What insurance for house swap?
Q We are set for a house swap in August with an Italian family. It’s our first time and we’re keen to make it work. It’s a private arrangement through a friend of a friend. Obviously we will lock away valuables, etc, but what is the situation regarding insurance?
A Earlier this year, research showed that house swapping as a recession busting alternative to traditional holiday rentals is set to double in the UK, with 1.6 million holidaymakers expected to arrange a house-swap in 2011, twice last year’s number. However the survey also found that 60 per cent of house-swappers fail to tell their insurer they will be taking part in a home exchange, running the risk of invalidating their home insurance policy if anything goes wrong.
First, check with your insurer so you are clear about what is and isn’t covered. Most insurers are happy to cover house swaps – a lived-in house is better than an empty one. However you could find that your insurer is only happy with the arrangement if the swap is a like-for-like situation – a family swapping with a family. They might be less keen if your “swapees” were half a dozen students. Do you, for example, have accidental damage coverage in your policy? Probably not. Also, theft claims from a home are seldom met unless there is evidence of a break-in or forced entry, so if you come home and find your expensive sound system is missing then there will probably not be a lot you can do about it. Also – and this is a worst-case scenario – malicious damage is usually not covered by any insurance policy, regardless of whether a person is lawfully on the premises or not. That said, people tend to be respectful of property – after all, you’ll be in their house. You have decided to lock away valuables but consider other things too – for example, your swappers might not realise that the china in the cabinet is not for everyday use – unless you tell them. Also, with burglaries on the rise, leave detailed instructions about your security precautions – locking windows, alarm codes, etc. Obviously, if you are swapping cars you need to contact your car insurer.
What can we do about derelict site?
Q There is a large, open derelict site at the far end of our village. A builder started to develop it but work stopped more than two years ago before the old house could be completely demolished. It is very dangerous and now that summer is here the children are playing in it. The builder is a local man but not very approachable. What can we do?
AOwners are required by law to make sure that their property does not become derelict or contain any dangerous structures. You should contact your local authority because under the Derelict Sites Act, 1990 it is responsible for dealing with such matters. There are various remedies available to the local authority but these things tend to take time so unless the builder is going to hop to and fence off his building or demolish it or whatever, don’t expect the matter to be sorted by the end of this summer
Your questions
Send your queries to Property questions, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2 or e-mail propertyquestions@irishtimes.com. This column is a readers’ service and is not intended to replace professional advice.
