Whether you own a property within the UK or abroad, you will have that yearly decision to make about finding suitable cover. With a variety of products currently available on the market, you may have found yourself wondering ‘which property insurance is suitable for my home?’ To help you figure this out, we’ve provided the following summaries for the properties that our Overseas Holiday Home Insurance can be suitable for. If you would like to learn more about the cover we provide, head over to our home page. There are two main uses that can make our property insurance a suitable option for yo ..read more

A place in the sun can be a great investment, as well as a fantastic excuse to take a holiday. Finding the overseas holiday home of your dreams is one thing, but have you thought about how to look after it throughout the year? We’ve put together these tips to help you consider the needs of your overseas holiday home: Hire a cleaning company You can hire a cleaner to visit regularly but how often might depend on the use of the property. If you let your overseas holiday home to holidaymakers, it should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each stay. During the holiday season, you may have back-t ..read more

When buying an overseas property, there are benefits to using an agent during the transaction process. You might then also want to continue using them to manage the property. Although this will mean an extra cost to come out of your budget, there are benefits to using an agent. These are a few factors to consider: The property agent’s location An agent local to the area of your overseas property will be able to do what you can’t without getting on a plane and flying over for regular visits. You could start by looking for a reputable agency based in the UK that also has an overseas branch. Thi ..read more

We recently saw that actor Sean Connery’s South-of France villa is up for sale. This got us thinking about what celebrity homes in Europe, such as this, might look like. What features are now considered typical for a luxury property? Sean Connery’s South-of-France villa Photo Credit: Knight-Frank We had a look at the information supplied by TopTenRealEstateDeals.com to find out what this particular celebrity home consists of: Sean Connery’s South-of-France Villa – Also Seen In His James Bond Movie This beautiful villa is currently on the market for $33.87 million. For those of you wondering wh ..read more

As it’s World Day for Cultural Diversity today and European Neighbours’ Day next week, we’ve put together a list of traditions celebrated throughout some of the countries we insure in. Food France This country has clearly had a massive culinary impact in the UK, as we have adopted plenty of its words instead of changing them. To name a few, we have baguettes, courgettes, and pâté. Italy We could just stop at pizza and say no more, but think about the ingredients needed to make this heavenly bread disc – passata, mozerella, pancetta! And not to mention desserts – gelato, tiramisu and panna cot ..read more

We’re now a couple of months into lockdown in the UK, with similar situations in place throughout other countries. Plans have been on hold and now we find ourselves wondering that this will mean for the future. The Spanish second homes market has also been affected and, as such, Spanish property lawyers Fuster & Associates have shared their guidance. They have highlighted that the construction market, along with all other non-essential areas of activity, was at a standstill for weeks during Spain’s lockdown. However, the market started up again on 13th April, Fuster & Assiciates repor ..read more

If you have recently moved to the country as an expat, there are many French Easter traditions to enjoy. We’ve gathered together some information for you on a few spring customs across France: The Easter bells (les cloches de Pâques) One of the main differences between British Easter traditions and those in France is the story of the Easter bells. On Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter Sunday), church bells across France are silenced to mourn the death of Jesus Christ, and they remain silent until Easter Sunday. According to legend, the bells would fly to Rome to be blessed by the Pope ..read more

As we write our latest article for our blog, we are sat in self-isolation, in line with the latest UK government guidelines. Each member of our fabulous team is now working remotely from the safety of their own home. Thank goodness for the internet! Use time in self-isolation to prepare for an adventure As this is what life will be like until the government advises us otherwise, we’ve considered what can be done to keep our lives moving in the meantime. What can we do to ensure that once the danger has passed, we can pick up where we left off? Or, even better, prepare ourselves to take ..read more

Poetry, like any other form of art, bonds us as humans together. Poetry, in whatever language, can convey, question and explain feelings that we may have otherwise been left wondering if we are alone in feeling. Whether you’re an office worker in Barcelona or a builder in Bristol, poetry can communicate the innermost desires and feelings in a way that makes sense to the audience. World Poetry Day Across Europe That is why the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) created world poetry day back in 1999: to continue oral poetry traditions, encourage r ..read more

With pancake day coming up on the 25th of February, we thought it would be the perfect time to share our knowledge on how Shrove Tuesday is celebrated around the world so that those of you that are travelling can join in with the celebrations! But first, where does the tradition come from in the first place? We eat pancakes all of the time, but why specifically on this day every year? Shrove Tuesday is one of the many feast days found in the Catholic calendar. In mainland Europe, many of these feast days are taken as public holidays, but here in the UK, where we have far less public ..read more