Discover Our Guide to Insuring a Listed Building

Chimneys, electrics, and insurance. These are some of the most important aspects of owning a thatched or listed property. Maintaining your property’s structures and electrics are crucial in ensuring your home is safe, habitable, and properly protected. Good upkeep of your property can also ensure you remain within your listed buildings insurance or thatched home insurance terms, conditions, and clauses.

There is a lot to think about when it comes to the complexities of maintaining a thatched or listed home, especially one which holds special architectural or historic interest. So, we have created some easy step-by-step guides with simple information on:

•       Listed Property Insurance
•       Thatched Property Insurance
•       Chimneys
•       Electrics
•       First Time Buyers
•       Locks
•       Maintenance & Repair

You can download most of them from our website (links provided at the end of the article), or simply provide us with your name and email address and we’ll send you your complimentary guide via email.

Here are the guides that are available:

Your Guide to Insuring a Listed Building

If you own a Listed home, why not sign up to receive our PDF: Guide to Listed Insurance: https://lloydwhyteheritage.com/listed-insurance/

The guide includes useful information on the following topics:

• Finding listed-specific insurance and why it’s important to get the help of a specialist insurance broker.
• Understanding the ins and outs of owning a listed building (Grade I, Grade II* or Grade II) and why you need to get certain permissions for alterations and renovations (even seemingly minor ones).
• From wattle and daub to lime mortar and lathe and plaster, our guide can help you understand your property construction and how the rebuild value (should it need to be rebuilt) can affect your ‘sums insured’.
• How to maintain your buildings and respect their craftsmanship.

Guide to Thatched Insurance

Our guide to Thatched Insurance can help you understand the basics and specifics of insuring a thatched home. Topics include:

• Why do you need a specialist thatched home insurance broker? How can their expertise help you find the correct level and type of cover for your thatched property?
• Understanding ‘sums insured’; the impact of underinsurance; and the difference between the rebuild value and the market value – which one do you base your sums insured on?
• Which questions will your insurer ask about your thatched roof, chimney, fireplaces, and electrics?

Download our Guide to Thatched Insurance now: https://lloydwhyteheritage.com/thatch-home-insurance/

Guide to Electrical Reports

Electrics that are in good working order can help keep you and your home safe. But have you thought about how it could affect your thatched home insurance as well? Your electrical report has an impact on your policy. If your wiring, sockets, or circuit boards are deemed dangerous, your insurer might not pay your claim should you need to make one. Being aware of the terms required by your insurer may save you time and money at a later stage.

In our Guide to Electrical Reports, found at the bottom of the page, here: insert link – we explore the importance of an up-to-date Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) and how this can affect your home insurance policy. Download the guide here: https://lloydwhyteheritage.com/listed-insurance/

Guide for First Time Buyers

This concise online guide (you won’t need to download a PDF) offers advice on what to look out for when buying your first thatched property. Find it here: https://lloydwhyteheritage.com/advice-zone/first-time-buyers-guide/

• Thatch (enlist a thatcher to examine the condition of the thatched roof and report on the condition and depth of the thatch, both of which play an important part in keeping the house warm but keeping safe as well).
• Fire & Chimney – check the height of the chimney which needs to be at least 1.8 metres high to mitigate fire risk. Check the chimney lining and insulation. You’ll also need to consider smoke detectors, spark arrestors (to have one, or not to have one) and the pros and cons of open fires and word burners.
• Electrics – a brief overview of the importance of having an Electrical Installation Condition Report certificate (EICR) and how long it is valid for.
• Security & Insurance – we also offer a more in-depth guide on locks and how they can affect the security of your home and your home insurance in our Guide to Locks (more on that later).

Guide to Chimneys

Do you use a wood burner or a solid fuel stove, and what are the risks? Is your chimney lined and insulated, and how often do you need to sweep your chimney? Why does your chimney need to be a certain height, and do you need to fit a spark arrestor? We answer these questions in our downloadable “Your property owner’s guide to chimneys”.

After you have read through the guide, you will be able to understand the main elements of insurance, answer questions asked by insurers and insurance brokers regarding your chimney and heat sources and identify safety measures you can take to protect your thatched home. Download the guide here: https://lloydwhyteheritage.com/thatch-home-insurance/

Guide to Locks

On older buildings locks can be a little more complex to identify. That’s why our guide to locks https://lloydwhyteheritage.com/listed-insurance/ can give you an indication of what type of locks you need to secure your home and align with the requirements of your property.

Guide to Maintenance & Repair

Our Guide to Maintenance & Repair is located on our Advice Zone. This step-by-step guide offers helpful tips and advice on looking after your thatched property during autumn and winter. From taps and thatched roofs to gutters and chimneys, we provide concise advice on how to keep your property in good condition. Find it here: https://lloydwhyteheritage.com/advice-zone/autumn-maintenance-guide-your-handy-checklist/