I know a few of you have bikes kept in the house. I’m considering doing this with a couple of mine. What do you do about insurance for the bike a) if it is sorned b) if you are still using it and what about your house insurance?
Mine are insured year around. When I renew the policies they always go through the ten thousand questions "because its the law". When they confirm where I keep the bikes I always say "and inside my house in the conservatory on display", to which they say OK. The only real hassel with bikes indoors is getting them in & out!
Friend kept his Tricolore down the side of his sofa. I kid you not. As far as his bike insurance was concerned their criteria for a ‘garage’ was a brick built structure; which a house fulfilled. They did say his house insurance may have an issue but as far as they were concerned, no problem. Can’t remember if he let his house insurers know.
Re: house insurance - what often comes up is, fuel tank empty or fuel tank full, when in the house?. I know the obvious answer but this is never (as far as I know) a question raised when vehicles stored in a brick built garage.
If it’s sorn’d and in the house, presumably on display & not being used what are you insuring it for? Against theft? Against fire damage? Against accidental damage? Personally, I’m not sure it’s necessary to insure it under a). If b) and you’re still using it then what’s the difference between your house and the garage? To my mind that would just be ‘normal’ insurance.
Garages are expected to have flammable fluids stored in them so building regs stipulate things like extra plasterboard and intumescent sealants to provide heat and smoke protection (this is for attached or integral garages) houses are not expected to store flammable fluids in quantities like a full fuel tank so the house insurers may well insist on empty fuel tank at least. As for point a} insure as object d'art as @Exige does, for point b) speak to your house insurers also
I think that’s a debatable one Harry, if I go out to my garage and look straight up all I see is lots of exposed timber, I am pretty sure that no extra fireproof measures were taken on this one. Would be interested to see any pertinent regs on this.
Mate with Tric built slim garage to side of his house now and that had to have all sorts of fire reg stuff built in to it. Flame retardant ceiling material and the like.
Fire door with intermittent strip and a step down into the garage at least. Fire resistant ceiling if there's a room above, from memory. (The walls and ceiling of integral garages must deliver 30 minutes of fire resistance and any internal connecting doors need the same, as well as being self-closing. Floors must also be lower in the garage and with a fall (slope) away from the threshold.)
It's the regs that were in force when the house was built that count, not the regs that are in force now. So what is perfectly legal fire protection in one house may become totally inadequate and illegal in another house.
Meanwhile its fine to turn flat blocks into death traps with cladding to make the building look prettier to passers by... Worlds gone mad...
Took my bike out the house and been told I need empty fuel tank to put it back in which despite not liking I do understand as house insurance won’t be paying out if they do investigate ...let’s face it too if a fire did rage downstairs and the fuel tank exploded it’s not going to good
No it isn’t, but people make mistakes when developing and implementing new systems. Especially when too focussed on appearance or the money. Who’d have anticipated progressive collapse of tower blocks after a gas explosion? Everyone after Ronan Point, but the construction quality and omission of some structural ties contributed to the scale of collapse. Changes to Building Regs since should prevent recurrence though. https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Ronan_Point
Full agree with above, but you could also have 25L of Extra Virgin oil in a kitchen.... very flammable, but a much higher flash point.
