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You’ll need to know how old your property is when you take out buildings insurance. This is how you can find out when it was built.
Knowing when your house was built can be handy, not least because you’ll be asked every time you look to renew your buildings insurance. But while it’s a straightforward question, the answer can be a little less obvious.
When you bought your home, the age of the property should be stated on the title deeds or title register. Most people keep these in a safe place, so it will hopefully just be a case of digging them out.
When you take out a mortgage for your home, it’s often a condition that you must have a home survey or mortgage survey too. This should also show the date the property was built.
If you’re in the process of getting a mortgage and have an offer in place this might detail the age of the property.
Another option is to contact your local authority who may have details on when planning permission was granted for your home.
While Land Registry records land ownership, not what’s built on the land, it may still help. If it details when the developer first handed over ownership or a lease, it should be a guide as to the age of the property.
A bit of local knowledge can come in handy. Even if you neighbours haven’t lived there long enough to know when your home was built, if they’ve a similar looking property, they may have already researched its age.
If you’re buying then the current owners have probably assessed when the property was built for their own home insurance. They are also required to fil out a seller’s property information form, which may also give you the information required.
If your property looks ancient or historic then the methods listed above may not prove fruitful. However, don’t give up just yet, there are still a few avenues to explore.
Insurers want to know the age of your property so that they can assess the likelihood of having to make a payout in the future.
This typically means that those living in older homes may receive slightly higher quotes, but not always. It depends on many factors including the condition of the property.
If you live in a historic or listed building, then you might need to look for specialist cover.
If you’re looking for cheaper home insurance then MoneySuperMarket can help.
Just tell us a few details about your home and we’ll quickly compare quotes from our leading panel of lenders to find you the best deal.
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