Improve Your Credit Score and Get a Better Homeowner Insurance Rate

Although these data will all be used, the most significant factor in determining someone’s homeowner insurance rate is not asked for in the application form. This is the homeowner’s credit score which the insurance company will get from the credit bureau, where everybody’s credit information is stored.Generally, individuals with a higher credit score have a higher probability of getting the lowest possible homeowner insurance rate. On the other hand, if your credit score is not that great, you will be classified as a high-risk client and you will probably be stuck with a higher rate which could mean a bigger insurance premium or smaller claims in case of damage or loss.Furthermore, if your credit score is really pathetic, most conventional home insurance companies will have no choice but to reject your application right away. You will still be able to find coverage though, because there are still a number of insurance companies that take the risk of insuring poor credit clients. You do have to prepare yourself for a much costlier homeowner insurance rate.If you wish to qualify for a better homeowner insurance rate, you must try to improve your credit score as early as possible. You can start right now by going to any of the three major credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and Trans Union – and request for a copy of your most current credit report to find out what your present credit score is. Everyone is entitled to a free copy of this report once a year.In the next couple of months, make good on your credit card payments by being on time and if possible, paying more than the minimum required amount for each month. Doing this will make your credit score jump a few points, which could be enough to qualify you for a much better homeowner insurance rate.You must take note that this system of basing Homeowner Insurance rate on credit scores is done only in the United States. If you are planning to take out an insurance policy for a house outside the US, you might encounter different assessment methods so you have to do some research first to familiarize yourself with their system.In the United Kingdom for instance, they do not use credit score as part of the evaluation process. Instead, the primary factors in determining the homeowner insurance rate are merely the bits of information about the house and not the owner. This is because the UK government actually mandates that home insurance is a basic housing right and that every homeowner should have equal rights to insurance, regardless of their credit score or employment history.

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