home insurance upon exchange of contracts

[user1489844432]

I am FTB and will be exchanging contracts within next two weeks. I have been told by my solicitor that upon exchange I need to have a home insurance.

I just went to one of those comparison sites to get an idea what I may be paying for a building insurance but I am confused by some questions. I have been asked about the type of locks, if there are any trees within 5m and if they are over 10m high etc.

How would I know all those details if I do not leave in the property? I do vaguely remember seeing some trees in neighbours garden but not sure how far or how tall it was, same goes for locks etc.

Whats the solution here please?

Never had an insurance before, so any advise on what to look out for would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately my mortgage broker does not do home insurance and I don’t have time to see someone else so I am on my own here.

Go and have a look? You can ask the question about the locks, etc via the EA. As long as you give your answers in good faith to the best of your knowledge, it will be fine. You can correct any errors once you are in. The alternative is to take the mortgage company's insurance as you won't need to do anything. You can cancel once you've completed and arrange your own insurance, which will be cheaper.

You need to find all this out, ask for a visit or ask via the e a .
You are committed to buy from exchange even if it burns down (hope not!) So this insurance is essential.

like wowfudge says, go have a drive past and have a look at the trees, ask the e a about the locks. You can amend the policy once you move in (my job in a previous life was amending home insurance policies). If you do it over the phone rather than online they will probably be able to guide you a bit if you are unsure of the answers to any questions.

Try Google maps and Street view? I have just got insurance in the same situation and could see the type of lock from the road.

You could see the lock from Streetview?! Blimey. You're lucky if you can work out the house number from what I've seen.

I tell insurers the most basic locks until I move in then amend the policy once I'm there. Surely you know if there are any trees within 5 m of the house?