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Insurance Landlord Insurance

Buy to let? Buy landlord insurance!

Rental income can be a nice earner but it comes with some substantial risks especially in the current economic climate. When someone purchases a buy-to-let property they expect the rent from the property to exceed the costs and for the property to increase in value over time, but that is not always the case.

From 1993 to early 2007, property prices in Ireland showed a steady rise and in particular from 2001 to 2007, property tripled in value. This spurred additional building and despite over 15% of all homes being unoccupied, construction continued. A recent report showed that over 350,000 homes, representing 17% of Ireland’s total housing remained unoccupied. At its height, the average house in Ireland was worth €310,000 but thanks to the credit crunch this figure fell to €150,000.

In late 2012 property prices increased for the first time since 2007 but still remain over 60% lower than their peak. Given the slight increase in prices and a corresponding increase in the number of residential transactions, experts say that the market is in early stages of recovery.

If you own a property that you currently rent or are planning to rent, then landlord insurance is very important. Even if your property is unoccupied, landlord insurance is a must. Paddy Compare can help you take advantage of some of the best buy-to-let insurance deals on the Irish market. Simply fill in our short one page landlord quote form and start saving money when you need it most.

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Insurance Travel Insurance

Time for a holiday & cheap travel insurance in 2013!

Are you feeling the January blues? Back to work and into the same old routine? Well why not book a holiday and take advantage of some cheap travel insurance at the same time.

The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation recently confirmed that last year alone 6.5 million people travelled to Ireland. Trends showed a growth of 2% in visitors from mainland Europe and North America, but a fall of 100,000 visiting from Britain.

The central statistics office revealed that they saw a 1.5% increase to 2,075,000 Irish people making overseas journeys in 2012. This therefore reduced the number of Irish domestic holidays by 0.3% to 4.2 million.

Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar backed up the statistics by suggesting that despite the poor Irish weather and the troubled economy, tourism in 2013 seems to moving in a positive direction.

So whether you plan to travel abroad or take advantage of some of Ireland’s local attractions, Paddy Compare can help. It doesn’t matter if you need a family travel policy, multi-trip policy, adventure sports cover or are planning a back packing holiday. Use Paddy Compare, get a travel quote, find cheap travel insurance and save €€€ to spend on your holiday.

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Car Insurance Insurance

Car sales struggle during the January squeeze

Increasing property and tax bills are keeping buyers away from the dealerships this January, as car sales lag behind from this time last year.

80,000 cars are typically sold in Ireland each year, but experts report that this number is expected to fall by as many as 5000 vehicles this year, following early reports in 2013 sales.

Whilst the new ‘131’ registration is proving popular, many of these cars are reported to have been ordered towards the end of 2012, and so their popularity on the roads has not been felt at the forecourts.

Small family hatchbacks with diesel engines and attracting low CO2 emission bands are expected to prove popular again, as consumers continue to curb their spending in wake of rising costs from last year and over the Christmas period.

Paddy Compare can find you great deals regardless of your vehicle or driving experience. Head over to our car insurance page to start saving today!

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Insurance

Mis-sold payment protection insurance?

Have you ever been mis-sold payment protection insurance? Since August 2007, over 300,000 payment protection insurance policies have been sold throughout Ireland. Many of these applications were wrongly sold and the unknowing victims could have been paying as much as 30-40% extra on repayments.

Payment protection insurance is a type of cover that repays loans and credit card balances should the policy holder become unemployed or unwell. PPI is separate to mortgage protection and is an optional extra. Unfortunately many were told otherwise and forced to buy it in order to help approve their application.

How do I know if I was a victim? If you were self-employed, worked less than 16 hours a week, performed contract work, already had income protection or simply forced to make an upfront payment you may be entitled to claim back thousands of Euros.

What should I do? Consumers are being advised to do nothing as you will be contacted by your bank. Claims management companies should be avoided at all costs. The Central Bank has ordered independent reviews of all PPI sales within banks such as Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks, EBS, Permanent TSB, Ulster Bank and GE Money during that period.

If you need insurance of any kind and want a brand you can trust, try Paddy Compare today!