Advice for buyers/owners of non standard homes

Traditionally, most homes in the UK are made of similar materials. Walls are constructed from brick or stone, and roofs are made from tile or slate. Broadly speaking, in the insurance world, anything else is what would be considered “non standard”. This can be a very bad thing as by being labelled as such, owners of these properties will find it much harder to find adequate insurance for their property. Insurance companies tend to prefer the risks that are safest, or most common. A house with non standard construction materials may be considered either a high risk, or an unknown one. A high risk would be something like a thatch roof. These are normally considered a very high fire hazard due to their flammable nature. An unknown risk would be an exotic flat roof material imported from abroad. Now, while either of these scenarios might in actual fact be low risks depending on the circumstances of the property and it's owner, the insurance companies traditionally will not be willing to consider them. Blanket “No” policies exist throughout the market, so that no matter how safe your property actually is, you will be turned away without given the space to explain your circumstances adequately.

But it doesn't have to be this way. There are many different types of homes of a non-standard nature dotted around the countryside and situated in urban areas. The variety of housing found in the UK is incredibly diverse; from the boldly beautiful to the obscurely ugly (according to individual taste) and everywhere in between. It isn't just the thatched cottages and listed timber-frame Tudor homes that people often think of as non-standard, but also the concrete pre-fabricated properties that sprang up to replace buildings lost in the Blitz. Unlike the medieval thatched homes that have stood for centuries, the concrete temporary housing of the 50's were never intended to last so long. For this reason, both might bear the stigma of “non-standard-ness”, but each is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

You may encounter difficulties when trying to buy a non-standard home, not just when finding the buildings insurance necessary to obtain a mortgage, but also when you try to get a mortgage itself. Lenders tend to look upon non-standard homes with the same suspicious gaze that insurers often adopt. There are a number of reasons for this, the first being demand. Because demand for non-standard housing is rather more restricted than that for an ordinary property, mortgage providers (always anticipating the worst) think that it will be harder for them to recoup their losses if you default on your mortgage. The second reason is maintenance. Because a non-standard home may require more TLC than the norm, lenders worry that you will not maintain it as it needs to be maintained. Again, poor maintenance can lead to decreased property values and could result in the lender losing out in the event of foreclosure.

If you are thinking of buying a non standard property, there are a few basic precautious you should take to minimise the hassle you might otherwise experience. Firstly, be aware of what constitutes a non standard material and whether the house you are looking to buy has any. Appearances might be deceiving. A property with an asbestos roof will look no different to a normal house, but the implications of that kind of ownership are very series. Secondly, plan out any extra costs and work that the non standard nature of the property will create. There may be legal, conveyance, and mortgage implications in your decision. You need to make sure that you have the budget and available resources to deal with this aspect. And finally, you need to make sure you can find an insurance company that is prepared to provide you with correct cover, with respect to your non standard materials. While many may refuse to even give you a quote, with HomeProtect you can apply online for non-standard home insurance at a competitive price. No matter what type of home you have, as long as it is located within the UK and sits on fixed foundations, we can supply the home insurance protection you need.