Guide to Thatched Insurance for UK Homes
Thatched insurance for a property that is used as a main residence, let or holiday home is available for buildings up to a rebuilding sum insured of £300,000. All cases are considered on their merits and additional questions will have to be answered over and above the standard building insurance quote questions to ascertain if thatched insurance for your home can be provided. Before providing a quotation for thatched insurance, we will need to know, the make and type of covering used on the property and ultimately when the roof was last inspected by a Thatcher, we will need you to confirm that the roof covering is in a good state of repair.
With any thatched building, there is an increased chance of fire and because of this, this type of risk normally warrants an additional premium or, as is all too often, a straight decline by an insurance company. There are a number of measures though, that can be taken by thatched home owner, which can help reduce the chances of a loss and improve the chances of an thatched insurance quotation being secured. (We consider each thatched insurance quotation on it’s merits).
One factor in the incidents of fires at a thatched building, relates to the burning and storing of wood at the property. Our insurance provider will ask questions relating to this issue. The burning of sap in “Green woods” is the main cause of tar deposits building up within a chimney. These tar deposits can contribute to an increased chance of a fire at the property. Burning seasoned wood in the home is safer and provides better value for money as it gives off more heat. By using this type of wood you will help to minimize the building up of tar in the chimney at your thatched home. There are a number of ways you can season your own wood, outside storage is probably the best and the most economical way, this will expose the timbers to the elements such as sun & wind and will dry it out correctly, the wood should be protected though from the rain. You can dry wood in doors but this may lead to “sweating” and the sap will condense of the surface instead of being removed.
In a thatched home, the chimney stack can often be buried deep in the thatch and sometimes in an attempt to reduce the risk of fire; the stack is raised but this does not normally reduce the insurance risk or the chance of a fire. If the Thatch is more than a metre thick around the chimney, this represents a potential fire hazard. In requesting a quotation for thatched insurance, is useful if you know the height of the thatch around the chimney.
Lastly, fitting smoke detectors to your home is very worthwhile, in some cases, these devices can be obtained free of charge. However, they are cheap to buy from any good DIY outlet and are very easy to fit. If you do live in a thatched building and want advise on helping to protect your home, your local fire department should only be too pleased to assist you. We welcome your enquire for thatched home insurance.
Contact Assetsure for a Thatched Building Insurance quote.
