Home Insurance query

[Norm]

Doing the annual policy renewals and I probably should have cleared this up ages ago. Basically, I don't know what I live in and was wondering if anyone can give me advice. 

 

We live in a 4 in a block. One of those ones where there's 4 homes in a building, everyone has their own entrance on the ground floor, but we're one of the 2 homes on the top floor. 

 

What the **** is that classed as? A flat? A maisonette? (An upper villa, according to the estate agents when the neighbours punted theirs a while ago)

 

Basically, I don't want to be one of those folk who gets shafted by their insurer over something as daft as having the wrong type of house on the policy. Anyone able to help? Google doesn't seem to make it clear one way or the other. 

[frankblack]

Sounds like you have a place like mine.  Guess I'm about to find out if my home insurance is invalid.

 

I put down maisonette.  When I bought it was advertised as a "Double Upper".

[davemclaren]

Cottage Flat I believe 😎

[davemclaren]

Just now, davemclaren said:

Cottage Flat I believe 😎

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_flat

[Guest]

Quarter Villa?

[Harry Potter]

12 minutes ago, Normthebarman said:

Doing the annual policy renewals and I probably should have cleared this up ages ago. Basically, I don't know what I live in and was wondering if anyone can give me advice. 

 

We live in a 4 in a block. One of those ones where there's 4 homes in a building, everyone has their own entrance on the ground floor, but we're one of the 2 homes on the top floor. 

 

What the **** is that classed as? A flat? A maisonette? (An upper villa, according to the estate agents when the neighbours punted theirs a while ago)

 

Basically, I don't want to be one of those folk who gets shafted by their insurer over something as daft as having the wrong type of house on the policy. Anyone able to help? Google doesn't seem to make it clear one way or the other. 

Aye better be spot on, any excuse not to pay on a claim, 

[Norm]

29 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

Cottage Flat I believe 😎

See, that's why I had it as a flat previously but going by compare the market, a maisonette seems more accurate going by their descriptions. 

[3fingersreid]

Upper villa 

[frankblack]

41 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_flat

 

That isn't mine then.

[GinRummy]

51 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_flat

Hadn’t heard of a cottage flat in my life before. Learned something there. Anyway OP, upper villa. 

[Howdy Doody Jambo]

An Aston Villa 

 

 

[Alex]

Upper villa.

 

This isn't mine. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82885480.html

[davemclaren]

Just now, Alex said:

Upper villa.

 

This isn't mine. https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-82885480.html

Technically a flat, according to the headline. 😄

[davemclaren]

11 minutes ago, GinRummy said:

Hadn’t heard of a cottage flat in my life before. Learned something there. Anyway OP, upper villa. 

First I had heard of the term was a few months ago when some kids died in a fire in one in Glasgow. 🙁

[Norm]

Regarding the suggestions for  upper villa, the issue is none of the insurers, or at least none of the comparisons, have that as an option. 

 

Flat, detached house, terraced house, bungalow, villa or maisonette are the options generally, however the villa is for a standalone single accommodation as opposed to the upper and lower. 

[RS86]

Maisonette. I work in insurance so can say this with a degree of confidence rather than just guessing 👍

[davemclaren]

5 minutes ago, RS86 said:

Maisonette. I work in insurance so can say this with a degree of confidence rather than just guessing 👍

A maisonette is effectively a two storey flat. This is one storey. 

[Harry Potter]

2 hours ago, Ma Roon said:

An Aston Villa 

 

 

🤣

[Hairdryer]

Upper flatted villa

[Do The Dance]

I stayed in a 4 in a block. Called it a upper/lower villa or a simply a flat if there wasn't that option.

[Do The Dance]

1 hour ago, davemclaren said:

A maisonette is effectively a two storey flat. This is one storey. 

 

This.

[Norm]

The thing with calling it a flat is that an insurer would assume that there's one main entrance to the building for all residents. Whereas a maisonette doesn't.

 

I would assume that would be one of the main differences in risk as well, the shared or private entrance. 

Edited August 5, 2020 by Normthebarman

[XXX]

Your home insurance may be invalid if you don’t have a burglar alarm.

Edited August 5, 2020 by The Spy Who Loved Me

[davemclaren]

37 minutes ago, The Spy Who Loved Me said:

Your home insurance may be invalid if you don’t have a burglar alarm.

🤔

[XXX]

8 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

🤔

For failing to use security.

 

Many insurers insist that if you have an alarm it must be activated at certain times, like when you leave the house.

 

If a burglar gains unforced access to your home due to no alarm or not activated, you wouldn’t be covered for anything stolen.

[davemclaren]

5 minutes ago, The Spy Who Loved Me said:

For failing to use security.

 

Many insurers insist that if you have an alarm it must be activated at certain times, like when you leave the house.

 

If a burglar gains unforced access to your home due to no alarm or not activated, you wouldn’t be covered for anything stolen.

I’m not aware the OP said he had a burglar alarm but I might have missed it. Most insurers don’t mandate you having one though. 

[hughesie27]

1 hour ago, Normthebarman said:

The thing with calling it a flat is that an insurer would assume that there's one main entrance to the building for all residents. Whereas a maisonette doesn't.

 

I would assume that would be one of the main differences in risk as well, the shared or private entrance. 

I believe on Compare the Market that is a separate question.

 

 

For the OP. I live in the same style house and belive we went with Flat. Seems daft, especially when we have an attic conversion but it seemed the best option. 

[Norm]

2 hours ago, The Spy Who Loved Me said:

For failing to use security.

 

Many insurers insist that if you have an alarm it must be activated at certain times, like when you leave the house.

 

If a burglar gains unforced access to your home due to no alarm or not activated, you wouldn’t be covered for anything stolen.

