Letting Your Property for the Summer

As we reach the end of May, summer holidays in the UK are quickly approaching. For many Brits, it means jetting off to somewhere exotic for a few weeks, whereas for some who may be on a budget, a ‘staycation’ will be more ideal. Britain has lots to offer as a holiday destination, even if the weather is highly variable.

With the summer holiday period and London Olympics on its way, hundreds of national and international visitors will be staying in Britain’s finest locations.

This provides landlords with a golden opportunity to promote short-term lets as an attractive alternative to hotels. For any landlords interested in renting out their property for multiple short term tenancies, it is important that they protect themselves with good landlord insurance as a variety of people will use their property as a temporary home over a number of months.

UK Holiday Property Hotspots

As you are all aware the UK’s biggest attraction this summer is the 2012 Olympic Games. For many months now there has been news about property prices in London increasing, landlords demanding higher rental yields and some even unexpectedly evicting their current tenants in order to capitalise on the influx of visitors. Now while it may be appealing to jump on this bandwagon, remember that London remains one of the most expensive areas to purchase a property and a lot of the Olympic demand has already been met. Besides, the UK has other appealing holiday locations.

Seaside Escapes

The coastal regions of the country are extremely attractive retreats for families and couples who want the benefits of the beach without boarding a plane. Most of these places are located in the southern part of the country, which is typically more expensive. They include Brighton, Weston-Super-Mare, Cornwall and the Channel Islands. Further up North places like the Isle of Man, Blackpool and Southport are equally appealing.

Countryside Escapes

Wales is one the UK’s most popular countryside retreats and the property prices here are fairly reasonable. There are also plenty of other picturesque villages, intimate cottages and large family manors for people to rent throughout the country, depending on their needs. Some of the most popular countryside destinations are Kent, Devon, the Lake District, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire and rural parts of Scotland.

Festivals and Events

Speaking of Scotland, the annual Edinburgh festival which runs throughout August attracts a wide variety of performers and audiences; making Scotland a great weekend break alternative to London this summer. Countless other world renowned and local festivals/events are taking place across the UK, which can be researched online, and have the potential to provide landlords with a solid demand for temporary rental properties.

For more information on Landlord Insurance, visit www.QuintessentiallyCovered.com or call     +44 (0)8454749975.

The Wedding Battle: Traditional or Contemporary?

Big white dresses, flowers and favours, or a minimalist ceremony in a barn - the battle between traditional and contemporary weddings continues, and no one is quite sure which is most popular.

Since 1981 the number of marriages each year has fallen by a third. It’s therefore no surprise that contemporary weddings are looking to distinguish themselves from the tried and tested formula of traditional weddings in order to make a break from history.

 

If you’re a new tourist to the wedding circuit, these hints could give you an indication of whether you’re at a traditional wedding or a more contemporary affair:

 

Tradition rules if you see....

 

Big dress: a big white dress is a sure sign of tradition. If the dress code is coupled with top hat and tails, then you’re almost certainly in the land of tradition.

 

Lots of flowers: White lilies and red roses are perhaps the most common flowers for a traditional wedding. 

 

Seating plan: Perhaps one of the most complicated traditional wedding rituals. Should Aunty Joyce sit next to cousin Frank again? We all know what happened last time.

 

Favours: A thoughtful way to say thank you to your guests, and a sure sign of a traditional wedding.

 

Welcome line: If you have to shake hands with the whole wedding party before you get anywhere near the bar, then you’ve almost certainly walked into a traditional wedding

 

Contemporary style reigns if you see...

 

Individual dress code: red, blue, green or even a black wedding dress - anything goes if you’re getting married in a contemporary wedding. 

 

Personalised decor: a contemporary wedding might use balloons, trees, photos or even recycled material to decorate the venue. You may even find you get roped in to help do the decorations too!

 

Informal plan: You may have to navigate canapes or a buffet at a contemporary wedding, with a more informal structure for the evening. You may even see a ‘cake’ of cheese, rather than the traditional wedding cake

 

Speeches: let the bride have her say! More and more, contemporary brides are saying their piece at their wedding, rather than just letting the groom and father of the bride make the speeches 

 

Venue: get married in a pub, on a beach, in a foreign country or even in a ruined castle with a contemporary wedding. 

 

The twist

It’s easy to split weddings into traditional vs contemporary, but some couples may choose to take ideas from both styles. You could get a bride in a big white dress getting married in a civil ceremony, perhaps lots of traditional favours for guests, but the food is served buffet style. The main thing to remember is that there are no rules when you’re getting married - go traditional, go contemporary, or go individual and create your own style. 

