Home owners worried that their sum assured do not properly
represent the cost of rebuilding their homes can have a stab at checking what
the amount should be by looking at the tables published by the Building Cost
Information Service (BCIS) at www.bcis.co.uk/costass.html
.
They will give an indication of the rebuilding value, although they do not cover flats and should be treated with caution, especially by owners of unusual properties, for example, listed buildings.
The table divide the country into 5regions:
1- London and Channel islands
2- South East and East of England
3- North West, South West and West Midlands,
4- East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside, Northeast, Wales and Scotland,
5- Northern Ireland.
There are 4 tables, depending on the age of your house:
1- Pre-1920,
2- 1920 – 1945,
3- 1946 – 1980,
4- 1980 – date.
Once you have found the correct table, there are 5 options:
1- Detached,
2- Semi-detached,
3- Terraced properties,
4- Bungalow,
5- Semi-detached bungalow.
The rebuilding cost is given per square metre.
A small terraced house built before 1920 and with a typical floor area of 95 square metres would cost £1,200 per square metre to rebuild – a total of £114,000 in London or £87,780 in Wales and Scotland. Rebuilding costs are unlikely to be anywhere near a property’s market value.
To get a truly accurate figure, you have to commission a survey. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ contacts centre (telephone: 0870 333 1600) will provide a list of three or four qualified surveyors in your area. The cost of a survey for establishing the rebuilding cost of a home is likely to be £150 to £200.