If you’re in the process of securing a mortgage or even just thinking about it, you’ll be realising that buying a home is one of the most significant decisions of your life. While the prospect of homeownership is indeed exciting, it comes with financial responsibilities. To ensure that your monetary journey remains smooth, it is important to consider some of the protection products available, in order to shield your investment and provide peace of mind into the future.
So, if you’re wondering ‘what protection should I take out with my mortgage?’, here we explain the different types of protection products available and how they can benefit you as a homeowner:
- Life Insurance
A life insurance policy guarantees the insurer provides a lump sum payment to your beneficiaries upon your death, in exchange for premiums paid by you, the policy holder, during your lifetime.
Although death is not something we like to think about, especially during the excitement of buying a house, if the worst were to happen, it helps to safeguard your loved ones’ financial future. Life insurance ensures that the mortgage and other living expenses can be taken care of, offering peace of mind to both you and your family.
- Critical Illness Cover
This type of cover pays out a lump sum if you’re diagnosed with a specified critical illness, such as cancer, heart attack, or stroke.
The stress of a critical illness diagnosis is hard enough without the added pressure of financial woes. This cover can help cover mortgage payments, or even just day-to-day living expenses, allowing you to focus on your health and recovery.
Obviously, critical illness cover will work out much cheaper if you take out a policy before you are diagnosed with any illness. Although you can apply for critical illness after a diagnosis, you may find it difficult to find an insurer who will include cover of the illness you’ve been diagnosed with. You may also find the monthly premium costs are much higher.
- Income Protection Insurance
Income protection, provides a comprehensive cover that, put simply, can allow you to build your own sick pay policy. It replaces a portion of your income if you’re unable to work due to illness or injury, and can continue until you return to work or you retire.
Your ability to earn is one of your most valuable assets. Income protection ensures you have a regular inflow, allowing you to meet all your financial commitments, not just your mortgage.
Income protection pays out a percentage of your earnings before income tax, usually between 50% and 70% depending on your policy cover, with all payments free of income tax.
- Family Income Benefit
Instead of a lump sum payment like traditional life insurance, family income benefit offers a monthly tax-free income to your beneficiaries upon your passing.
It can provide a simpler way for families to manage ongoing expenses without the complexities of managing a large lump sum, ensuring they maintain their standard of living.
- Buildings Insurance
Buildings insurance covers the cost of repairing or rebuilding your home if it’s damaged by unforeseen events like fires, floods, or storms.
It is standard requirement by lenders, as it’s essential to protect the structural aspect of your property.
Monthly premium costs are unique, as each policy holder will be required to provide details regarding their age, gender, weight, health history and medical conditions, including whether they smoke and their family medical history etc. An advisor’s role is to get you the best possible cover to meet your circumstances and budget.
The journey of homeownership, while exciting, does come with its set of responsibilities and risks. Fortunately, with the variety of protection products available, we can help you navigate these with confidence. While each product offers a unique layer of protection, you shouldn’t need all of them. Speaking with a mortgage and protection advisor may help to determine which insurances you would benefit most from, in order to safeguarded against life’s unpredictability.
If you’d like further advice on mortgages and protection products available, contact one of our friendly advisors who would be happy to have a chat and help guide you.