BBC Radio Norfolk - Monday Money Club feature

Senior personal insurance adviser Alison Wilton-Lowe from Alan Boswell Group appeared on this afternoon's Graham and Karen show on BBC Radio Norfolk.

Alison featured in the Monday Money Club slot when she discussed the problem of under-insurance for home insurance customers. Talking to Graham Barnard and Karen Buchanan, Alison also emphasised the importance of making sure that you get the correct cover if you use a comparison web site to buy your personal insurance.

To hear the item, visit the BBC Norfolk site and use the iPlayer "listen again" option. The show will only be vailable for 7 days from 16th March 2009.

Alison has worked at Norwich-based insurance brokers Alan Boswell Group for 10 years. Prior to that she spent 4 years at Richard Bunn Insurance in Attleborough. Richard Bunn's business was purchased by the Alan Boswell Group in the mid-1990s and now trades as Alan Boswell Insurance Services at the same Attleborough premises.

Ride-on mower insurance

Ride-on lawn mowers are expensive items of gardening equipment with prices ranging from several hundred pounds to thousand of pounds. With that in mind, you'll want to be sure that your home insurance policy adequately covers your mower.
In the unfortunate event of an accident, repairing damage to a ride-on mower could cost you dearly. And what if your mower was damaged beyond repair?
Although these mowers are robustly built, accidents do happen. It's so easy to clip a tree, catch an old stump in the lawn, crash into a fence post or panel, or scrape something when manoeuvring your ride-on mower in and out of your garage or shed. With so many obstacles in and around the garden, you can see how easy it is.

It’s worthwhile checking your home insurance policy to be absolutely sure your ride on mower is properly covered.

It's wise to inform your insurer that you have a ride-on mower and ask for written confirmation that it is properly insured. Ideally, the mower should be itemised on your policy schedule so you can see the amount and extent of cover. And be sure to ask about theft cover for the mower if you keep it in an outbuilding. Some insurers won't be happy to provide theft cover at all if the mower is stored in a timber shed or outbuilding. However, if you keep it in a locked garage then you will probably be insured. In any event, you should ask the insurers and get written confirmation of the situation and check that they're happy with the security arrangements and locks.

Beware of taking your mower off your property: your home insurance almost certainly will not provide any cover beyond the boundaries of your home. Some people use their ride-on to mow the grass verges outside their garden. If this is not part of your home (as defined in your deeds) then you almost certainly have no insurance cover. Imagine the potential liability claim you could face if you lost control of your mower and caused a road traffic accident. If the verge is deemed to be part of the public highway then you may even be breaking the law since motorised vehicles on the highway need Road Traffic Act cover.

If you would like further information on covering your ride on mower, please contact one of our Home and Garden insurance advisers on 0845 222 0041 or by using the contact page on http://www.homeandgardeninsurance.co.uk/