While all property insurance is optional under UK law it is certainly a wise course of action to take out insurance on a property as it is often the most valuable possession that a person will ever own. Buildings insurance is the most basic form of property insurance. It provides cover for the structure of the building but none of the contents inside. This will ensure that the owner is covered against both the total destruction of the property and any damage caused by storms, traffic accidents and any other incidents.

As the name suggests contents insurance provides cover for the contents of the property. The structure of the building itself is not covered within contents insurance and therefore to be fully covered the owner of the property would need both building and contents insurance. Contents insurance provides cover for possessions with the property both in the event of total destruction of the property and in the event of theft from the property. Many insurers offer cover in addition to building and contents insurance such as legal cover, home emergency cover and personal possessions cover. Such additional cover is purely a matter of personal preference.

However, if the owner of the property is planning to let rather than live in the property specialist landlord insurance should be chosen. This will ensure that the landlord is covered against a whole range of additional outcomes that may occur when letting the property. When you are trying to find landlord contents insurance you have to make sure your policy is flexible – it has to suit you. Endsleigh for example insure a range of properties and all types of tenants. Landlords should find an insurer who provides the maximum amount of cover for the minimum premium.

When considering lighting options aesthetics is going to rank highly on your list of requirements. This often means however that your lights are going to be placed next to other perhaps unsuitable materials that might not react well to the excess heat generated by a light. The materials around a fitting can also cause the light to overheat which can make it a fire hazard. This is why firerated downlights have been created. They have been designed not to overheat which means that they will also comply with new building regulations.

The design of these lights means that they have a ventilated bodies which can deal with excess heat, as well as being integrated with intumescent material. These are great options for new buildings, especially commercial areas where lighting might be in use 24 hours a day. Many of the lights are also designed so that they can be easily maintained with easy access tops. Because of the changes in the building regulations it is now essential to have these lights in order to be up to date with fire safety requirements.

T5 fluorescent lights are deceptively efficient with energy usage and can put out as much light as a T8 lamp with 20% less wattage. These are great options for commercial environments that need to be well lit, such as offices and stock rooms. The 10000 hour lamp life on average means that they are often great value for money at under £2 each (excluding VAT).