Here at Hawksbeck, we advise all our clients to tell their house insurance company before work on their garden room starts. When you’re having building work done, even a garden room, it nearly always increases the risk of damage to your property. Insurers are, of course, aware of this and in all cases require you to notify them. It’s generally part of your policy that your insurer needs to be notified, even before work starts as they want to understand what you’re planning. It’s a common mistake to think that because the work is being carried out outside of the home that you do not need to inform them.

When one of our clients informed their house insurance company that they were having a garden room built, the insurance company wanted to know the following questions;

1. Does your garden room provider have public liability insurance?

Yes, at Hawksbeck we have public liability insurance and so do all of our subcontractors. Public liability insurance covers the cost of compensation for: personal injuries and loss of or damage to property. Public Liability Insurance is not a legal requirement, so it’s important to check your garden room provider has it. At Hawksbeck we consider it essential.

2. Do you have planning permission or a certificate of lawful development for your proposed garden room?

Yes, we applied for a Certificate of Lawful Development on our clients’ behalf. We recommend that all clients apply for a certificate of lawful development on their proposed garden room. The plans are drawn up by architects and are then submitted by Hawksbeck on the clients’ behalf. The certificate is issued by the council and is confirmation that your garden room has legal status. Should you wish to sell your house, solicitors representing purchasers will require documentary evidence that your garden room is lawful. It also provides necessary evidence that any works being undertaken are lawful.

Bifold Door Garden Room, Essex

3. Will your garden room be built to UK Building Regulation Standards?

Yes, all Hawksbeck Garden Rooms exceed UK Building Regulation Standards. Building Regulations are a minimum standard for design, construction and alterations for virtually every building. They are developed by the Government and are intended to protect your safety, health and welfare. The regulations are also designed to improve conservation of fuel and power, protect and enhance the environment and promote sustainable development.

At the end of the call the insurance company confirmed that the client’s garden room would be covered by the policy, for both buildings and contents insurance.

Another important reason to inform your insurance company is if you want the garden room and its contents to be covered by your household insurance. Should a tree fall on your garden room, for example, you want to know that repairs or rebuild costs are covered. Equally, our clients have expensive TVs and computer equipment in their garden rooms, so it’s important your home contents policy also covers the contents of your garden room. If your insurance company haven’t been involved, they are unlikely to extend cover to the garden room and its contents in the event of damage or a break-in. At Hawksbeck, we can guide you through all of this. We offer a complete project-managed service as part of the price of the garden room. We can advise you on who to call and who needs to be notified of any work. We can also offer you copies of our Public Liability Insurance as well as references from other clients.

Need further information or help? Speak to the Hawksbeck garden room experts today!