By Chris Harmen

Choosing between life insurance types can often be a tedious and long process. There are many options available for the policies, as well as terms within those options. Companies offer so many types because everyone seems to need something unique to their situation, lifestyle, etc.

Two of the most common types are term life insurance and universal life insurance. Though there are several other kinds of coverage, these are the two that are most often used for families or businesses.

Term Life Insurance Explained

This is a policy set up to cover a person for a specific amount of time. During this time as long as premiums are paid, the same death benefit will always be held. Premiums and coverage never change, and after the term is up, there may be an option for renewal.

This kind of coverage is most often used by parents with families that only need coverage for a specific time period. For instance, a family with a mortgage might be best off to have both spouses covered. In case of death, during the length of the mortgage, the coverage amount for whoever passes will be paid to the other spouse, allowing them to pay off the mortgage.

Another case for using term life insurance is when there are still children at home. Being covered until the youngest child is old enough to support themselves gives both spouses comfort in knowing that the children would be taken care of if anything were to happen. Often times this kind of policy will remain in effect until the last child leaves home at age 21.

One last example where people often use this type of policy is with a stay at home parent. A death benefit can keep the rest of the family financially afloat in regards to daycare for younger children, and other spousal duties. It’’s very important to consider what would happen to a family if a stay at home spouse were to pass away. Often times they are over looked because they have no income. The money they are saving the family though, in cleaning and daycare bills, adds up and should be considered for their own term life insurance policies.

Permanent Policies Explained

Permanent policies are characterized by their cash values and death benefits. One of these common policies is universal life insurance. This kind of policy is used for people who want to have a more hands on approach with their coverage and cash value.

The popular idea behind universal life insurance is that the premiums, pay out, and cash value are all decided by the owner. An amount of money is left in their account and monthly premiums can be taken from this amount to cover the death benefit desired. If their wishes change, the universal life insurance policy is easy to alter by additional deposits. The cash value can also be used for certain investments, which allows the owner to have more control over their money.

Have More Control Of The Investment

There are many reasons to choose the universal life insurance policy over other kinds of policies. If the owner wants to be able to decide where money is invested, this is a great way to have that control. Of course, by having this control the owner must also keep an eye on the balance to be sure that there is enough money for the death benefit they desire.

The transparency of the universal life insurance policy is a nice addition as well. While most other policies have a regular premium, all the owner sees is that one price is paid. In universal policies, they will have access to each itemized fee taken comparable to a bank statement.

People also like to get this kind of coverage because it is often more affordable. As the owner controls how much of a benefit is needed, they get to decided how much of a premium to pay according to that benefit as well. One last benefit to permanent policies is the fact that they are not canceled. As long as money is in the account, and coverage fees are covered, a benefit will be paid upon death.

Choosing the proper death benefit for your needs requires a lot of consideration. There are many options as far as the kind of coverage you want, and whether you want to be able to benefit from the investment while you are still alive. A person’’s health and age will also be taken into consideration to adjust the premium of the policy. Taking the time to research your needs before you discuss them with an underwriter will assist you in being that much more prepared for this large purchase.

Choosing What Is Best For You

While it seems like there are a lot of options, this is only to express how individual each person’’s own needs are. The Internet provides a way for you to gather all of the information you need prior to speaking to an advisor, but they are usually available for questions, so don”t hesitate to call one. In the mean time, take your time in considering what option best suits your needs and when you are ready, start looking into life insurance quotes.

About The Author

Chris Harmen is a writer for Wholesale Insurance, a site that allows consumers to compare term life insurance (http://www.wholesaleinsurance.net/ ) rates before purchasing. Click here to buy term or universal life insurance (http://www.wholesaleinsurance.net/offers/universal-life-insurance.asp).

By Chris Harmen

Purchasing term life insurance online is an important step in securing the future for a family or business. There are several places online that provide quotes, a variety of terms, and options. Consider these few things before shopping for term life insurance online.

The Company’’s Reputation

With so many websites available to get quotes and information, it’’s a good idea to see how long the website or company (because they may have different numbers) has been in business. It’’s important to verify a business” reputation, before divulging all of your personal information to keep yourself and your family safe.

