Many households are paying over the odds to protect their homes by paying for emergency call out or cover when their existing insurance is good enough, according to comparison website Payingtoomuch.com.
The website said that, in some cases people are paying out hundreds of pounds on top of their normal insurance each year.
It added that people often do not realise that their home buildings or contents insurance policy could cover water or gas pipe damage, emergency plumber call out, broken windows, lost keys and locking yourself out.
And, many people think it will cost more to claim on the insurance because it will make their premiums go up. In fact the average increase in insurance per annum is £30 and this can often be avoided by switching insurance, managing director Michael Ward said.
A common emergency call out cost for a plumber, locksmith or glazier can be £120 and the average cost of a home emergency service £240 per annum.
But when many of these things are already covered by your home insurance and the average premium for buildings and contents is just £250 per month it means many people are wasting hundreds each year having unnecessary cover in place or paying unnecessarily for emergency call outs, Ward explained.
He said: “When you are looking for buildings and contents insurance take a little time to consider just what you might need it for – and check the small print of your cover to see whether things like water pipes, emergency plumber call out or glass repairs are included – or whether your insurer can provide.
“But don’t just go with the first insurer which gives you a reasonable quote – check around and even pay a little more to get that extra cover another might provide. It will give you peace of mind and should save you money over the year.”
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