of mini fleet insurance is that it’s easier to manage. Having one policy for all your vehicles rather than separate policies for each means there’s less paperwork and it’s easier to make a claim.
• A great option for small business owners – If you run a small business with between 2 and 5 vehicles, whether they’re vans, cars or any other type of vehicle, then you can get them insured together under one convenient policy.

Ways to save money

• Hire reliable drivers – If you’re getting mini fleet insurance for your business then one of the best ways to save money is by hiring reliable drivers who are over the age of 25. The age of your named drivers always makes a big difference since younger drivers are much more likely to be involved in a collision statistically.
• Secure your vehicles – Making your vehicles secure is another way to cut down the cost of mini fleet insurance. The vast majority of modern vehicles come with an alarm as standard but you should also make sure the vehicles are securely parked when not in use.
• Get quotes from different insurance providers – Getting quotes from different insurance providers is easier than ever to do now and is one of the best ways you can save money on mini fleet insurance.