Insurance Ireland
Owners of Thatched Houses in Ireland are special people.
They are also under-appreciated by many, but not by all. In
Ireland, we pay a lot of lip service to Heritage, and Conservation,
but when it comes down to basics we fall short on the support we
give to owners of thatched houses, particulary when it comes to the
area of house insurance. Most older thatched houses
are now listed as Protected Structures, and woe betide any owner who
defies the relevant local authority and replaces the thatched roof
with a modern slate roof. Fortunately, because owners of
thatched houses are the ones who are really passionate about
heritage and conservation, some older thatched houses still
remain, but the cost of retaining and maintaining can be
prohibitive.
Among the many problems faced by owners of Thatched Houses are the
need for regular repairs, the requirement to comply with Protected
Structure listing, and of course, the one that really concerns us
here - insurance for thatched houses.Irish Insurance Companies
Insurance companies in Ireland seem to be reluctant to take on
insurance for thatched houses. They cite many reasons for
this, and owners can help
themselves in this regard by considering having their roofs treated
with a suitable retardant. The retardant treatment usually lasts for several years at which time it
should be treated again. Some advise having the roof
inspected after five years with a view to respraying. Advise your
insurance company if you have this done as it may help. You should
also make sure you have a clean and, preferably, a lined chimney. If you are re-thatching or having
a totally new build with thatched roof, do ask your thatcher about
having a foil membrane placed on the roof beneath the
thatch. Your Insurance Company may look more favourably on
your request if you have such a membrane fitted.
Holiday Homes
Another problem for the insurance companies in Ireland is
that many thatched houses in Ireland are used as holiday homes and
as such, are vacant for many months of the year. So, one has to
consider the options here. You could let the house for many months,
but that is probably impractical. You could give the house
free to a family member for those months when you are away.
The very least you should do is have an alarm connected to a
reputable alarm monitoring company in Ireland. At the time of
writing, there are new regulations coming into force in Ireland
regarding house alarms, so we advise familiarising yourself with
those requirements. In short, the measure is being introduced
to reduce noise pollution, and alarms now have to turn off after 15
minutes rather than ringing all night as heretofore. On the face of
it, this seems to be a good idea, but will possibly have
implications for owners of rural houses with alarms. Insurance
companies may well insist on having an alarm in any house that they
are asked to cover.
Local Authorities and Thatched House Insurance
One would expect that local authorities would have an obligation
to maintain a list of thatched house insurance providers.
However this is not always the case. Some County Councils are
more proactive in this area than others but it is always a good idea
to contact them and ask if they have such a list. Don't be
afraid to get your local County Councillor to make representations
for you. After all, if they have listed the house, then you
should expect some help in finding an insurance company. Many
County Councils now have Conservation Officers and/or Heritage
Officers. You will usually find such officers to be more than
helpful and well worth contacting. The Department of
Environment in Dublin should also have information regarding
insurance companies.
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