An Englishman’s home is his castle but how do you protect your empire?

Very few of us do live in a castle but we all cherish our homes and there are a fair number of people who have desirable homes worth a considerable amount of money.

If you are one of the lucky few then you’ll know it’s not just the house itself that you place extreme value on but the contents of your home as well. You understand the desire to look after your home and contents and do what you can to protect it.

So what lengths can you go to keep your home safe?

Security is paramount from locks and robust construction materials to reinforced windows, doors, safes and gates. Fitting an approved alarm system is essential to security and marking or tagging all your valuable possessions will help recover any stolen items.

Aside from protection from theft or vandalism you need to think about other risks such as fire, storm and flooding. Again there is a lot you can do to upgrade your home to prevent major catastrophes or minimise the potential damage caused.

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But perhaps above all else you need to consider the level of insurance you have in place.

For many people with high value properties a standard home insurance policy just isn’t sufficient. Often main stream insurers just can’t deal with the high sums involved. A standard policy from one of the online insurance sites could leave you woefully under insured. It’s not just the market price of your property; you need to consider the full rebuilding costs including all the specialist fees involved. Online insurance sites rarely offer individual advice for the covers that you need or help provide a bespoke valuation.

Specialist home insurance protects far more than just your basic house and contents. Here are just some of the situations where you might need protection:

High Value Buildings (often with a range of outbuildings and/or a swimming pool)
Heritage or listed buildings
Insurance for more than one property eg a “holiday home”
High Overall Contents value
Fine Art
Antiques, silver or porcelain/china
Items that are described as collectables
High value jewellery and watches

Aside from your possessions, did you know your occupation could exclude you from standard insurance policies? Many sports and entertainment professions are not covered and that’s where specialist home insurance can step in. You are treated as an individual and the exact cover is given for your personal circumstances.