A word to the wise comes from Direct Line with a reminder that any modifications made to a vehicle change the risk profile and therefore the insurance premium.
Lots of car owners are making changes to their vehicles now, personalising them with new wheels, sound systems and much more. Drivers are advised by Direct Line to get in touch with their car insurance provider to let them know about these modifications and enable them to recalculate the premium. If this is not done then the vehicle insurance could well be invalid should a claim be made.
A Direct Line spokesperson did say that modifications that improve the safety or security of a vehicle would not usually see premiums increased, though most mods are usually about enhancing the looks or performance of a vehicle and so would incur costs.
Endsleigh Insurance is warning homeowners that getting repairs and home improvement work done by non-approved people can mean home insurance is not valid, leaving the consumer unprotected.
Should the design or workmanship of a home improvement project be below the typical standard, or if unsuitable materials or tools are used, Endsleigh Insurance will not pay out for any claims made. They, along with many other insurers, will also refuse to pay when structural modifications that have been done on a DIY basis, lead to a buildings insurance claim.
The view of the insurer is that they are basing their premiums on the perceived risk of the property as described. If this changes, through a home improvement project for example, the insurer, be it Endsleigh home insurance or any other, needs to know about it, and to what standard it was done, so they can re-evaluate the risk profile.
The view of Swinton, the biggest insurance broker on the high street, is that drivers with six points plus on their licence will soon be the norm, categorised as standard.
With the advent of the speed camera and the often scandalously low speeds at which they are set to trigger, Swinton feel it is not right to automatically penalise drivers because of these points. Bearing in mind the fact that approximately six million drivers have points on their licence, which is over ten percent of the whole population of the country, the approach from the insurer seems a very fair and sensible one.
Swinton are taking the view that the driver with six points on their licence today is as safe as the one who had three points five years ago and no points ten years ago. We just hope other insurers follow suit.
