Buildings insurance covers anything that you cannot usually take away with you if you move home.  These include the structure of your home including domestic outbuildings and any fixtures or fittings.

You should insure your home for the rebuilding cost and this is the reinstatement value. You can find the home-building cost figures in the Guide to House Rebuilding Insurance available from the Society of Chartered Surveyors (www.scs.ie)

Contents insurance covers household goods and personal effects belonging to you or belonging to members of your household and domestic employees permanently residing with you, all in the private house and domestic outbuildings.

You should insure your contents for the amount it would cost you to replace them if they were stolen or damaged.

Accidental damage covers accidental events giving rise to a loss for example a spillage on your carpet or if you or a member of your household hammers a nail into a pipe.

Accidental Damage is an optional extra available and you may choose this option during your quote.

Accidental Damage is an optional extra available and you may choose this option during your quote.

This is an optional extra that you must choose during your quote. All risks cover protects against loss, theft of, or accidental damage to items outside your home as well as in. The unspecified all risks section of your policy covers items such as jewellery, photographic equipment, personal effects, clothing and sports equipment up to a maximum sum insured as shown on the schedule with a limit of € 1,000 for any one item. The specified all risks section of your policy covers specified items with a minimum value of € 1,000.

Yes a valuation will be required for items valued more than €5,000. These items will not be covered unless we receive the valuation from you.

The excess is the amount of each claim that you will have to pay for yourself. The standard excess on the policy is €250 however discounts are available should you wish to choose a higher excess of €500 or €1,000. There are some sections of the policy which have a different excess amount.

- by credit card or laser card at no extra charge processed through a secure SSL server on our website
- by cheque, bank draft or postal order made payable to Pike Insurance Services Limited
- by direct debit (each company have different arrangements)

If at the time of the loss or damage, your sums insured are less than the full reinstatement or replacement cost, then you will be your own insurer for the difference. Your insurer will only pay their share of the loss or damage which your sum insured bears to such cost.

All Risks cover is an optional cover available on a household policy to cover valuable items lost or damaged while inside or outside your home.

All Risks cover is an optional cover available on a household policy to cover valuable items lost or damaged while inside or outside your home

Specified all Risks allows you to note specific items of value that you want insured on an All Risks basis.

This is a regulation, which was introduced to establish a minimum standard for the installation of burglar alarms. If your burglar alarm has been fitted by an authorised contractor to EN50131 Standard (old IS199) you should have been given a certificate to verify this at installation.

The minimum level of cover for car insurance in Ireland is 'Third Party Only'. 'Third Party' car insurance is required by law and covers third party injury or damage caused by you or another insured driver when driving the vehicle.

There is also an option to select 'Third Party, Fire & Theft' car insurance.

The best level of cover available is comprehensive car insurance. This covers 'third party, fire, theft and accidental damage' to your vehicle.

There are many factors which may affect your car insurance premium and these can include;

• The car, including model, engine size, value and year.
• Your age and driving experience.
• Your 'No Claims Bonus' or 'Named Driving Experience'.
• Previous car insurance or motor insurance claims.
• Penalty points.
• Details of Named Drivers.

There are a number of ways to help reduce your car insurance premium and these may include;

• Restrict the number of drivers covered on your policy. Insurance companies often give 'Insured Only' or 'Insured & Spouse' discounts.
• You may get a discount if your spouse has insurance in their own name.
• Stay free from penalty points as many Irish car insurance companies will charge extra if you have penalty points.
• If your car has a large engine or is highly valued then this may increase your premium.
• Stay claims free!
• Consider selecting 'third party' insurance cover instead of 'comprehensive' cover.

An insurance policy is a contract between you and the insurer and included in this policy are detailed terms and conditions which include duties of the insured. Theses may include:

• The duty to inform the insurance company if any of the details on the proposal form change.
• The duty to make a full and honest disclosure of relevant facts to the insurer and answer all questions on the proposal form truthfully.

Some Irish car insurance policies will include a 'driving of other cars' extension which will allow you to drive other cars which do not belong to you. This cover is 'third party only' and may also exclude some vehicles. Refer to your policy and certificate for full details of cover.

For every year that you hold a motor insurance policy in your own name, Irish insurance companies will allow you a 1 year 'No Claims Bonus'. Each company uses the bonus in a different was but the most common way to use the 'No Claims Bonus' system is to allow 10% of your premium for every year, up to a maximum of 5 years.

