If your household insurance policy is coming up to renewal, don’t automatically accept that your current insurer is offering you the best deal there is. The truth is, you could save money simply by shopping around and getting more than one home insurance quote.

Most insurers - whether it is home, pet or car insurance - know that when it comes to renewal time, around 70% of their customers will accept the quote, without even seeing if they could get it cheaper elsewhere. This could be because the householder simply feels don’t have the time or the inclination to bother or they genuinely believe they are being offered the best deal there is.

However, this complacency could you tens – even hundreds – of pounds. By shopping around and getting a home insurance quote from several household insurance providers, you could save yourself a hefty wad of cash. And the good news is that it doesn’t have to be a time consuming exercise.

The easiest way to do this is online, rather than ringing round for quotes or trawling the high street. Many online insurance websites have tools which search the insurance marketplace for you, finding some of the best deals available.

And it is simple to do .. in most cases, you simply enter your personal and household details just once and a list of insurance policies that match your needs will be displayed – along with the premium.

This will give you a good idea of how premiums can vary – providing you have requested a quote on a like-for-like basis as your existing one. It’s then on to the next step.

You see, getting a favourable home insurance quote isn’t just about shopping around - although it is the major factor in getting a good deal. There are also other ways that you can ensure you can get and keep your premiums low, such as:

• Agreeing to increase the standard policy excess (most policies will want a Ј50 excess but if you are willing to increase the discounts available are dependant on the amounts).
• Fitting alarms and have an alarm maintenance contract (fitting NACASS standard burglar alarms could get a 7.5% discount but remember they may require an annual check). It may at first appear that the cost of all this improved security can outweigh the reduction in insurance cost but this will prove fruitful in the end.
• Fitting approved locks (could achieve a 5% discount)
• Joining a neighbourhood watch (less common as a discount but can still sometimes get a 1% saving with some insurers)
• Not claiming (not claiming this could enable you to earn a no claims discount like car insurance. Some insurers offer up to 20% discount).

By spending just a few minutes of your time focussing on getting a better home insurance quote by using the tips we’ve discussed, you’ll soon feel the benefit in your pocket!

Jason Hulott is Business Development Director of Protection Insurance. Protection Insurance is an internet based insurance business dedicated to getting consumers the very best insurance rates and the best products. Our product portfolio includes many specialist products such as home insurance quote

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