Home insurance dilemma

The Irish Property Bubble (2006) Sell, Buy or Rent?
#1

I have to wonder how anybody is getting home insurance in Ireland when:

a. Many insurers won’t cover a house over 100 years old;
b. Many insurers won’t cover a house within 100m of a body of water;
c. Many insurers want to know the exact date the house was last re-wired, re-plumbed, re-roofed (this has to be a total farce, right? What do people do in the case of an older house with no documentation at all as to when anything was done? Are people making up dates to satisfy the insurance company? If so, isn’t it the case that any policy issued will be deemed invalid in the case of a claim?);
d. Many insurers won’t cover an unoccupied house (e.g., executor sale and you can’t occupy the house until you get your mortgage, etc., but you can’t get a mortgage without insurance).

And what if most, if not all, of the above apply?

Are brokers helpful in such cases?

Thanks in advance.

#2

who ever you get the mortgage from you take their insurance for the first year or who do you have your car / medical with role it all into one

#3

When insurance gets a bit specialist you’ll need a good broker. Kidd insurances are one but there are lots. Aviva will insure a house over 100 years. Pricey though.

#4

Aviva told me that they won’t cover a house over 100 years old.

#5

Yes - direct insurance phone lines are a waste of time if you have anything out of the normal.

#7

Because you rang Aviva directly. You need a broker to talk to the Aviva back room who actually do old fashioned insurance.

#8

I agree that is it getting more and more difficult to insure. I had terrible difficulties insuring a derelict house I bought in 2012, to such an extent that the sale almost fell through as a result. I finally got a broker to sort me out with empty dwellings insurance.

I am now living in the house which was built in the 1840s and is listed. FBD provided me with the best value insurance.

#9

I just got insurance on an unoccupied house through Glennon brokers, the house was built in the 1950s

#10

Why is insuring an older house unpalatable to insurance companies?

Is it because there is more inherent risk of something like fire? Or are older houses just so heterogeneous to the point that actuaries’ models (which run off averages) become very unreliable?

#11

Our house is inner city 1890’s - completely refurbished - and FBD have been insuring it for 10 years with no issue. Have always found them good to deal with and competitive quote-wise.

**(I have no connection with FBD!)
**

#12

FBD told me over the phone that the wouldn’t cover an unoccupied house.

#13

Aib gave me a great quote but I had to say the house was rewired, re plumbed and reroofed in the last 20 years. Bought 3 years ago & couldn’t say that so couldn’t take their insurance- if something happened, no doubt it’d be invalid.

#14

Do you have some ethical objection to calling a broker? Your problem has been answered yet you keep pretending you’re being blocked from getting insured. Those people you talk to directly are like mcdonalds cashiers, you need a broker.

#15

No.

#16

I had trouble so took out insurance with the mortgage bank when I bought. Then I renovated, upgraded the wiring, plumbing and all sorts. Called the bank to update the policy and the bank upped the premium by 700%! You can bet they lost the business. I found OBF Insurances good for non standard insurance. Kidd Insurances quoted also but still a bit steep.