Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Abdulla Al Suwaidi, general manager - Bahrain National Insurance (BNI), Motor and Personal Lines Insurance - highlights the need to secure house insurance when you move into the home of your dreams
Our home is surely the largest single private investment most of us will ever make. It is where most of our hard earned savings go and it gives us a sense of pride.
We eat, rest and dream inside our homes with our families, not to mention that we spend hours planning what goes into it. There is not much else in terms of material possessions which we can truly call our own.
The irony, unfortunately, is that not many of us bother to care about protecting what is truly ours - we tend to believe that 'it will never happen to us'.
Alas, kitchen fires, break-ins, electrical short-circuits and burst pipes, to name but a few incidents, are on the increase, leading to expensive repairs or worse still, loss of life.
So much indeed for the famous saying: "as safe as houses"!
The second irony is that most people do not bat as much as an eyelid when insuring a car worth BD8,000 for BD200 a year, but cringe at the thought of spending less than half that amount to insure their home worth BD80,000.
Luckily this is where bni can help: with us, home insurance does not cost the earth and we are the experts in providing home insurance which is excellent value for money and which provides all-round protection and, more importantly, peace of mind.
Al Dar Home Insurance
Our home insurance product is called simply AL DAR which means "The Home". Our approach towards home insurance is based on what risks the homeowner, occupier or tenant normally face, such as:
Damage to the buildings and contents inside the home, including the accidental breakage of fixed glass, sanitary fixtures as well as underground services;
Liabilities arising from being the owner or occupier (or tenant) of the home, or as the employer of domestic staff;
The cost of renting an alternative home if the building insured becomes uninhabitable - truly a necessity considering the upward surge of local rents;
Insurance for servants, should they suffer permanent injury or death arising as a result of an accident anywhere in Bahrain;
Other contingencies like the collapse of TV aerials and satellite dishes; the spoilage of food inside a freezer; the cost of replacing locks should the keys be stolen and loss or damage to garden furniture or to contents temporarily moved away from the home.
Coverage for buildings and contents inside the home is provided against a wide array of perils including fire, lightning and explosion; earthquake; theft or attempted theft; storm and floods; collision by aircraft, animals and vehicles; escape of water and falling trees and aerials.
In addition, we also cover, at no extra charge, architects' and surveyors' fees incurred after a loss, as well as the cost of clearing debris from the site of the former home should it be destroyed.
All this normally amounts to less than a yearly subscription to a newspaper. So go ahead, and acquire the peace of mind an expertly thought out insurance policy can provide. Remember: ultimately it's your home, but protecting it with us here at bni would be your first step towards 'protecting prosperity'.
Buy online: It's fast, secure, convenient and gives added value
Acquiring home insurance has never been easier: with bnidirect.com, you can conclude a home insurance policy and receive it in your email box - literally in a matter of minutes.
Visit www.bnidirect.com and get a home insurance quotation today. Change it as many times as you need to, and when you are finally satisfied, accept the premium. Pay online, and receive your policy a few moments after by email, together with your receipt. How about that for simplicity and convenience ... it would have taken you less time than reading this article to get your home insured!
And to make convenience even more convenient, through bnidirect you will get a 10 per cent discount for a limited period, so hurry!
For more information please do contact any bni branch found across Bahrain or call us on 17587444.
