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Assetsure News 14th May
2007
Spanish Holiday Home Rental on the Up -
There has been nothing bad bad news coming out of the
Spanish Property
markets recently but at last some good news for anyone that is contemplating
purchasing a
holiday home or renting out their own villa in Spain. News coming out of Spain is that the number of occupied holiday lets has
risen in the last 12 months. overnight stays in Spanish holiday homes totalled
4.8 million last year up 2.2%. Although, this is a very small increase, it does
show that people still want to visit Spain, and if not buying, then they
certainly want to rent property. Spain remains very popular with British tourists who represent 30% of the
letting market. Popular Spanish holiday home destinations include Andalusia, The
Canary Islands & Valencia. Because of the recent problems with the Spanish housing market, this may be a
good time to buy
property for letting purposes. Property prices are down in
general and there are many bargains to be found. New property tends to rent well
and if you are deciding on an apartment, remember that location is of paramount
importance. Apartments that are close to resorts and gold courses are very
popular and the better the condition and facilities, the easier it will be to
rent the property. It is thought that a number of people are keeping a close eye
of the Spanish market at the moment and many are considering renting so as to be
best placed to pick up that bargain property in the sun.
Storms hit Southern England -
we had a number of fierce electrical storms in
the South of England last night and some pretty torrential rain. This morning
the Assetsure phoning has been ringing with a number of clients wishing to make
building insurance claims for storm damage. Often fierce downpours can
produce quite substantial claims and it's important that home owners, especially
holiday home owners check the conditions of their roofs etc to make sure they
are in tip top condition. If you live in your property, then you will be
on hand to notice an immediate storm damage, but in a holiday home, it is
not so easy. Either the building is unoccupied, in which case it may be some time
before you discover the damage, or if the property is being let to holiday
guests, any leaks may ruin the holiday and that certainly isn't good for
repeat business. We at Assetsure always recommend a program of
maintenance be
put in place to make sure that your roofs are in a good state of repair. Flat roofing is a main cause for concern and
these structures are notorious for leaking. Flat roofs are constructed basically
with joists spanning the gap between two walls, covered by sheet timber or other
material. The outer coating of a flat roof is usually asphalt. Many people have
had bad experience of this type of roof, with leaking causing damage to walls
etc. Flat roofs do have quite a short life span and it is important that they
are serviced on a regular basis. Usually, the first time you know you have a
problem with a flat roof, is when it starts to leak. However, this doesn't have
to be the case, flat roofing is an established building technique and serviced
properly, they should last for a good number of years. It is important to have a
roofing contractor check over your roofing on a regular basis, once a year is a
good idea, then can then make sure that the covering is still waterproof.
A number of insurance companies are not keen on
buildings with flat roofs and it is important to check that you have disclosed
any portions of this type of roofing to your insurers. Generally up to 20% is acceptable
at normal insurance terms but over and above this, a loading may be required or
cover may be declined. It is important to study your
home insurance policy
carefully as it may contain a flat roof warranty. This will alter the scope of
your policy cover and will probably state that for any claim to be valid, you
must be able to prove that your flat roof is less than a certain age and that it
is serviced on a regular basis. Warranties vary from one insurer to
another but it is vitally important to check. Many building insurance claims are
declined because people have not read their policy documents carefully. Whilst we are are the subject of building maintenance,
if you are employing the services of a tradesman to checking your roof
structures, it is a good idea to have him check the guttering as well, not some
much a problem at this time of year, but in the autumn months, guttering can
become blocked with leaves and this can lead to water damage claims for damaged
buildings. Having home insurance in place is an excellent
way of protection your possessions but prevention is better than cure, anyone
that has suffered damage at their home, will tell you , it can be quite an
upsetting experience.
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