Named driving experience is any period for which you have been insured as a named driver on someone else's Irish Car Insurance policy. This may allow you to get a discount when you apply for insurance in your own name.

A policy excess is the first part of any claim you will be required to carry. If your policy has an excess of €250, then you will be require to carry the first €250 of any claim. Your insurer will pay the rest.

Your policy will cover you to drive in Ireland and the UK. Often, your policy will automatically extend to a number of other European countries. We recommend you contact your broker before travelling to ensure that full cover is in force.

Our Tradesman Liability Policy is designed to accommodate a wide list of trades and occupations catering for self-employed, sole traders, and firms employing up to six people, including yourself.
The straightforward qualification criteria are:

1. no insurer has ever declined to insure you, or refuse to renew or terminate your Employers, Public or Products Liability insurance.

2. you or your directors or partners have never been convicted of or charged with (but not yet tried for) a criminal offence, other than a motoring offence, except as provided for under the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016.

3. you or your directors or partners have never been owners, principals or partners of any other firm involved in this or a similar business which has been declared bankrupt.

4. you have not suffered any losses or made any claims in the past three years for any of the perils or contingencies to which this insurance applies

5. the total amount paid to Bona-Fide Sub Contractors does not exceed €150,000 or 25% of your annual turnover whichever is the lesser, unless you have specifically advised us to the contrary.

6. where you are applying for Employer’s Liability cover your payments to Labour Only Sub Contractors do not exceed €5,000 per year, unless you have specifically advised us to the contrary.

7. any hot work you undertake, is carried out in accordance with the condition 13 i set out on page: 12 of the policy.

Your policy provides Public and Products Liability protection (with an option to include Employer’s Liability), against your legal liability to pay compensation, claimant’s costs and expenses following accidental bodily injury including death, illness disease to any person including employees, arising out of the course of their employment and loss or damage to property which is both material and tangible, arising out of or in connection with your business.
The standard Limits of Indemnity provided are:

• Employers Liability (when included): €13,000,000 any one claim and unlimited any one period of insurance.

• Public Liability: €2,600,000 any one claim and unlimited in any one period of insurance, with an option to increase the limit any one claim to €6,500,000

• Products Liability: €2,600,000 any one claim and in the aggregate in any one period of insurance, with an option to increase this limit to: €6,500,000

Each policy provides Public/Products Liability insurance, with an option to add Employer’s Liability cover. When Employer’s Liability is selected, is we automatically provide cover for payments to Labour Only Sub Contractors up to €7,500 and Bona Fide Sub Contractors up to 25% of your turnover*. Cover for higher amounts are readily available, for a small additional premium, although you must inform us in advance if you expect either of these limits to be exceeded.
In addition each policy provides cover for:

• Contractual Liability (subject to the terms of the policy we will indemnify the policyholder in respect of liability which arises out of the performance of any contract or agreement)

• Cross Liability (in the event the policyholder named in the schedule comprises more than one party, we treat each as though a separate policy had been issued to them.

• Compensation for court attendance up to a maximum of €5,000 in any one period of insurance

• Legal expenses arising from Health and Safety Legislation in respect of any criminal proceedings brought in respect of a breach of the Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989 or similar legislation in the Republic of Ireland.

The Tradesman policy does not require you to disclose wages estimates, nor do we require an adjustment at the end of each period of insurance. However policyholders are required to make a new statement of fact at each renewal date, detailing any changes in their business or number of employees for the forthcoming period of insurance.

* You are required to check that all Bona-Fide Sub Contractors employed hold their own Employers and Public Liability insurance appropriate to the work being carried out.

In line with all Liability Insurances, there are some exclusions and limitations.

• No cover is provided for employees who are operating offshore, or where compulsory motor insurance is required, where Employer’s Liability Insurance is included.

• Damage to property belonging to the policyholder or under the custody or control of the policyholder or any employee is excluded. (This exclusion does not however extend to property including motor vehicles belonging to an employee or visitor).

• Liability arising out of the ownership or use of any motor vehicle where compulsory cover is required under Road Traffic Act legislation, or any aircraft, or mechanically powered water vessel, is excluded.

• Liability in respect of any judgement or award made in the courts of the United States or Canada.

