I bought the Gold version at £149.99 that includes a boiler service and gas safety certificate. You see I thought that those alone would cost me £85-£100 so for an extra £49.99 I would be getting boiler insurance cover and that was a good call as I have forked out some money on fixing the boiler over the years.

All was good until the agent asked me to get the gas landlords certificate. I said I would organise through Dial a Rod and duly called on the 13^th April. I gave the details of the property and that I wanted the service and gas safety certificate sorted ASAP. They promised to call back.

I called again on the 25^th April and was promised a call back.

On 1^st May Jonathan promised me he would deal with it personally and call me back the next day. I hope he’s OK because I’ve never heard from him since.

Next I called on 3^rd May and spoke with Holly who said she needed me to supply a date and time for the work to be carried out. I called on 4^th May after speaking with the tenant and advised noon on 10^th May was fine and the date was in the diary and agreed.

On 10^th May the tenant advised that after waiting in for three hours no one had arrived for the boiler service. I called the emergency number for Dial a Rod and constantly got a voicemail – so I left a message. I also emailed my disappointment.

On the 11^th May I spoke with Kerry who could tell I wasn’t happy. She had me on hold while she contacted the contractor and about 15-seconds later advised that she couldn’t get through and would refund my policy. I was not happy as I just wanted the service I had been sold and paid for but rather than waste more time on this sham firm I accepted.

On 17^th May I called again to see why I had not been refunded. Sarah apparently doesn’t get into the office until 1000 so I called at 1004 and was on hold for 19-minutes before giving up and leaving a message. I am not hopeful that I will receive a call back. I am not even hopeful that I will receive my money back.

Terrible service, don’t do what they say and a complete waste of my time and effort. I cannot advise strongly enough that you avoid Dial a Rod. I am considering where and how hard I can complain in order to resolve this matter right now as I think it is very wrong that any firm can treat customers so poorly and I sincerely hope they get closed down.

Jason McClean

The Property Insurer

The first thing you do is find out how much your contents are worth. This is important and is one of the most contributing factors to the cost of your insurance. So, have a quick look round your property and make a list of what you own and what it would cost to replace it all.

Get everything, don’t forget the sofas, beds, clothes and jewellery. It shouldn’t take long to do this and at the end you’ll have a fairly good idea how much cover you need should you suffer a total loss in the event of a fire or claim. Electronics, computers and mobile phones should all be counted and these can really bump up the contents value. I’d expect you will end up very easily with values above £5000 and most likely over £10,000. Don’t be concerned at these values as they are very normal, up to £50,000 is pretty normal but don’t make the mistake of over insuring for what you don’t own, it will cost you more.

Next go to the Internet and do a search for renters insurance and go to any of the providers noted on the first page. These brokers and insurers are all likely to be pretty good and give you a decent price.

Regardless of what you read, there is no real price comparison for tenants insurance available at the moment so the best you will get will be a broker privately comparing insurers it has on its own panel. That does not mean you’ll get the lowest price either, because if the broker is earning more commission from another they will try to maximise their profits.

Once you’ve got the first price then go to The Property Insurer and click on the renters insurance button. It will then take you around one minute to complete the online quote form and you will have a price from a leading UK specialist to compare with the first one you received.

Now it is simple, buy the policy that is cheapest but make sure they both offer the same cover and require the same excess in the event of a claim. As long as these are the same then the lowest price wins and you have just sorted your renters insurance.

Jason McClean
The Property Insurer

According to recent figures issued by the Council of Mortgage Lenders 32,300 loans worth £3.7 billion were advanced in the first quarter of 2012, this is an increase of 32 per cent on the corresponding period last year.

The buy-to-let sector has also increased its share of the mortgage market, now representing 12.8 per cent of outstanding lending at the end of March 2012, up from 12.2 per cent in the first three months of 2011.

So, with massive demand fuelling rent increases it is a great time to be entering the market and joining the 3 million plus landlords in the UK. A word of caution however, there are many pitfalls in becoming a landlord – you are now running a small business so tread carefully, take good advice and ensure you have the right protection for you, your prime asset and your tenant, I would recommend the following;-

-       Research the property – don’t always think that because you love it that tenants will love it, research areas of strong demand, particularly areas with a strong economy and those with good access to local amenities and transport routes.

