Home Insurance Quotes and Holiday Cover

If you're planning to go on an extended holiday this year, it's likely that you've sought out a competitive travel insurance quote that covers your destination and the activities you're likely to be enjoying while you're there. But what about a home insurance quote? After all, you'll be leaving your home for a long period of time and you're much more likely to enjoy your holiday knowing that all your possessions are protected should an unfortunate event befall your home.

Getting home insurance before embarking on a holiday

Even if your family or neighbours are going to be visiting your house regularly while you're travelling to water your plants or feed your pets, ensuring that you possess adequate home insurance to cover your contents is crucial before leaving on a holiday. It's an issue that affects millions of people in Britain every year too: a 2009 survey found that 4.79 million Britons were planning to leave their home for extended holidays of more than a month at a time over the course of the year. These results drive home the need for people to renew or re-evaluate their existing home insurance policies to accommodate for their absence.

Out of the people surveyed, it's perhaps not surprising that over-55s emerged as the most likely to leave their homes for long holidays, given that many in this age group are retired. Adequate home contents insurance for this age group is often paramount; through the years, the number of valuable possessions are likely to have mounted up, initiating the need for greater contents cover from a home insurance policy.

In addition, if your home insurance is not up for renewal and you've had the same plan for many years, it's important to check the fine print on your policy before embarking on your trip. This is because some policies may not cover you if your home as been left unoccupied for longer than a specified period of time - for example, 30 days. If your policy falls into this category, seeking out a new home insurance quote for a plan that does provide for this is essential.

Comparing home insurance before making your decision

If you've established that you need a new home insurance quote before going on your holiday, an insurance comparison site - like ours - could help you find the policy that best suits your needs. The convenience of comparison sites can be particularly useful in the run-up to your travels, when you're likely to be concerned with other issues like packing, checking your tickets and establishing that your passport is still valid if travelling abroad. However, once you've got the home insurance policy that you need, be aware of certain rules to safeguard your house: for instance, ensuring all windows and doors are locked is crucial, as is turning off your gas supply and activating your burglar alarm, should you have one. That way, should anything happen to your home or its contents while you're away, your insurance provider will be confident you took all necessary precautions available to you.