Whether you’re looking to purchase one or are already the proud owner of a listed property, you are probably already aware that there are certain expectations and restrictions on the structure and look of your home. If disaster unfortunately strikes and your home is damaged, your conservation officer will insist you reinstate with similar materials to match the rest of your building – now here’s the important question - would your present household insurer be willing to cover the full costs to reinstate? Or just cover the cost to repair to an ‘average’ standard?
The chances are they will not cover the complete costs of the required repairs associated with your listed property, and you can imagine the consequences, both financially and emotionally. Something else also worth bearing in mind when considering insurance is, when purchasing a listed property, if any unauthorised work carried out by previous owners comes to light once you have completed your purchase, then it has to be corrected by you, the current owner, and most average insurance policies do not cover this. For all these reasons, this is why it is so important to ensure that your listed property is correctly, and adequately, insured – and The Listed Property Owners Club is here to help and advise on this.
Established over 20 years ago, the Listed Property Owners Club is Britain’s only advice service dedicated to helping owners of listed buildings. It’s a membership organisation with a particularly personal service – no call centre or scripted answers – just a small friendly team who deliver the sort of help and experienced advice that listed building owners need.
In addition to its many services, The Listed Property Owners Club can introduce affordable insurance to those who are in the process of owning a listed building, or those who already own one. The insurers used by The Listed Property Owners Club will advise on the correct sum to insure your home. If the worst should happen, subject to having had a survey carried out, they will pay the cost to rebuild your home exactly as it was before.
This specialist insurance is also fair and affordable - you may have read of annual insurance premium increases of 10%, 15% and even 20%, but over the past three years our insurance providers have held their increases to an average of only 2%. They have been able to achieve this by simply restricting cover to homes that have stood the test of time and by understanding the special needs of owners like you. Issues such as protection from undervaluation, unauthorised work by previous owners and the introduction of the thatch monitoring system have all been instigated by The Listed Property Owners Club.