Do I Need Land Insurance

As one of the most basic forms of property that a person can own, it might appear that there is not much that can go wrong with owning a piece of land. The simplicity can far outweigh the problems that are likely to arise with owning any other type of property, so why do you need land insurance?

When you own a piece of land, you don’t just own the dirt that it is comprised of, you also own the responsibility for everything that happens on it. From building plots to private roads to meadows and pastures, if something goes wrong on any type of land that you own then you will find that you are the person financially liable. So, if you are considering buying or have recently bought some land, you will want to make sure that you have everything covered, or it could become a costly learning curve.

You might be forgiven for thinking that a vacant plot of land doesn’t need to be insured. By definition, there are no buildings situated on it or people living on the land, so that eliminates almost everything that you would normally buy insurance to cover, but it doesn’t eliminate every possibility. Even the emptiest of land poses some kind of risk.

If a person becomes injured on your land, even if you didn’t give permission for them to be there, you will be liable. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 gives the “freedom to roam” or “right to roam” on some privately owned land. These legal rights to access mean that hikers and ramblers or other members of the public may enter your land and trip or fall, then seek compensation from the landowner for their injuries.

It is not a legal requirement to have land insurance, but considering the potential costs if an unforeseen accident occurs, land insurance is deemed necessary by most landowners.

Below is a list of some of the most common types of land available to insure (click the links for more information):

English common law makes distinctions between different types of property, especially between land and other forms of property. Land insurance covers your land separately from your other insurance policies. It doesn’t matter if the land is next to other lands that you own, if the land has a separate title, it will likely need a separate insurance policy.

Land insurance from Ashburnham Insurance will help to cover personal injury and property damage claims if someone has an accident on your property and you are found to be at fault. The main cover provided is public liability cover which will insure the landowners for any third-party injury caused by the land. On top of this, cover is also available for public access, employers liability, legal expenses and material damage (such as street lights, walls, fences and incidental buildings).

Cover from Ashburnham Insurance allows many different types of features on your plot of land, such as playground equipment, non-residential buildings, automatic gates and barriers and even watercourses such as rivers, lakes and streams. If you can’t see your feature listed then just give us a call on 0800 1696137 so that we can tailor a policy to your needs.

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