Information
Home Inventory Checklist
Keeping a home contents inventory checklist will help you understand the correct replacement value of your home contents and assist you in recovering your stolen goods.
Visit each room in your house and write down the serial or model numbers of valuables as well as how much you paid for them. Better still, take a photograph or use a video camera to record these details
Sum Insured of your assets
Building:
The value of building is defined as the reconstruction cost of the building (and not its market value). In other words, the optimum coverage is one which sufficiently compensates for rebuilding your house in case any damage to the structure. To arrive at this value, simply multiply the built-up area of the property with the construction rate per sq. ft. For example – if the built-up area of your home is 1,000 sq. ft. and the current construction rate is MUR 1,200 per sq. ft., the sum insured for your home structure will be MUR. 1,200,000.
Contents:
The amount you will pay if you have to replace all the existing contents, such as, furniture, carpets, household appliances, clothes and anything that is precious to you inside your home by new ones of same type and model.
Personal Effects:
The Market value of the valuables away from home, like jewellery, watches, cameras, mobile phones, laptop and sports equipment.
Home Security
As a homeowner, one of the major concerns is to protect your family and property. Here are some home security tips to guide you on your path to a safer and secure home – after all, prevention is the best type of insurance we know.
What can you do to prevent a burglary?
Take the following steps to protect your home and contents and make your property less attractive to opportunistic burglars.
- Always lock the door and close the windows when you go out, even if it’s only for a short time
- Never ever leave spare keys outside
- Always keep your house keys hidden from plain sight when they’re in the house
- Don’t leave window and door keys in their locks
- Always draw your curtains at night so people can’t see your valuables from the street
- Only let trusted family and friends know your holiday plans and avoid advertising your plans on social media
- If you’re away, even for the night, keep at least one light on or make use of timers to make it look like someone’s in
- Visible burglar alarms, security lights and good overall lighting are useful in deterring unwelcome attention
- Don’t open your door or provide access to your home without knowing who is there and remember to check the identity of any charity collectors or salesperson
- Gravel is a very cheap security measure. The crunching noise makes it very difficult for thieves to sneak quietly around outside your house
Are you prepared for cyclone or torrential rain?
- Trim branches around your property to prevent them from falling
- Secure any loose outdoor objects, such as outdoor furniture
- Clear gutters and downpipes and check for blockages to avoid overflowing during heavy rain
- Keep an emergency kit handy, including a battery-operated radio, a torch with spare batteries and a first aid kit
- Make sure your mobile phone is fully charged
- Unplug electrical appliances and avoid using your landline telephone if there is
- Always stay indoors and keep away from windows
- Make sure your pets have adequate shelter
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers given are only a brief summary – you must read the Policy Wording carefully for complete details of what is covered, and which of the benefits are provided under each Plan. Importantly, please note that exclusions do apply, as well as limits to the cover.
Some words may have special meanings – refer to “Our Definitions” in the Policy Wording prior to reading through these FAQs.
If, however, you do not find the answer you are looking for please don’t hesitate to contact us.
If you want cover for accidental damage for laptops or notepads or wish to cover these items outside of your home, you will need to select personal effects cover.
Buildings insurance covers domestic outbuildings and private garages, including garages on nearby sites that form part of your home.
You can do this via the My Account section of the website. If you wish to do this over the phone, please call us on 659 0659 during our normal business hours (Mon-Fri 08 30- 16 30) and we will be happy to help you.
If you chose to receive your documents by email, they should be with you within three hours (although occasionally, they may take a little longer). You may need to check your email junk or spam folders. If for any reason your email is returned to us, we’ll automatically send your documents to you by post instead.
Yes, our contents policy includes cover for any office equipment you may have, like PCs, faxes and printers. The work you do in your office must be clerical work such as administration and paperwork on behalf of your employer, and there must be no work visitors or employees coming to your home. If you’re running a business from the address or if there is a business registered to your address you will need to call one of our friendly insurance experts on 659 0659 during our normal business hours (Mon-Fri 08 30- 16 30) to see if we can provide you with a quote.
No, but if you make a claim, you may be asked for evidence of value and ownership such as purchase receipts and instruction manuals. This is especially important for valuables, such as jewellery, watches or works of art.
Yes, if you own the contents of the flat then we can offer you insurance.
If you are altering the security on your property you should inform us as it may change the conditions of your home insurance. You may also be eligible for a discount.
Before commencing renovations it is important that you notify us as it may affect the terms and conditions of your home insurance policy. It is important that your increase your sum insured to reflect any extensions or renovations to make sure you are adequately covered in the event of a home insurance claim.
We take into account multiple risk factors in calculating your premium. These include the type of construction, Occupancy of the property, security systems and past claims records. Your level of coverage also determines the premium you are going to pay. Cover with higher sum insured and more extensive benefits will entail a higher premium to be paid.
Your security matters to us. The information you provide to us via this website is securely encrypted as it travels between your computer and our internal Information systems. The secure connection is over a protocol called secure socket layer – SSL, making it extremely difficult for others to access your information. Two ways of knowing when you are using a secured section of our website is to look for the small padlock symbol in the bottom right hand corner of your browser and secondly the web address in your browser window will start with “https” instead of “http”. Also, we abide by the Data Protection Act 2008 for the safeguarding of your personal data shared with us.
An excess is the amount which will be deducted from any claim paid to you under the sections of your policy to which an excess applies. You will be advised which cover sections are subject to an excess and the amount of excess at the time you purchase your policy.
You need to make sure that you have enough cover for the full rebuilding cost of your home for buildings insurance and for the total replacement cost of all your belongings as new with contents insurance. The rebuilding cost of your property is different from the market value, and you will need to ensure you have sufficient cover for the full rebuilding cost of your property.
Underinsurance arises when you have insured your possession for less than its value as explained above. In the event of a loss, you are at risk of being penalized by the condition of average.
Sum Insured is the maximum amount that can be paid out and is only paid out in cases of total destruction. Where partial destruction occurs (a more common occurrence than total destruction), Payout is pro rata in line with the underinsurance. This is due to insurance companies basing the premiums on their risk of losing the full Sum Insured against total destruction events.
For example in case of building cover, the claim will be paid as follows:
Payout = (Claim amount X Sum insured) / Full rebuilding cost
- Take precautions to prevent further loss, damage or liability
- Contact the police as soon as possible to report any theft or attempted theft, or damage caused by intentional acts, riots or vehicle impact.
- Notify us of your claim online, or call our claims department on 659 0659 during our normal business hours (Mon-Fri 08 30- 16 30) and one of our friendly consultants will take you through the home insurance claims process.
- One of our consultants will discuss this with you when they receive your online claim form or when you call to make your home insurance claim
Documents such as purchase receipts, credit card statements and owner’s handbooks will help. When you speak to a claims consultant, they’ll let you know what you need to provide to help us process your home insurance claim
We organise the quotes and replacement of your possessions and do most of the leg work for you.
- Notify us of your claim online as soon as possible, or call our claims department on 659 0659 during our normal business hours (Mon-Fri 08 30- 16 30) and one of our friendly consultants will take you through the claims process.
- Try to get names and addresses of witnesses, if there are any.
- Don’t make any admissions of liability and don’t attempt to settle any claim made against you.
What insurance cover does a renter/tenant need?
When you rent the place where you live, we would recommend you to buy Tenant’s risk together with your contents cover.
What is renter/tenant's insurance?
Covers damages to Landlord’s property caused by the Tenant/ Renter
Can a landlord request you to have a renter's insurance?
It is a common requirement in your lease agreement to have a Renter/ Tenant’s risk insurance covering the rented place.