• The costs associated with remedying any defects or alleged defects in land or buildings or structures disposed of by the policyholder are excluded.

In addition we are unable to offer cover arising out of or in connection with:

any work on or in, or involving

• work on gasholders, towers, steeples, bridges, viaducts, blast furnaces, chimney or well shafts, dams or tunnels, mines, colliery winding gear and hangers for any purpose.

• work involving the making of excavations exceeding three metres in depth from the surface.

• work at a height greater than 10m from the ground surface or if working internally a height greater than 10m from the floor surface

• demolition of any kind unless such work forms part of a contract for the erection, reconstruction, alteration or repair of buildings or structures and provided that such demolition is by hand held tools only.

• piling, the use of explosives, water diversion, quarrying, tunneling or work under water.

• the felling or lopping of trees

• work in or on power stations, nuclear installations, refineries, bulk storage tanks, oil gas or chemical works, aircraft, hovercraft, watercraft, wharves, piers or jetties, railways, railway stations or airports (air-side).

• Stand-alone Roofing Contracts not forming part of a contract for the erection, reconstruction, alteration or repair of buildings or structures

Yes the Tradesman Policy covers you for “Hot Work”. However you are required to take certain safety precautions as a strict policy condition, as follows:

It is a condition precedent to our liability to make any payment under this policy that prior to commencement of such heat work (including the use of angle grinders where heat is generated) all the following precautions are complied with in each instance involving the use of heat (as defined below) by or on behalf of the Insured and taking place elsewhere than on the Insured’s own premises.

A – Application of heat by means of electric oxyacetylene or other welding or cutting equipment or angle grinders, blow lamps, blow torches, hot air guns or hot air strippers.

• Permission to use the equipment must be obtained from a person acting for the occupier of the site and a Hot Work Permit completed in the form provided by the occupier or using one devised by the Insured and covering the 8 issues / conditions as laid out herein and provided always that the completion of the Hot Work Permit shall not vary or waive any of the undertakings or conditions contained in this Exclusion.

• The area within 3 metres of the work (including in the case of work carried out on one side of a wall or partition, the opposite side of the wall or partition) must be cleared of all loose combustible material; other combustible material must be covered by sand or over-lapping sheets or screens of non-combustible material. Openings in floors walls ceilings roofs or ducts within the Hot Work Area are to be closed covered sealed or otherwise rendered impervious to the passage of fire.

• At least two adequate and appropriate portable Fire Extinguishers, in proper working order, must be kept in the immediate area of the work being undertaken and used immediately smoke or smouldering or flames are detected. All persons engaged in the Hot Work shall be made aware of the location of all fire-fighting equipment.

• A fire safety check of the area must be made approximately 60 minutes after the completion of each period of work and immediate steps taken to extinguish any smouldering or flames discovered.

• Blow lamps and blow torches must be filled in the open and must not be lit until immediately before use and must be extinguished immediately after use.

• A person must be appointed by the Insured to act as an observer to watch for signs of smoke or smouldering or flames.

• Gas cylinders not in immediate use must be removed to an open area at least 15 metres from where the heat is to be applied.

• Paragraph 6) above does not apply solely in respect of the application of heat by means of blow lamps, blow torches, hot air guns or hot air strippers.

B – Use of heat involving asphalt, bitumen, tar, pitch or lead heaters. The heating must be carried out in the open in a vessel designed for that purpose and, if carried out on a roof, the vessel must be placed on a non-combustible heat insulating base

Although it is a legal requirement to have a Safety Statement, it is not a condition precedent to liability under the Tradesman policy, that the policyholder must have a safety statement.

We strongly encourage our policyholders to comply with all legislative requirements, and recommend, if they have not done so already to visit the Health and Safety Authorities “BeSMART”, on-line facility at: http://www.hsa.ie, which covers many building and allied trades occupations, and where you can complete your own Safety Statement, and Risk Assessments.

This is known as the “Policy Excess”. For Employer’s Liability claims (where covered) there is no policy excess, however you will be required to meet the first €1,000 of any claim under your Public/Products Liability Section of the policy.

If You need to make a claim on Your policy the designated Claims Handler in respect of your policy is: OSG Outsource Services Group Ltd Merrion Hall, Strand Road Sandymount, Dublin 4, D04 P6C4, Ireland Email: fnol@osg.ie Telephone: +353 1 2611434