Solicitors use specialist unoccupied buildings insurance for probate property
Solicitors handling the estate of a deceased client will need to arrange specialist property insurance for the unoccupied building and its contents. For an empty property a standard home insurance will rarely be suitable as they are designed for property that is lived in. When a property becomes unoccupied most insurers will exclude cover for theft, theft damage, malicious damage, escape of water, burst pipes – i.e the very incidents that will most likely occur when a property is empty.
A solicitor handling probate will usually have very little information and if there is a copy of the last insurance schedule available it will probably be on a sum insured of up to £1,000,000 or unlimited, on a package policy rated on the number of bedrooms.
A specialist unoccupied property insurance will usually require the actual building sum insured (the cost of reinstatement) as opposed to the market value of a property. It is essential that a property is insured for the full cost of reinstatement.
Our solution for the legal profession
For solicitors handling probate, we can offer a policy which provides a reinstatement value of up to £500,000 on our bedroom rated policy. This is designed to be adequate to rebuild the majority of homes and the cover includes for theft, theft damage, malicious damage, escape of water, burst pipes and even subsidence, heave and landslip. Our policy carries a 30 day inspection wording during the summer and 14 days during the coldest winter months. Many other specialist providers have 7 days inspection wordings which can be too onerous in many cases.
So, rather than having to have a ‘stab in the dark’ at trying to guess a rebuilding cost for a property, solicitors can use our bedroom rated policy specifically designed for them and have the peace of mind that the sum insured for the property will be adequate, the cover will be comprehensive and the premiums, extremely competitive.
Bickers Insurance Services – specialist unoccupied buildings insurance