Be on the look out for companies that do not offer an ”about us” page or pages that state the company contracts with partner agents or agencies or mentions that other companies may contact you. These companies do what is called lead aggregation, and they collect information and sell it to other companies, sometimes as many as 8-10 of them. This can lead to confusion with policies, underwriters and quotes. However, these lead aggregators should not be confused with legitimate insurance companies that hire advisors who are licensed with multiple companies to sell term life insurance online. By following these tips you can save yourself a lot of hassle.

What Is Being Purchased?

There are multiple types of policies offered by most companies. Each of the policies has their own terms and conditions, and may be a bit confusing. The websites that provide the best information are great resources, and typically reputable companies. Before making a purchase of any kind of coverage be sure to know the differences. Here are two of the main types of policies, to get started.

Term life is for a certain amount of death benefit, covering only a specific amount of time. During the time the premiums and payouts never change. At the end, there can be an option for renewal. This type is often used for stay home spouses or for those with children who still live at home.

Whole life is a type of policy with premiums that build into a cash value and a death benefit. As long as premiums are paid, the cash value and death coverage are guaranteed. Cash values can be used for other financial matters. There are several kinds of whole life policies, also considered to be permanent policies. Anyone interested in this type of coverage should consult an advisor to fully understand the differences.

How To Compare Life Insurance

It’’s important to compare life insurance — there are often many options available and one policy may not offer the same features and benefits as another. To compare life insurance, make a list of all of the benefits of a policy, as well as a quote amount (though this is not guaranteed). It is often better to stick with just a couple of different companies at most when you compare life insurance, outside of this, the different terms may be difficult to decipher or keep track of.

What Is Required From The Buyer

When purchasing term life insurance online, it’’s important to read all of the terms. Be sure to understand exactly what will be covered, as well as what is required to complete the contract. Often times an exam and blood test are required. Sometimes a person is not covered under certain hobbies or jobs without high-risk coverage. Smoking is often considered high-risk coverage as well, so if someone is a smoker they may have to purchase a completely different policy altogether. It will come down to the research done before selecting coverage, and the company involved as well. Either way, be sure to understand what is required before signing or purchasing coverage that may not cover what is actually needed.

How Much Coverage To Get

As far as how much coverage is needed, the person buying term life insurance online must first figure out how much of a death benefit they want to leave behind. To do this, consider the bills that must be paid off and the funeral expenses for the kind of viewings and burial desired. If leaving children and a spouse behind, a salary will have to be taken into account as well as debts, future incomes, mortgage and car payments, and children going to college. For the sake of clients, most reputable companies offer coverage calculation that will help you consider the amount of coverage wanted, as well as the premiums you would pay.

Buying term life insurance online is never a fun task, but is often necessary if there will be anyone left behind that depends on you. Family needs and comfort are two of the best gifts that could be left for loved ones who will be left to deal with the loss. Consider everything that would have been done if you never did pass, and include that, so that no matter what happens, your wishes can be carried out.

About The Author

Chris Harmen is a writer for Wholesale Insurance, a site that allows consumers to compare life insurance (http://www.wholesaleinsurance.net/life-insurance) rates before purchasing. Anyone looking to buy term life insurance online (http://www.wholesaleinsurance.net can visit Wholesale Insurance.

By Neil Roberts

Good landlords know the importance of keeping their rented properties well maintained, since not only are tenants entitled by law to have a safe and habitable living environment, it is also in a landlord’’s financial interests to ensure the property is kept in good condition. After all, without a rent cheque coming in regularly every month, a let property is worthless, and prospective tenants viewing a neglected property are unlikely to want to rent it. Meanwhile, tenants residing in a property that is suffering from neglect are more likely to treat the property poorly as well, and/or to withhold rental payments.

Furthermore, if a property does not receive routine general maintenance, and if necessary repairs are not tackled immediately, in the long run the work is only going to cost more and take longer when maintenance or repairs are finally undertaken. Plus, the value of a property in disrepair is significantly lowered, decreasing both its investment and rental potential. Additionally, landlords insurance providers expect homeowners to maintain their property to a reasonable standard, and failure to do so could result in claims being denied.

