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Home Insurance for Protection of Your Most Valuable Asset

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Is Home, your most valuable asset? In fact, for most of us, it is. We spend a substantial part of our lifetime’s earnings on a Home. We spend some of the best moments of our lives in our homes. We take all care to ensure that our homes and possessions are protected from any damage or loss. However, mishaps still happen. We can do little about the natural disasters that can potentially cause major damage. Housebreakings are not rare despite us installing best protection equipment with burglars finding ways to outsmart the technology.

Any damage to the exterior or the interiors of our homes or its content can cause emotional and financial distress. There could be many things to fix and replace. As our homes protect us from the heat, dust, rains and many other troubles, it is only fair that we protect our homes from any damage / untoward incidence. In order to protect your home and protecting yourself against any potential losses due to any damage to your home, you need a home insurance.

Traditionally, Indian homeowners’ attitude towards Home Insurance has been somewhat indifferent. A Home Insurance has been considered as an avoidable expense in India till recently. However, Home Insurance in India is getting recognized as a crucial protection product after instances of natural disasters in Nepal and India, when many houses were seriously damaged. Thefts have been common for years; however stakes have gone up of late with homeowners’ preferences for high-value gadgets like LED Television Sets, Home Theatre Systems, Air Conditioners and even rare Antiques. Home Insurance plans are designed to protect the insured against a wide range of perils that put them at risk.

A standard Home Insurance not only safeguards the structure of your home but also covers all the belongings and prized possessions collected over the years. A standard Home Insurance cover gives you a chance to choose either the house structure or the household contents in a single policy.

Let’s understand in detail what a standard Home Insurance plan offers:

Fire: A house can catch fire due to many possible reasons. One may forget to switch off the stove or a spark emanating from an electrical appliance may result in something big and devastating. Short-circuits are common in rainy seasons. A Home Insurance plan offers protection against losses due to fire. It can leave a devastating effect. The property structure can become severely damaged, such that you have to rebuild it. In such a situation, a Home Insurance policy pays for the expenses incurred on repair and reconstruction work. With financial support from the Home Insurance policy, you can focus on getting the house back to its original condition.

Theft: Another problem that worries most homeowners is a possibility of theft. A burglary can result in loss of precious contents such as jewelry, documents and electronic appliances. One can protect against such possibilities by taking optional burglary coverage. This coverage pays out in the event that the home's contents are stolen.

Storm, Flood, Inundation : With rising instances of Flood, inundation in the last few years, Home Insurance is gaining attention of the homeowners as an important protection product. There have been a number of instances of people having become the victims of natural disasters in which their houses have been damaged to great extent.

Earthquake : One can also opt for a Earthquake coverage which offers compensation if the structure or the contents of the home are damaged due to Earthquake.

Others: One can also opt for a terrorism coverage which offers compensation if the structure or the contents of the home are damaged by acts of terrorism. Home Insurance in India is becoming important with changing dynamics of Home ownership. A house can get damaged due to so a number of external factors beyond the control of the owner. In case of a serious damage, it may not be possible to restore everything to its original state because of the enormous expenses that it may involve. With Home Insurance, you can make a claim on the policy and recover the expenses arising from the loss.

In the event of a mishap, making a home insurance claim is not complicated. The homeowner needs to fill in the claims form and submit it with relevant documents to the insurance company. All documents supporting your claim must be provided for it to be approved. The insurance company surveyor will scrutinize the loss and the claim and arrive at a compensation based on the replacement cost.

Home insurance quote depends upon various factors like if the premise to be insured is rented or owned accommodation, the Type of property (flat or individual house), age of the property and the coverage type (the structure or the content or both). Coverage amount is the maximum limit that would be paid if some damage occurs to the house. The major factor that determines the coverage amount is reconstruction cost of the house. Reconstruction cost is ascertained by the following formula:

Total constructed area X Construction cost per square feet With a good  Home Insurance in place, you can have complete peace of mind regarding your property investment.

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Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.