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Dublin: 10 °C Sunday 19 May, 2013

Home insurance costs to rise on weather worries

The Irish Brokers Association has warned that the cost of home insurance could jump up to 15 per cent in the next 12 months because of global weather conditions.

Inclement weather in Ireland has contributed to higher home insurance costs.
Inclement weather in Ireland has contributed to higher home insurance costs.
Image: Photocall Ireland

THE IRISH BROKERS Association has warned that erratic global weather conditions could push up home insurance premiums by up to 15 per cent in the next 12 months.

The IBA issued a statement yesterday urging homeowners to review their home insurance costs to ensure they are getting the best value possible.

The organisation, which represents 700 insurance broker firms in Ireland, said it expects rates to rise by 10 to 15 per cent by the end of 2011.

“Reinsurers have inferred that rates will be rising on home insurance premiums over the next quarter. This is unsurprising given the catastrophic weather conditions which have been experienced all over the world of late…all of which have a significant impact on the wider insurance market, which in turn has a ripple effect on the domestic market in the form of higher premiums,” explained IBA’s director of general services Brian McNelis.

Irish insurance firms have also had higher payouts over the past two winters because of bad weather conditions.

McNelis advised homeowners to review how they have insured their property. He says that a lot of people are over-insured on their house but under-insured on its contents.

Further to this, people can look at the purchase price of the house they insured.

“Savings can be made as these costs are now less and have come down significantly from the peak. Insurance companies will not reduce sums insured unless instructed by the homeowner or their broker,” explained McNelis.

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Comments (3 Comments)

  • Torpedo 06/09/11 #

    Any excuse to increase there profits

    Reply
  • It always makes me laugh when insurance companies say premiums will have to go up because we’ve had to pay out on claims, that’s the whole idea of it or do they mistake the money we pay over to them as gifts or non returnable charitable donations, and another point there using the bad weather as a smoke screen to drive up there price, they all lost there huge cash reserves on the property cash.

    Reply
  • So if I live on a beautiful Island and weather conditions are always fine my premium will rise because the house of some fat American in NY was hit by a tree? Thats whats being said. Where are the consumer associations in this (I gave up calling on FF lite) in demanding not only proof but also questioning the rationale of an insuree, whose premium has always been assessed and contracted for based upon ‘their’ personal past insurance history, local location, local conditions, local valuation of assets, now being told they are being assessed based upon the acts of god or indeed the negligent actions of a home/business owner on the other side of the globe.

    A contract made with someone on the other side of the globe is too remote to be allowed to influence the terms of a contract made in a local context for a local asset. This is not my kind of background but does anyone in the know know if there is a legal issue here.

    Reply

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