Thus, if you are a landlord, it is crucial you see to it that the property receives the maintenance it requires. The standards differ depending on the property type - for instance, most exterior work on leasehold properties is the responsibility of the management company to whom service charge fees are paid, leaving the landlord responsible for interior maintenance only, whereas freehold property owners are responsible for both interior and exterior maintenance - and it is up to you to ensure the correct standards are met.

It is important to note, however, that before you or anyone else goes to the property to conduct routine inspections or maintenance, tenants residing at the property must be given at least 48 hours advance notice of the visit.

As a landlord, you are required to ensure all gas instillations, electrical wiring, and gas and electrical appliances included with the property are maintained and in safe working order. Familiarise yourself with the gas and electric safety regulations, and in addition to the annual legally required gas safety inspections, it is good practice to have a professional inspect the property’’s wiring every four or five years to make sure it is up to code. Since it serves your interests to exercise due diligence in this area, keep a record of all safety checks and routine maintenance, and provide your tenants with copies of any safety check certificates.

Obviously if your tenants inform you of a problem in need of repair, you need to act immediately but preventative maintenance is equally important. Make advance arrangements with your tenants for you or someone acting on your behalf to inspect the property approximately every six months, so potential problems can be found before they escalate. This includes checking drains and gutters and clearing them of debris so flooding does not become an issue, checking for signs of mould or damp, mending any broken or leaking fixtures, and generally inspecting and repairing all aspects of the exterior and interior that could present problems. Do not forget to examine fences and garden walls to ensure they remain in sound condition and, crucially, inspect the roof and any chimneys for signs of damage. Certainly, if the property has a flat roof, it must be inspected at least every two years, since most insurance providers require flat roofs to be checked and repaired routinely. If you make a claim resulting from a damaged roof that you cannot prove was inspected within the previous 24 months, the loss adjuster can contend reasonable maintenance steps were not taken and thus deny the claim.

In addition to preventative and routine maintenance, perform cosmetic maintenance when necessary. Touching up the paint job on interior walls when the property is between tenants is a simple enough task, and reasonably inexpensive if you do it yourself, and may enable you to add an extra thirty or so pounds to the rent you charge the next tenant. The same principal applies to replacing aging fixtures and appliances although, obviously, there is no need to go overboard and, for instance, fit a brand new 8,000GBP kitchen that will only increase the property’’s value by a few thousand pounds.

By keeping your let property in good condition, ultimately you will prevent unnecessary problems and save time and money, which makes the effort you expend in maintenance well worthwhile.

About The Author

If you need landlords insurance for your buy to let property then CIA Insurance can deliver everything you need for peace of mind. They offer a wide range of cover from landlords buildings insurance to legal expenses and even DSS, student & asylum seeker cover. Visit http://www.cia-landlords.co.uk

By Remus Lupin

There are many land owners that have been approached by wireless cell phone company about a potential cell tower lease site. The companies are interested in leasing land from these land owners for the erection of one of their cell phone towers. Land owners need to be educated and be aware of the many laws, stipulations and advantages that would apply to them in the event that they enter into a successful contract regarding a tower and their land. When a cellular phone company offers a rental income in exchange for the use of land to a land owner, it would be advantageous of that land owner to have help from a real estate asset management company that has the knowledge to help them get the most out of that agreement.

If you are a land owner, you need to make a real effort to really understand what you are entering in to when you discuss a cell tower lease site. You have rights regarding your land, but you need to understand that the operator also has rights, and you need to respect that. Your goals are to maximize your revenue from the deal but you also want to minimize your obligations at the same time. How do you know what rights you have? How do you know what you give up? Can the phone company back out? Can they come onto your property at any time without your additional consent?

There are some factors that you should take into consideration for these deals to achieve those goals when you talk with a carrier or with a real estate asset management company. You have to make sure that you talk with a company that is authorized by the carrier, because if you do not, you may jeopardize your rights and your benefits.

The first thing you should consider with the cell tower ground lease is the location and topography of your land. A carrier will want to hold an investigation of the site to determine how feasible it would be to put a tower up. Most of the time, a suitable cell tower lease site will be about 2,500 square feet in area with land that is flat, has few natural barriers and is easily accessible. You are not responsible for hiring people to do the survey, the phone company is.