 

Whether you get married in a traditional or a contemporary wedding - don’t forget to take out wedding insurance to cover all aspects of your wedding. Regardless of the style, wedding attire, flowers, cake, suppliers and the venue are usually covered in your wedding insurance policy. There are usually different levels of cover depending on your budget and style of wedding. If you chose the best style of wedding to suit you, you should ensure that your wedding insurance suits you too.

 

Why Consider Fine Art Insurance?

Collecting fine art and other serious collectibles is more than a hobby. It's a passion and it's a long term investment. Fine Art can range drastically in price—some paintings being worth several millions. If the unthinkable occurs and a piece of your collection is damaged, lost, or stolen, you do not want to be left with a hole in your collection. Having specialised fine art insurance can help protect you and your belongings in this respect.

Your fine art collection needs to be protected from the unforeseen. The large amounts of money that we invest into our passions is money well spent, but it can be money that is lost if some sort of tragedy were to occur. Fine art coverage reduces this risk so that you can go about your day without that tiny bit of fear creeping up in the back of your mind. 

You will want to make sure that your coverage policy meets all of your needs and other concerns. Having the correct policy in place will literally allow you to sleep more easily at night. You will know that your valuables are safe and accounted for. A specialist insurer is your best option in this case. You want a company that specialises in the sort of insurance that you require—this allows you to rest assured that they will know what they are doing and will be able to fully meet your needs as an art investor. The risk of being a serious collector is not something that should be ignored; therefore, you need an insurance company that understands just what your risks are and has a background in combating those risks.

Whether your collection is a large one, or just a few pieces, you want an insurance agency that has experience in protecting the finest pieces of art out there.

This includes things that might technically be able to be covered with just a rider on your homeowners' insurance. Things like jewellery and antiques are extremely important to you, so you will need to make sure that you have the right coverage for these prized items as well. Taking out a fine art insurance policy on traditional items like these might be able to give you a better degree of coverage, and possibly for a lower price. While homeowners' insurance is without question a good thing to have in place, if you have a large quantity of valuable items, it is simply not enough to protect you to the degree you need. A supplement becomes necessary—fine art insurance can fulfill this need of yours to protect your valuables.

For specialist Art Insurance, visit www.QuintessentiallyCovered.com .

Companies 'failing to take out e-crime insurance'

Many businesses do not have a UK insurance policy to cover problems relating to e-crime, a new report states.

The research by KPMG reveals that take-up of cover against such risks is relatively low, despite the growing use of new technology increasing the threat of incidents occurring.

According to the study, 78 per cent of IT security professionals in Britain do not have an insurance policy in place or are unaware of whether or not their organisation has taken out products for e-crime legal costs.

However, 54 per cent of respondents to the survey stated that they had witnessed the threat level posed by hackers grow over the past year.

KPMG UK head of information security Malcolm Marshall declared: "Not many out there know or understand what insurance is available. Many are also sceptical about the effectiveness of current policies."

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office is responsible for regulation of the Data Protection Act and can impose fines of up to £500,000 for the worst breaches of legislation in this area.

For more information on how Quintessentially Covered can help you with your business insurance, Click here.

Small Business Insurance - An Introduction

In the uncertain world of business, insurance is a very important requirement. In a fierce competition, the sudden and unexpected loss of business, particularly just in terms of turnover. Consequently, many small business owners prefer to use small business insurance organizations, which are tailored to their needs. Here are some of the most important policy small business insurance to be used by commercial organizations that are small by virtue of the company turnover, both in terms of timber work.

Property Insurance

Rounds of small business organizations is an important aspect of society. Damage or loss of this work will result in loss of income and obstacles in operations. This tower will affect cash flow inward of the company. Therefore, to cover all possible threats of losing their jobs and tasks, you must have good coverage properties. Short quotes of insurance companies, in such cases, depend essentially on the surface of the property and its market value.

Car Insurance

Many organizations depend on cars for their company. Companies such as tourism and logistics have their activities are concentrated around the sweat of cars and automobiles. In these cases, these organizations must have car insurance. Some entities of small business to large scale such as restaurants or grocery stores, they also pick up small for the supply of goods and service providers. Damage to these business services will stop on all firms. Therefore, aid for trade are generally provided by small businesses.

