When you think about the phrases “home sweet home”, “home is where the heart is” and “there is no place like home”, you cannot deny that for most people “home” is a place of emotional attachment and sanctuary, as well as a place to find physical safety and shelter.
It is therefore of utmost importance to protect our homes and to ensure that the place we call home is suitably maintained, kept secure and financially safeguarded with a suitable home insurance plan.
You might think that most home insurance policies are much the same, covering you financially for basic damages caused by unpredictable events like flooding or fire, or for losses caused by accidental damage. But it is important to check the policies for the additional benefits that they have, as home insurance policies have become a lot more sophisticated, offering a whole host of cover for different areas, such as aesthetic reconstruction cover and handyman repair services.
These are significant policy perks. After all, it is not just the financial stress that people feel when they need to make a home insurance claim, but also the worry of finding a reputable supplier to provide reconstruction and repair services to return their home to its former glory.
With Caser home insurance you can be safe in the knowledge that reconstruction cover and handyman repair services are included in all 3 levels of their home insurance protection; named Essential, Integral and Prestige. This means that you have access to approved professionals to help with repairs and can avoid the risk of finding yourself contracting a cowboy or doing it yourself – and wishing you hadn’t!
As a Caser home insurance policy holder, you can access the services of a variety of professional handymen, who can provide assistance for various minor maintenance, repair and DIY jobs that are needed in your home. For example.
- Sealing worn or damaged joints in baths, showers, wash hand basins and sinks with silicone sealant.
- Replacement of taps and stopcocks that are not built-in, toilet cisterns, flexible connectors, drain/overflow kits for sinks or wash hand basins.
- Installation of bathroom and kitchen accessories. This does not include plumbing work.
- Installation or replacement of door handles, bolts and latches.
- Replacement of hinges in the doors of wooden furniture
- Installation of corner guards and transition strips for transitions between any type of flooring.
- Installation of draught excluders and glass in windows with silicone.
- Help with bleeding radiators to keep your heating functioning effectively
- Installation of wiring ducts to conceal wires.
- Installation of ceiling and wall lights - provided there is an electrical outlet.
- Installation of sockets, switches, bells and similar items, provided that the box that houses them or the wiring does not need to be changed.
- Furniture assembly and installation of shelves.
- Repair or replacement of non-electric blinds.
- Hanging of curtains, blinds, pictures, clothes lines, mirrors, wardrobe hangers and rods.
As we all know, these types of DIY jobs may seem small and easy to many people, but they are things we often never get round to doing, or jobs that we don’t have the tools for, or the expertise to do, and so, the snagging list can soon add up and become a little overwhelming.
This handyman repair service is therefore valuable for those who might be too daunted to do such jobs, as it gives you access to up to 3 hours of professional help from someone who is knowledgeable and experienced in these types of smaller repairs, and you can make up to 2 requests per policy per annum.
Including this handy repair service to an insurance policy helps the owners to maintain their home, and to ensure jobs are done well, and the general upkeep of the house doesn’t get neglected. It also helps to save money, in different ways. For example, doing DIY involves a combination of 3 elements - having the time, the tools and tricks of the trade. If you don’t have an amount of all 3, then doing repairs can be expensive.
You may have the experience and the time, but if you don’t have the right equipment, then you may end up spending a fortune on power tools that then sit in a box and are not cost effective for the number of times you use them.
If you don’t have time or experience, then calling out a private repair man can also be an expensive deal. It is said that in this technological era, traditional tradesmen are now in short supply, so their time is more valuable, and in turn they can charge more per hour to come and do jobs in your home. To give you an idea of costs, here are some examples of current rates for hiring a private handyman in dollars and euros!
In addition to the handyman repair services, the Caser home insurance policies also include the following areas in all 3 level of policy:
- Legal defence – Integral
- Comprehensive legal defence– Prestige
And for the Integral and Prestige policies, there is also additional cover for travel assistance and food spoilage included and optional extra cover for all risks material damage, electrical damage and civil liability if you own a dangerous dog.
To see a useful table of the cover, and detailed descriptions check out Home Insurance Spain | Caser Expat Insurance. Or you can download pdf´s of the cover or “general conditions of contract” included in each level of policy - Essential, Integral, Prestige.
So, as you can see, home insurance is way more than making a claim if something drastic happens, like being hit by lightning, or having a flash flood, it is also there for the smaller inconveniences of life. Caser take pride in helping their clients to repair their homes, be it major or minor. All it takes is a call to the helpful English-speaking team and they will organise for a qualified professional to come and fix it, taking away the wasted time and energy you will spend looking for someone yourself, and worrying whether they can do the job correctly. Your home will be “safe as houses” in their hands.