Be sure that you are familiar with local ordinances that are in place to be sure that you will even be permitted to put a tower up on your property. Many municipalities require that the land owners get a variance granted (or at least an exception granted) before construction of a cell tower is in place and before a cell tower lease site agreement is signed.

About The Author

To learn more about a cell tower lease site, please visit
http://www.steelintheair.com.

By Neil Anderson

Taxi insurance comes in many forms. One of the most common types, especially outside of the major population centres is private hire taxi insurance. There are advantages to having this insurance as well as running a taxicab business around the business model that private hire insurance is designed for.

What exactly is a private hire taxi?

In most areas, aside from city centres, taxicabs do not sit around parked on streets or drive around looking for customers. Instead, they wait in centralised depots that can be on the edge of town, near an airport or even situated in a parking structure smack in the middle of downtown London. Regardless, a private hire taxi is dispatched from this central location, goes and picks up the customer, deposits them in their location then typically returns to the depot, unless assigned another customer to pick up. The drivers, who work as private hire taxi services typically, are limited to only these prearranged pickup and deliveries and cannot pick up unplanned fairs.

Why private hire taxi insurance?

All vehicles that use public roads are required to carry insurance. Taxi services utilise specialised insurance companies that typically only provide insurance for taxi cabs and other commercial vehicles. Private hire insurance is a way to minimise the cost of doing business for the taxicab driver or company, depending on who is responsible for the insurance. The reason why private hire insurance is becoming a popular type of specific policy is because the cost of securing this type of insurance is less.

The amount of revenue brought in by a company and driver who ops to be a private hire taxi is less than a public hire but the insurance is less as well. Ultimately, the drivers and company make the same amount when everything is considered. Getting a private hire policy gives the drivers and company the same levels of coverage that a public hire policy would but the chances of needing it are actually less, which is why the private hire policy is cheaper.

Because the policy costs less, there are other benefits as well. For the new taxi service, start up costs are one of the biggest hurdles. By beginning the company as a private hire service, the required down payment for insurance is less because the policies are less. On top of this, because it costs less, the payments to the insurance company are typically required only once a month.

Many public hire policies actually require payments as often as weekly. This is especially important if the drivers are the ones tasked with the responsibility of paying their own insurance as they can budget a once a month payment rather than seeing part of every week’’s pay disappear and be sent to the insurance company. For either company or individual driver, there is also more room for error should the postal service lose a check that is mailed in. Instead of the policy being terminated within the week, the private hire insurance has enough time to get things sorted out.

About The Author

Neil Anderson is a UK based finance specialist who provides advice and information about a wide range of insurance products. Find out more by visiting his website at http://www.dna-insurance.com/

By Neil Anderson

For those that drive big lorries that carry heavy goods, also known as “heavy goods vehicles” or HGVs, there are a few additional precautions to take when hauling hazardous goods and dangerous substances.

There are strict enforcement rules to consider because the Department of Transport, along with the VOSA or Vehicle and Operator Services Agency enforce laws and regulations by checking for compliance along the roadsides. These vehicles are classed at different levels because of the regulations that are involved with the carriage of goods that pose a higher risk to the general public.

Haulage companies must be sure that proper documents and insurance are in place, which include public liability insurance and employer’’s liability insurance. The insurance companies that cover the HGV for these risks need to be aware of the nature of goods that are being transported by the HGV. When it comes to HGV insurance, it is important to have the proper cover to be in compliance and proper documentation is essential. While this insurance can be quite costly, there are things that can keep your insurance premium lower and your drivers safer, if you are a haulage company with a fleet of HGVs on the roads.

Driver training can help you save money in several ways. There are insurance companies that give a discount for drivers that have been through certain safety courses and it can save fuel expense, along with offering fewer maintenance costs. By making HGV drivers more aware of these issues, road traffic accidents can be reduced and fines associated with driving too fast or maintenance expenses associated with excessive braking can be reduced. The Health and Safety at Work Act requires employers to take responsibility for their HGV drivers and their safety, so alert drivers that have had plenty of sleep are mandatory for the proper level of awareness, as well.