-       Selecting tenants – be very careful, always undertake thorough reference checks, be wary of tenants offering up-front rents for extended periods in order to bypass reference checks. The landlord/tenant relationship can deteriorate, get to know your tenant as best you can and advise them on the need for tenants contents insurance as this can prevent disputes in the longer term.

-       Don’t cut corners – you now have a buy-to-let mortgage so avoid buying standard home insurance at all costs, whilst the premium may be cheaper it is ultimately false economy.

As a landlord and with a buy-to-let mortgage you need specialist cover from a firm who understand the needs of landlords and tenants.

If you need Cheap Landlord Insurance go to The Property Insurer and click on the Landlord Insurance button. Insurance is provided by one of the UK’s leading specialists, they have a quick and simple process and if you like the price you can buy online so it couldn’t be simpler!

Doug Phelan
The Property Insurer

Sam is a cracking young English lad with a talent for riding motorcycles very fast indeed. He is just 21-years-of age and is maturing as a rider who will challenge for the World Championship this year. He is already second only five points behind the leader and is on the ascendency.

His exploits in motorcycle racing and how he achieves success bears a marked resemblance to how The Property Insurer offers its products. For a start The Property Insurer is a small business that is growing fast and saving customers money.

Sam wants to be the best and works tirelessly behind the scenes on his fitness, preparation and skills to be the very best he can be. Then when he races he uses that to compete and win.

The Property Insurer works hard in the background to assemble the very best specialist insurers for property in the UK. It means that when you want to compare standard home insurance you have the best panel competing for your business. When you need something specialist, then the right experts are waiting to deal with you for things like flood, subsidence, renovation, landlord and more.

Just like Sam, we want to be the best and think that we are – it’s one of the reasons we are associated with Sam, we know how to pick winners.

Another interesting parallel with Sam is the speed. He is currently the fastest Supersport rider on the planet. We believe The Property Insurer is the fastest price comparison website. It can take less than a minute for a landlord or a tenant to get a quote and just six minutes for a normal buildings and contents insurance quote. That’s minutes faster than any of the big competition.

And bike racing is stitched into The Property Insurer with a clear price promise to match or beat any other quote for your home insurance in conjunction with the East Anglian air ambulance. Buy your policy through the offer and £5 will automatically be made to the charity – you really cannot lose.

Sam Lowes is a world-beater and The Property Insurer offers world-class property insurance – check it out today and save money!

Jason McClean

The Property Insurer

The simple truth is that the major direct brands and comparison websites are only looking for the standard, uncomplicated business like your standard 2 up 2 down property and clients with no previous property claims. So if you’re needs are a little different, for example if your property is in a flood risk area, or if your property is going to unoccupied for an extended period of time there is little point in contacting them as they will either decline to quote or offer over-inflated terms, they will make money by selling your quote to other providers.

To re-enforce this message I mentioned on a previous blog that BIBA (British Insurance Brokers Association) advised clients instead of trawling the web seek to buy unoccupied insurance consult a good specialist broker who understands the risks associated with unoccupancy and has access to markets than can provide competitive premiums and cover to match.

Most standard home insurance policies will not cover unnocupancy beyond a 30 or maximum 60 days, your existing insurer is some instance may continue to provide cover but with additional terms, clauses, you can also expect to see a big jump in premium. The reason for this is that an empty property is at an increased risk of those unthinkable events occurring, events that can be both distressing and very expensive to put right, for example just a small leak can cause significant damage if left undiagnosed for days on end.

So if you need specialist unoccupied insurance, it couldn’t be simpler, please follow these steps:

1)   Visit www.thepropertyinsurer.co.uk and click on the unoccupied insurance button.

2)   Click on ‘Get a Quote’ and complete the online form, that only takes a few minutes

3)   Our specialist Broker understands the specific needs of insuring an empty property and has access to markets that can cover a wide variety of circumstances.

Unoccupied insurance from The Property Insurer is provided by one of the UK’s leading specialists providers, they will offer cover that meets your requirements and your budget, so you can be assured of an unbeatable deal.

