Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Choose Payment Protection Carefully

Payment protection is a term that is used for insurance policies that will safeguard against you losing your income. Different policies can be taken out for different situations and you have to ensure that you choose the right type for your needs. All policies would pay a fixed amount that was determined at the outset when you took out the policy after a period of waiting. They would cover against the fact that you might suffer illness for a period of time or you might not be able to work after being involved in any accident. The policy can also protect against the fact that you might be made redundant and have to find a new position.

One form of policy covers one of your largest outgoings each month, your mortgage repayment by way of taking out mortgage payment protection insurance. Failing to be able to maintain you mortgage would mean that the lender has the right to take you to court and seek a repossession order. If the judge issues this, it would mean that you would have to leave your home. In the majority of cases you would be evicted in around 28 days of the hearing and along with losing your home would face the stigma of repossession and the repercussions. Your credit rating for one would be affected and this could mean the chances of borrowing in the future would be very slim. A policy would give you an income which would allow you to carry on paying your mortgage repayments.

If you have loans or borrowings on credit cards then again you would have to be able to keep up with the repayments. Failure to maintain them would see you getting into debt. Your lender could choose to take you to court and you could be handed a County Court Judgement. A judge can also send bailiffs to your home to recover what is owed through your belongings. At the very least your credit score would be affected and this is harder to repair than it is to destroy. A loan payment protection policy can be taken and this would allow you peace of mind that you had the money to repay your commitments if you became unemployed or were incapacitated.

You can also choose to protect your income in general by way of an income payment protection policy. This would allow you to maintain all of your outgoings including the big ones such as your mortgage, loan or credit card repayments. However it provides much more as you would have help for all of your outgoings and would not have to start ducking and diving to avoid bills or juggling them around.

Policies begin to provide with providers at different times. Some payout from the 30th day while with others it is the 90th day, provider offer payment protection policies that could pay for 12 months, with others it can be 24 monthly payments you would receive. Ethical providers should offer the information on how long and when the cover pays before you buy your policy. They should also make you aware of any exclusions which could be found and that you have checked them against your circumstances.

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