When you consider ways to save on premiums, there will be risk assessments done by the insurance company and this includes vehicles and the particular employees that will by driving the HGV, in addition to the areas where loading and unloading are performed. It is important that you understand the risks that the HGV insurance company will be looking for during these assessments and some insurance companies will have a company do self-evaluations that are turned in on a regular basis to keep a discounted premium based on risk assessment evaluations.

In addition, there may be some updated driver training they will recommend for HGV drivers, and participating in re-training can result in generous HGV insurance premium discounts, depending on the insurance company. Because properly trained drivers are safer drivers, risk is reduced, which saves the insurance company and may save a haulage company, if they are able to prove they have a clean safety record.

When it comes to the haulage of hazardous and dangerous goods, these are essentials to reduce the possibility of accidents and large lawsuits to the haulage company, as well. It is highly recommended that updated driver safety courses are included, whether a discount is offered or not. The safety of the general public and HGV drivers can be ensured and expenses lowered, when these items are considered.

About The Author

Neil Anderson is a UK based finance specialist who provides advice and information about a wide range of insurance products. Find out more by visiting his website at http://www.dna-insurance.com/

By Remus Lupin

One of the most important aspects of a cell tower lease agreement to both land owners and cellular phone companies or cellular tower companies is how much rent is going to be paid for the use of the land in question and for how long that amount of money is going to be paid. There are dozens of factors that combine to determine how much money will exchange hands, so it is important that the land owner receives guidance from professional companies or attorneys who have experience in these dealings. While land owners want to maximize the profits they receive from a cell tower lease, they also want to minimize their obligations. While the cell phone company wants to build the tower on the owners land, they also want to minimize their costs.

Contacting professionals for an evaluation of your property if you are a land owner is critical. Although it does cost to have these professionals working for you, they can positively impact the way that a land owner profits from these cell tower lease agreements, and this includes more than just the amount of rent that is being paid. They can provide consultation about what bonus payments or services the land owners should ask for that most cell phone companies will indeed give freely. They can also help decipher all of the technical language that the companies use in the leases to make sure that the land owner really knows what he is getting into. They help the land owner know how everything in the lease applies to them.

Legal reviews are different, and these companies and their advice should never take the place of having a lease reviewed by an attorney before signing it. The companies can help advise land owners on how hard to negotiate the cell tower lease and when to back down so that they still get the tower on their property and not your neighbors property. The goal of these professional companies is to provide land owners with the necessary knowledge to negotiate a cell tower lease on even footing. They will help land owners in knowing what to ask for and to even out the tables so that negotiations are less one sided, giving land owners more of an even advantage.

Look for a company that provides you with a guarantee that if, at the end of the consultation with them, you dont move forward with the lease, they will only bill you for some fraction of their services. You may pay money up front but then be issued a partial refund if your cell tower lease does not go further than this point.

About The Author

To learn more about a cell tower lease, please visit http://www.steelintheair.com.

By Remus Lupin

A good cell tower attorney can make a critical impact on the stipulations that are included in a cell phone tower land lease agreement. They provide legal services to land owners, whether they are public or private, regarding all of the legal issues that are involved in these types of leases. The goal of these professionals is to provide sound legal advice involving any issues that are associated with these leases. Some of these issues include negotiation, re negotiation, landlord tenant disputes, litigation support, due diligence regarding the environment, due diligence regarding local laws and also the general administration of the lease.

There are many benefits to hiring a cell tower attorney for any and all of these situations. These professionals can cut the time down that it takes to review leases because a good cell tower attorney will have hundreds of prior leases to draw from to use as examples. For just about every possible issue that might come up, they will have alternative lease clauses available, and experienced professionals will have already reviewed leases from all of the major cellular phone companies and tower companies, as well as many from the larger regional ones.

A cell tower attorney should not charge you to research the issues unless they are relatively novel ones that they have not seen before, and this is one reason why it is important to get an experienced professional to help you. They also should not charge you for copies or for faxes or phone bills. They should act quickly for you so that you do not have to wait weeks for help, either. There are some cell tower attorneys that deal with these lease issues only a few times a month or even a few times a year, so you need to find an attorney that deals with issues daily.

