On 11/11/2012 02:19, geoff wrote:
In message , tim.....
writes

"Hugh - in either England or Spain" wrote in
message ...
On 10/11/2012 19:20, Tim+ wrote:
Simon Cee wrote:
On Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:43:56 +0100, Hugh - in either England or Spain
wrote:


b. Home insurance for the UK house which is unoccupied for up to 3
months at a time

While trying to sell a house of a deceased relative a few years ago,
after much searching, found nobody would cover if empty for more than
5 [?] weeks. Nobody.

When we went to sell my wife's 99 year old aunt's house after she
went into
a home, we were warned about insurance problems if it was empty for too
long. As it had *never* been insured, it was hard to lose too much
sleep
over it.

Tim


Thanks for the various replies so far.
The house is checked most weeks. the heating is on low, burglar alarm
functioning, varous lights on random switching etc.
I used to work in the insurance industry and didn't think it would be
easy. I will have to ask some of the other part time ex-pats out here
what they have arranged or whether they just chance it.

I suspect that most of them don't realise that "bog standard"
insurance doesn't cover them.

Just like most people don't realise that an "annual" multi-trip travel
insurance policy doesn't cover you for one 12 month long trip (or even
one 3 month long one).


My philosophy is to only insure what you can't afford to lose

the trend is to get people to over insure them selves for every possibility

In all my years of travel and expatmanship, basic bricks and mortar
insurance was all I needed. As for travel insurance - for what for
extended trips ? health insurance, the couple of times I've needed
medical attention (10 stitches in my arm when I impaled myself on a
fence) the cost didn't even exceed the policy excess

If I were to have died ? past caring

As for drain insurance, insurance that covers your radiators etc - money
for old rope for the insurers


Can't afford to replace the house but happy to carry a 4 figure excess.
Can't afford £20,000 to repatriate one of us if we have a nasty accident.
EHIC covers emergency treatment but not ongoing costs if you end up in a
long term coma.
Again I am happy to carry hefty excesses but not to carry the small
catastrophe risk.