Health Insurance

Many small businesses own and operate small shops with only a handful of people operating it. The workers of the factories often face such health risks. It is therefore recommended that these organizations provide their employees health insurance policies. There are some insurance policies other than those of the owners themselves can take. For example, the insurance policy that becomes applicable to the owner when he goes abroad on business or visiting one of the covers medical expenses that are incurred by employees during their work. It should be noted that small businesses disease is an important requirement as other related health care costs had medial is heavy and at the same time, can not be ignored.

Liability insurance

There are occasions in which business firms are still some problem or other. If the court's verdict is not in favor of the accused, then the company will pay a heavy compensation as ordered by the court, in a sum or a structured settlement UMP. However, this amount is not small, and therefore also requires a small business liability insurance coverage, which will deal with the colony.
 

For more information, please visit www.QuintessentiallyCovered.com.

What to look out for in Yacht Insurance - Our Top 5

1.       The best cover by far will be a yacht insurance policy that insures all risks and provides cover for all losses, except those which are specifically indicated in the documents as being excluded. Exclusions typically include gradual deterioration, wear and tear, dents, scratches, damage by animals, design defects, manufacturer’s defects and the effects of ice.

2.       A yacht needs to be insured for however much it will cost you to replace it with like quality and kind. This is known as agreed or stated value coverage and in the unfortunate event of an incident which leads to total loss; the insurer will pay the policy holder the full value of the yacht.

3.       Steer clear of insurance which provide actual cash value or ACV cover as these policies will, in the same circumstances only pay out the value of the yacht less depreciation and this could cause you to have a significant shortfall of funds when you are trying to replace your yacht.

4.       Most yacht insurance policies will provide cover that allows anybody to operate your yacht as long as they have your permission to do so. However, it is important to familiarise yourself with the individual policy that you purchase as there are exceptions to this rule.

5.       One drawback with yacht insurance is that very often yachts are only used in the summer months but insurance providers require that the vessel is insured all year round. If this situation applies to you, it is best discussed with your provider to see if they offer a discount for the months that your yacht is out of the water. If they are unable to provide this, it may be worth consulting a specialist broker who can point you in the direction of an insurer who does.

The benefits of a reputable insurer should not be underestimated, the advice they give and experience they offer can benefit yacht insurance policy holders immensely. For more information & advice, go to www.QuintessentiallyCovered.com.

Fleet Car Insurance: Could It Work for You?

Fleet Car Insurance could Work out Cheaper than Individual Vehicle Quotes
It seems as though motorists have been running away from an avalanche of rising insurance prices for the last few years. Early 2012 is looking to add even more snow to the financial crush but for businesses operating multiple company vehicles – there could be chance of rescue in the form of cheaper fleet insurance.

The average price of a comprehensive insurance policy increased by 4.9% in 2011, according to a report in the Metro. Third-party fire and theft policies suffered an even larger incline at 10.2%. Many businesses would be caught up in paying these expensive insurance prices for each individual company car but the savvier business people would have conversed with a broker, who then would have negotiated a discounted deal for all vehicles on the same policy.

Quality fleet insurance deals are designed specifically to cover business vehicles under one blanket policy. It is convenient as much as it is financially sound – the brokers pride themselves on seeking the best value for money policies and have the contacts to do so.

As with most products in this world – buying in bulk often means there is a discount involved. Insuring a fleet of business cars in this way just makes perfect sense. Plus, further discounts could be available through the rapidly improving fleet telematics software, which is now being integrated into certain insurance policies.

The reintroduction of telematics software...
Telematics: The combination of telecommunications and ICT, often applied to remote objects (vehicles) for real-time data monitoring.

Telematics software has previously been used by trucking firms, to track the activity of their vehicles in order to maximise efficiency. Data such as vehicle speed, fuel consumption and GPS location are all sent directly to the headquarters where the supervisors can ensure drivers are sticking to company procedure.

With insurers adopting the technology, drivers can be quoted purely on their driving behaviour – instead of being pigeonholed into a certain demographic group. It is a much fairer way of quoting motorists and it is of particular benefit to businesses running a fleet.

Ian Faulkner, Managing Director at one of the companies developing telematics software, commented on the technology in May 2011, explaining that he expects at least 70% of drivers to have at least tried telematics within the next five years and that it is the brokers who can help people acquire the sophisticated software.

Faulkner highlighted how brokers work with clients and will go through any concerns about the software in order to explain the reasons for quote values. This is contrary to the aggregators who will simply provide a blank price.

Brokers are expecting an influx of business from companies seeking discounted fleet car insurance deals and with further discount potentially available through the integration of telematics software, business people look to be in for a much nicer year in 2012.