An experienced cell tower attorney will have access to all kinds of resources that an irrelevant attorney would not have access to, such as radio experts and environmental experts.There are clauses that are often included in these agreements that are named Scared Cow clauses, and a good professional will know exactly what those are and should not fight with the language in the clause unless you, the land owner wants them to do so. Most of all, a good cell tower attorney will understand financial aspects of these leases so that the carriers can address changes in terms of cost with their help.

About The Author

To learn more about a cell tower attorney, please visit
http://www.steelintheair.com.

By Louise Slee

What is covered - and not covered - by a minibus insurance policy can be found in the small print. You should always pay attention to this when buying insurance and here, we can look at a typical minibus insurance policy summary. In this context, ”typical” doesn”t mean ”representative”. Insurance policy details can differ significantly but the following represents what you can expect to see. For the sake of simplicity, we”ll call the three types of insurance cover by shortened names. So, ”Comp” means comprehensive cover, ”TPFandT” means third party, fire and theft cover, and ”TPO” refers to third party only cover.

Lets begin by examining what the minibus insurance cover might pay for in the event of a claim. Comp, TPFandT and TPO share coverage of the following in our example. Liability for death or injury to third parties, Liability for damage to other people’’s property and legal costs incurred with the insurer’’s consent in connection with a claim against the policy are all covered. The same goes for driving abroad, cover being available for most European countries. In our example, the policy booklet would furnish you with the specific details.

Comprehensive minibus insurance is the most costly choice but this is with good reason. In our example, Comp covers loss of or damage to the vehicle, plus replacement locks, accident recovery and an approved repairer network. These three elements are covered in a TPFandT policy, but only if a claim is for loss through fire or theft. A TPO policy would not cover these eventualities. However, Comp covers additions including medical expenses up to 100 pounds per person, personal effects up to 100 pounds, and replacements for a broken windscreen and/or windows.

Now for the options in our typical minibus insurance policy summary. Additional public liability cover in the course of a fare paying journey, AA-provided breakdown assistance, and European breakdown assistance are among the options on offer, as is uninsured loss recovery from the DAS. These options are available with all three types of cover.

Like any insurance policy, our minibus insurance has exclusions and limitations. The first is the ”excess”, the amount the insured pays towards any claim. This, generally an agreed figure, can vary depending on certain circumstances in a claim. Limitations can be against loss or damage if the ignition keys have been left in the minibus, as well as loss of use, depreciation, wear and tear and so forth. Similarly, ”inappropriate use” is frowned upon, and further limitations can apply if the minibus was carrying high category hazardous goods or is used in a hazardous location. Loss or damage associated with acts of terrorism attract comparable limitations.

As is clearly evident, our minibus insurance policy summary is just this, a precis of the insurance cover. The full story lies in the full policy document, which will give you all the details you need. Here, the insurance policy summary has done its work, in describing the key points. However, studying the full extent of the insurance and the limitations that apply to it is good advice. Armed with the information in its fullest form, you can buy minibus insurance with confidence.

About The Author

Louise Slee is a Web Marketer and driving enthusiast for over 25 years, with no penalty points to date! See her articles at http://www.minibusclub.co.uk/ where she imparts some useful driving and travel tips when you are out and about in your minibus

By Neil Roberts

According to statistics published by the Empty Homes Agency, there were an estimated 697,055 vacant properties in 2008. Obviously, as a landlord you hope your property does not become such a statistic, but given the vagaries of the rental market, periods when your property remains unoccupied are almost inevitable.

Unoccupied properties pose a number of risks, including increased vulnerability to damage from water, fire - the fire brigade estimates they respond to approximately 9,000 fires a year at vacant properties - vandalism, break-ins and squatters. In addition to the risk of damage, even when a property is vacant the Occupiers Liability Act still applies, meaning the property owner is liable for injuries or deaths sustained on the property, even if the person is trespassing.

To minimise the risk of damage and liability, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure the property is well secured and protected, starting with informing your insurance provider that the property is unoccupied. Not only will your insurer expect to be notified if the property becomes vacant so that your landlords insurance policy can be adjusted to cover an unoccupied property, your insurer will also expect you to follow the steps necessary to maintain the property and keep it safe.