As long as you say you don't have one, you're fine. The absence of an alarm is taken in to consideration with a slightly higher premium. 

[jb102]

Semi detached upper villa. 

[Ribble]

14 hours ago, The Spy Who Loved Me said:

For failing to use security.

 

Many insurers insist that if you have an alarm it must be activated at certain times, like when you leave the house.

 

If a burglar gains unforced access to your home due to no alarm or not activated, you wouldn’t be covered for anything stolen.

 

That would only be for contents, not buildings insurance on it's own?

[XXX]

29 minutes ago, Ribble said:

 

That would only be for contents, not buildings insurance on it's own?

Home insurance is split into two basic types of policy.

 

Buildings insurance, and contents insurance.

 

Buildings insurance is there to protect the structure of the house and any permanent fixtures inside.

 

Contents insurance is designed to protect your belongings.

 

As a general rule, your contents are the things that could be taken with you if you decided to move house.

[IronJambo]

Call them and ask them the classification they'd prefer.

 

I had a shocker with my car insurance renewal. Glanced at the schedule and there's Mr S Ironjambo and Mrs S Ironjambo. All good I thinks. Look closer at the documents and they've got the same name down for her as they have me. My existing policy which had 3 days to run for the year was the same. I'd only seen the Mr and Mrs parts with the diet initial in the past. She wasn't insured properly for a whole year 🤣

[Marvin]

22 hours ago, Normthebarman said:

Doing the annual policy renewals and I probably should have cleared this up ages ago. Basically, I don't know what I live in and was wondering if anyone can give me advice. 

 

We live in a 4 in a block. One of those ones where there's 4 homes in a building, everyone has their own entrance on the ground floor, but we're one of the 2 homes on the top floor. 

 

What the **** is that classed as? A flat? A maisonette? (An upper villa, according to the estate agents when the neighbours punted theirs a while ago)

 

Basically, I don't want to be one of those folk who gets shafted by their insurer over something as daft as having the wrong type of house on the policy. Anyone able to help? Google doesn't seem to make it clear one way or the other. 

 

According to housing I'm in a bedsit flat. How they work that out I've no idea. However I spoke with LV and I got a pretty good deal on my insurance.

[Ribble]

1 hour ago, The Spy Who Loved Me said:

Home insurance is split into two basic types of policy.

 

Buildings insurance, and contents insurance.

 

Buildings insurance is there to protect the structure of the house and any permanent fixtures inside.

 

Contents insurance is designed to protect your belongings.

 

As a general rule, your contents are the things that could be taken with you if you decided to move house.

 

Yes so an alarm would only generally apply to contents?

[XXX]

Deleted.

Edited August 6, 2020 by The Spy Who Loved Me

[XXX]

23 minutes ago, Ribble said:

 

Yes so an alarm would only generally apply to contents?

Yes, but it does not include theft from garages or outbuildings.

Edited August 6, 2020 by The Spy Who Loved Me

[Alex]

On 05/08/2020 at 17:14, davemclaren said:

Technically a flat, according to the headline. 😄

 

Grrr, upper villa flat then.

 

 

Still not mine.

Edited August 6, 2020 by Alex

[Dr. Sheldon Cooper]

I would say upper villa as well. It sounds like you live in a similar house to me, except we are the ground floor and we say lower villa.

 

I would say a flat is the closest thing but no idea what our home insurance says. Theres something at the back of my mind that says we had the same issue though.

[davemclaren]

9 hours ago, Dr. Sheldon Cooper said:

I would say upper villa as well. It sounds like you live in a similar house to me, except we are the ground floor and we say lower villa.

 

I would say a flat is the closest thing but no idea what our home insurance says. Theres something at the back of my mind that says we had the same issue though.

I think flat is the closest from the options quoted by the OP. My grandparents used to live in one and I remember thinking, as a kid, how steep the stairs were. 

[davemclaren]

9 hours ago, Alex said:

 

Grrr, upper villa flat then.

 

 

Still not mine.

🤣

[Norm]

Just thought, I have an additional bit of info that may alter it.

 

We got the attic floored last year, so they're now used as two other rooms, so the house is split over 2 levels. I will also say we just have one of those space saver stairs going up to it so it's not technically 100% kosher, in as much as I can't sell the house as having extra rooms as they don't meet planning permission. But as I understand, I have to declare them being used for insurance. 

 

I'm thinking that while doing shit online might be a bit cheaper, maybe best to call one to make sure everything is spot on. 

[XXX]

17 minutes ago, Normthebarman said:

Just thought, I have an additional bit of info that may alter it.

 

We got the attic floored last year, so they're now used as two other rooms, so the house is split over 2 levels. I will also say we just have one of those space saver stairs going up to it so it's not technically 100% kosher, in as much as I can't sell the house as having extra rooms as they don't meet planning permission. But as I understand, I have to declare them being used for insurance. 

 

I'm thinking that while doing shit online might be a bit cheaper, maybe best to call one to make sure everything is spot on. 

You can contact the Fire Station safety officer to ask if there are special requirements to update your attic to latest fire safety standards.

[Alex]

2 hours ago, Normthebarman said:

Just thought, I have an additional bit of info that may alter it.

 

We got the attic floored last year, so they're now used as two other rooms, so the house is split over 2 levels. I will also say we just have one of those space saver stairs going up to it so it's not technically 100% kosher, in as much as I can't sell the house as having extra rooms as they don't meet planning permission. But as I understand, I have to declare them being used for insurance. 

 

I'm thinking that while doing shit online might be a bit cheaper, maybe best to call one to make sure everything is spot on. 

 

In that case it might be a double upper maisonette upper villa flat. Then again it might not be. To be honest it seems like it'd be less hassle just to not bother with insurance.......