Doug Phelan
The Property Insurer

The story is sobering but it illustrates the true-life car crash that can be flooding in your home and the battle to get insurance if you do not know where to look.

Not only was the couple’s property flooded but they then had to live elsewhere for 10-months, suffering illness in the process.

Churchill then wrote to them saying that their insurance premiums would increase as a result of the claim. They tried in vain to find competition from anywhere else. Direct Line said it only quoted properties that had been flood free for years – that happy little phone on telly isn’t your friend if you’ve had a flood that’s for sure!

They ended up with their insurance doubling and now five years on their insurance is still three times what it used to cost them and they can’t find a viable alternative anywhere. They should try The Property Insurer – it can help with expert advice and specialist prices.

Other stories emerge as well with huge excess being added to insurance policies from £5000 – £20,000 if they ever claim.  And all that is on top of double or trebling of the pre-insurance price for flood risk insurance.

The lack of competition for the flood insurance provision is cited by all those who have experienced the nightmare personally. And with the Government and insurers in a stand off over provision the fear is that the situation may just get worse.

But do not fear – The Property Insurer can help. It has a specialist, experienced flood insurance expert that treats every case on its merits and works hard to deliver the lowest priced quotes with affordable excess.

Being an expert the broker understands the risks and reality of flooding and will deliver a policy to suit your circumstances rather than just a blanket response that it is not interested or a massive excess to be paid in the case of a claim. This is a real person and insurance broker that will scour the market to get you the best deal possible and help you through your difficult times.

Flood insurance doesn’t have to be a floody hell – just visit The Property Insurer and it will help you.

Jason McClean

The Property Insurer

The fact is that as soon as you move your belongings into your nice new let property then you are liable for their loss if you have no cover in place.

Just add up what it would cost to replace everything you own. Television, computers, microwaves, bed, sofa, clothes, mobile phone, books, bikes – the list just goes on and on. Replacing the lot will be thousands and in some cases tens of thousands.

Imagine on your first day the flat burns to the ground and you do not have insurance in place? You’ll have to replace everything yourself and no insurer will give you credit if you tell them you were going to buy it the next day. You need tenants insurance in place the moment you move in.

The good news is that renters insurance is not normally expensive. It is linked to the value of your contents, how much excess you are willing to pay, the security of the property, the postcode and your claims history.

What that means is if you live in a normal area (not a theft hotspot), have around £10,000 – £50,000 contents, pay somewhere below £250 in excess, have locks on windows and doors and have never claimed in the last five years, your insurance for the coming year is likely to be pennies a day. It should be somewhere around £100-£200 for a typical person and risk. That’s roughly 27p – 54p per day to cover your possessions entirely and be able to sleep soundly at night.

To buy tenants insurance is just for contents only. There is no buildings insurance required as you do not own the property and it is the job of the landlord to supply that to protect his own asset.

Simply go to The Property Insurer and click on Renters Insurance to get a fast and competitive low cost quote to meet your needs. It’ll take just minutes to complete and you can buy online so this is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to get yourself covered. There is no excuse for tenants – new or old – not to have insurance and don’t forget that if you suffer a loss you cannot buy the insurance after the event, you’ll be footing the cost yourself.

Jason McClean

The Property Insurer

Insurance is now widely available on the Internet, but in some instances it’s a case of too much choice and it can be a challenge to decide what cover is needed and what provider to trust. You have a considerable amount of money tied up in the property and my advice is to purchase specialist Landlord Insurance from a proven specialist insurance broker, they will provide insurance to protect your 4 walls and the income you earn from being a landlord.

I have put together some simple steps to help in the process of your protecting you (as the Landlord) and this most important asset;

Always Insure
Whilst it is not a legal requirement, Landlord Insurance is an important component of any landlord/tenant relationship and without it the consequences for you could be catastrophic.

Don’t Cut Corners
Do not fall into the trap of thinking that standard home insurance is sufficient for your purpose, it is most definitely not and any claim you make will almost certainly be rejected.

Cover options
You need insure the buildings, you must then decide whether to pay extra to include accidental damage for the buildings, you can also include the contents that you intent to keep in the property.