Listed below are the most common measures owners of vacant properties are advised to follow to ensure the property is safely maintained and protected. In adhering to the recommended steps, you will help minimise the risks facing your vacant property and help satisfy the conditions of your unoccupied property insurance.

Regular property checks - This is crucial, since if you completely abandon the property it is bound to suffer the consequences, regardless of how well you secured the property when it was initially vacated. Additionally, your insurance provider will expect you, or someone acting on your behalf, to inspect the property regularly, typically once every seven to fourteen days. During the routine inspections, check for signs of damage or forced entry, and if you notice any problems requiring maintenance, hire professional help if the problem is beyond your ability to fix.

Secure the property - Obviously, when the property is vacated you need to ensure all windows and outer doors are securely locked, and if necessary, get extra deadbolts for the doors. Avoid boarding up the windows if possible, since that will draw attention to the building’’s lack of occupancy, and instead fit windows with security grilles if you want, or if your insurer requires, the added protection. If the property does not already have one, install a monitored security system and make sure it is set. Not only will this serve as a deterrent against intruders or alert you if an intruder does enter the premises, many insurance providers offer discounts if devices that make the home safer are installed. Additionally, install motion sensors on any outdoor lights, so they will switch on if anyone approaches the building.

If during your regular inspections you notice a problem that compromises the property’’s security, such as a broken window pane, take immediate action to remedy the problem.

Give the property a lived in look - The less the property looks vacant the better, so take whatever measures you can to leave it looking lived in. Do not remove curtains or blinds on the windows, and invest in some timer switches for the lights, which you can set at staggered hours so the lights go on and off at different times.

Make sure regular deliveries, such as newspaper or milk deliveries, are cancelled. If mail is still delivered to the property, avoid it accumulating in the letterbox or on the front step and drawing attention to the fact that the property is empty. Remove accumulated mail when you stop by to inspect the property, and if possible have a neighbour remove the mail if it builds up in the days between your property inspections.

Overgrown front gardens and vegetation around the property are obvious indicators of an empty property, so keep the lawn mowed and vegetation trimmed back. If you cannot or do not want to do this yourself, hire a gardener to take care of any necessary work. Additionally, if you notice any graffiti on the property during your regular checks, remove it immediately, and tidy up any rubbish that accumulates in the garden or area surrounding the property. After a snowfall, make a point to clear snow off the driveway and paths leading to the house, otherwise the property will look unlived in. Furthermore, by keeping the driveway and paths clear, you also reduce the risk of liability, should someone slip and injure themselves when approaching the house.

Fire, gas and water safety - Flammable or combustible materials and items in and around the property that can be conveniently removed should be removed in order to reduce the risk of fire damage, and as an extra precaution unplug appliances, such as washing machines, refrigerators, ovens and toasters. If you are not expecting any mail delivery during the unoccupied period, seal the letterbox closed to prevent vandals or would-be arsonists from pushing destructive or lit materials through the box. If a fire alarm system is installed in the property, switch it on and check it periodically to ensure it remains operational.

Depending on the length of time you expect the property to remain unoccupied, the time of year and what your insurer requires, there are various measures you can take to prevent water or gas disasters. Either drain the water system completely (seek the advice of an experienced plumber if necessary), drain any tanks containing flammable materials, including taking precautions against residual vapours, and shut off the gas supply at the mains. Alternatively, if you choose not drain the water system, turn off the water to individual fixtures, including sinks, toilets and washing machines, and do not shut off the property’’s heat source. Instead, particularly during the months between October and April when it is colder, keep your thermostat set to at least five degrees to prevent the pipes from freezing or bursting. Another benefit to keeping the heating system operational during winter months is that it will help prevent dampness or mould from developing.

Notify appropriate persons - In addition to letting your insurer know that the property is unoccupied, consider notifying the local police and fire department of the property’’s vacant status, and give your contact information in case of an emergency. If you know any of the neighbours, inform them that the property is unoccupied and ask them to call you if they notice any problems or suspicious activity.

About The Author

If you need landlords insurance for your buy to let property then CIA Insurance can deliver everything you need for peace of mind. They offer a wide range of cover from landlords buildings insurance to legal expenses and even DSS, student & asylum seeker cover. Visit http://www.cia-landlords.co.uk