Call Gazumping Insurance
Right now, as you read this, a prospective home buyer in the UK is being gazumped. And by the time you’ve finished this sentence, it will have happened to someone else. It’s safe to say that gazumping is all too common – and it can have a severe financial impact on your home-buying journey when it happens to you.
But what is gazumping, and what can you do about it?
Don’t worry: Rhino Home Protect are here to guide you through with our unique gazumping insurance package.
What is gazumping?
Despite the comical name, gazumping is no joke.
Gazumping is when a higher offer undercuts a previously accepted offer on a property. Despite accepting the first offer, the seller goes for the higher offer. The initial buyer is left to bear the costs they’ve already outlaid on the assumption that the house will soon be theirs. These costs include solicitors’ fees, surveyors’ fees, mortgage arrangement expenses and more – which can run to several thousands of pounds. Gazumping is on the rise, and you should protect yourself from it.
Is gazumping illegal?
Infuriating though it may be, gazumping is entirely legal and is usually considered a necessary homebuying risk, with buyers simply crossing their fingers hoping it won’t happen to them.
This doesn’t have to be the case – protection against gazumping is out there.
Enter Rhino Home Protect and our Home Buyers Protection Insurance – also known as Gazumping Insurance.
What is Home Buyers Protection Insurance – aka Gazumping Insurance?
Home Buyers Protection Insurance protects home buyers against losing money when a house sale falls through before completion.
During the home buying process, the buyer stumps many upfront costs such as solicitors’ fees, surveyors’ fees, mortgage lenders’ fees, and more. There is no way for the buyer to recoup their losses if something beyond their control happens to cause the sale to fall through. This includes gazumping.
Home Buyers Protection Insurance allows you to claim much of this money back, meaning you know that if the sale falls apart, you won’t have lost out financially.
Benefits of Gazumping Insurance
Gazumping Insurance provides several key benefits for homebuyers, including:
- Protection against Financial Loss: Gazumping can lead to significant financial losses for homebuyers who have invested time, money, and resources in purchasing. Gazumping Insurance offers coverage to mitigate these losses, reimbursing the homebuyer for the costs incurred up to the point of gazumping.
- Peace of Mind during the Home-Buying Process: The uncertainty and anxiety associated with the risk of gazumping can be alleviated with Gazumping Insurance. Knowing you have financial protection can provide peace of mind throughout the transaction.
- Coverage for Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Homebuyers often incur various expenses during the purchasing process, such as survey fees, legal costs, and search fees. Gazumping Insurance can cover these out-of-pocket expenses in the event of gazumping, ensuring you are not left financially burdened.
When to Consider Gazumping Insurance:
Gazumping Insurance is particularly beneficial in the following scenarios:
- Risk of Gazumping in Competitive Markets: Gazumping increases in highly competitive property markets where multiple buyers are vying for the same property. Having Gazumping Insurance safeguards your investment and protects you from potential financial losses.
- Benefits for High-Value Properties: If you are purchasing a high-value property, the financial impact of gazumping can be substantial. Gazumping Insurance provides added protection for these significant investments.
- Benefits for First-Time Homebuyers: First-time homebuyers may be more vulnerable to the complexities and risks of the buying process. Gazumping Insurance offers an extra layer of protection, allowing them to proceed with their purchase confidently.
How can you prevent being gazumped?
The answer is – you can’t. But you can protect yourself against it with Gazumping Insurance so that if it does happen, you can easily pick yourself up and continue your property search unscathed.
Essential Property Protection
£74
To be bought prior to, or within 14 days of notifying your solicitor / mortgage lender of your purchase.
- Conveyancing Fees up to £750
- Survey/Valuation Fees up to £500
- £250 Mortgage Lender Fees
- 120 days cover
- Gazumping protection (if the offer accepted is at least £1000 higher than yours)
- No excess
- VAT Included in all fees covered
Premium Property Protection
£144
To be bought prior to, or within 14 days of notifying your solicitor / mortgage lender of your purchase.
- £1,500 Conveyancing Fees
- £750 Surveys & Valuations Fees
- £250 Mortgage Lender Fees
- 180 days cover
- £300 Accommodation & Storage
- £200 Mortgage Broker Fees
- Gazumping protection (if the offer accepted is at least £1000 higher than yours)
- No excess
- VAT Included in all fees covered
Who is at risk of being gazumped?
Gazumping can happen to anybody purchasing a property – including buy-to-let landlords and private buyers. Nobody is safe – unless Home Buyer’s Protection Insurance covers them, that is!
Just because the seller has assured you your offer is the one they’re accepting, you can still get gazumped. There is zero legal obligation for a seller to honour an offer acceptance until the exchange of contracts.
Think about it – most sellers want to make as much money as possible selling a property – so they’re likely to change their tune if a higher offer rolls in.
Home Buyers Protection Insurance (aka Gazumping Insurance) offers a safeguard should this happen to you. At Rhino Home Protect, our cover is affordable and straightforward for anyone buying a home. What’s more, there are no hidden costs – you purchase cover for a one-off fee, and then you’ll be able to sit back and relax – no more nail-biting weeks before completion day.
What does Gazumping Insurance cover?
Rhino Home Protect offers Gazumping Insurance (included in our Home Buyers Protection Insurance) for as little as £59. This insurance not only protects any upfront money you’ve spent on the move if you’re gazumped – but it also pays out if:
- the property you’re buying is subject to a ‘compulsory purchase order’ (CPO)
- if the seller dies before completion (unfortunate – but it does happen!)
- if your mortgage lender’s valuation is less (up to 90% less) than the price you’ve agreed to pay
- When there’s work needed on the property (costing in excess of 10% of the overall purchase price), your mortgage lender insists on it being carried out before releasing the funds to you.
Do I need Gazumping Insurance?
Don’t think you need protection? Think again – 1 in 4 house purchases in the UK fails, leaving the average buyer hundreds if not thousands of pounds out of pocket.
Although not a legal requirement, Home Buyers Protection Insurance could save you serious money and hassle if you’re gazumped.
Here at Rhino Home Protect, we know how commonly people need this type of insurance. Some unlucky buyers have even fallen victim to lost upfront cash during a house purchase more than once – and they take out Home Buyers Protection Insurance to ensure they won’t get fooled a third time.
With the average amount lost to the buyer for every sale that falls through standing at around £2500, it makes financial sense to make sure you and your family aren’t at risk of losing out.
Why choose Rhino Home Protect for your Gazumping Insurance?
At Rhino Home Protect, we specialise in protecting home buyers like you against the dreaded gazumping and against other things that can go wrong with a house purchase beyond your control.
We insure around 15,000 property transactions annually, and our customers trust us to be 100% open, honest and upfront.
Rhino Home Protect is an industry leader in both Home Buyers and Home Sellers' Protection Insurance, and we’ve even won a few awards along the way.
Here’s the bottom line….
Having your offer accepted can feel like the happy ending in searching for a new home, but buyers, beware! Your offer isn’t set in stone until completion day; until then, you’re at risk of being gazumped.
There are some things in life that you should never do without protection. Buying a home is one of them.
Get protected with Rhino Home Protect!
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