Tenants Contents
Ensure your tenant is fully aware that your insurance does not cover his or her contents and personal effects, advise your tenant to seek out tenants contents insurance.

Search Online
Step 1 – Insurance is now widely available online, select your preferred search engine and search for Landlord Insurance, take your pick from any of the providers but make sure they can provide a quote online, the quote should take 5 – 10 minutes.

Step 2: Go to The Property Insurer and click on Landlord Insurance button on the homepage then click on the Get a Quote button, it will take less than 5-minutes from our online specialist Landlord Insurance partner Rentguard.

Step 3 – You now have two quotes and have compared them. Make sure that they offer like for like cover with the same level of excess and cover for accidental damage etc. You can now choose which one you want to purchase and buy online – normally by clicking on the proceed button.

That’s is one of the best ways you can buy Cheap Landlord Insurance today and it will take you around 20-minutes from start to finish but could save you hundreds of pounds.

Doug Phelan
The Property Insurer

The first thing you should do is go to The Property Insurer and click on the landlord’s insurance page and get a quote. The quote takes roughly around one-minute to complete and will deliver a price to your screen.

This will be a good price – possibly the best and for those in a hurry or busy with their lives or business, this is probably the quickest way to let property insurance in the UK right now. It literally takes a minute and then you can buy online and be finished a couple of minutes later, with your policy details winging their way to you.

However, if you want to be sure you have got the cheapest price possible there is another step you need to take. It will take another 15-minutes but by the end of it you will know what the lowest cost renters insurance you can buy really is within a tiny margin. What I mean is you may be able to get it cheaper somewhere else but you’ll need to devote days of research and effort to saving a pound or two and in my books that isn’t worth it.

So, you’ve got a good price from The Property Insurer. Now go to any of the major price comparison sites or call the ringing telephone that doesn’t do price comparison sites. Go through their quote process and with exactly the same risk data, see what price they come up with.

Make sure the buildings insured value is the same and your excess is the same in all cases. It may sound trivial but you do not need more insurance than the rebuild of the property is worth (buildings only) and if your excess is higher or lower it can make a material difference to the price. Just compare apples with apples is what I am saying.

Now you have two prices and the time is right to decide where you will buy your insurance. Generally the lowest price will win if the cover is identical. You just need your credit or debit card handy to finish the process with whomever you choose.

The average price in the UK for landlords insurance is around £150 – so that gives you a good idea what you should be paying. If the property you rent is huge and in central London you’ll pay more; if it is a two-bed semi in the midlands chances are you’ll pay less.

That’s how you buy low cost landlords insurance.

JASON MCCLEAN

The Property Insurer

This is a very niche area of insurance so it is not something you will normally be able to cover through the big brands you see on TV or the big price comparison websites.

They are set up for high volume standard business – basically three-bed semi detached properties are their bread and butter. Give them a barn conversion and the numbers don’t add up and in most cases they will either fail to quote entirely or else load the price so much that you might need another mortgage to afford it.

So if you are renovating an old barn or building then you will need someone who understands what you are doing, the risks involved, the costs and the timelines. They will need to know what value of materials and equipment you will have on site and how they are protected overnight from theft. They will need to know a lot about your project but the more they know then the more likely you are to get a realistic price for cover.

It is the same if you are doing a major extension on your home. All the same questions need to be answered. How many people will be working there, is there heavy equipment etc.? The answers to all of these questions will help determine price.

A critical element of any renovation may well be the length of time that the building will be unoccupied but still require insurance. Unoccupied insurance is another niche area but if you are carrying out works while it is unoccupied then the insurance moves across and becomes renovation based. This will take into account any empty property periods – it is a natural part of developing a property that you cannot be living in something potentially without a roof or safe walls. The specialists understand this.

So to get renovation project insurance you need to speak with an expert and you can do that with The Property Insurer. Simply click on the Get A Quote button and you’ll be taken to the UK’s leading provider who has many years of experience in this field. You can get a quote on line or call if you want to speak with someone.

They will offer you a realistic – and as low cost as possible price – for renovation property insurance. This will give you the peace of mind you are covered during the project and be at the best price. It’s as simple as that and much easier to get this sort of insurance than you may believe.

Jason McClean

The Property Insurer