Hello
My house in Syd is classified as being in a heritage conservation area (but not heritage listed). I found out they're not the same thing.
Because of this does anyone know if I can choose regular building insurance rather than 'heritage listed' building insurance?
Thanks
I live in a conservation area, it is a sizeable area and there are some houses around here which, personally, I would demolish in a heart beat even though the council would say no. I have regular property insurance, after all, it is a regular house in a conservation zone, and if anything happened to my house - touch wood - I bet nobody in the neighbourhood would be missing it.
Then there are homes nearby mine which are substantial and I know are heritage listed, and would probably require a higher form of insurance coverage given the cost to repair/replicate such fine property.
I live in a house in a heritage conservation zone. My house would be ruinously costly to rebuild, as it has lots of intricate timber and plaster decorative items and was built when standards weren’t a thing.
This means I would need much higher insurance than the recommended amounts if I wanted to protect this, and replace any damage with identical work.
The reality is that there are many such houses in my neighbourhood. If mine burned down, I could go buy another at the market price, around the corner or a few streets away.
This is a suitable alternative to me, so I only insure for around the market value (ex-land, of course).
This was heart breaking for some people in my situation when their houses were burned in bush fires, as they wanted an identical rebuild. For me, it will be ok.
Consider too, what might happen in a partial claim. If a tree falls across my verandah, the assessor might not pay me the full cost to repair to an identical build. Again, I am ok with that in exchange for lower premiums.
There aren’t any regulations you need to comply with, this is between you and your insurer. Your insurer will be keen to sell you as much insurance as possible.
You should decide what you want to purchase.
Heritage conservation areas typically prevent global knock down and rebuild for redevelopment of the area. You can still renovate and extend a house as long as it is sympathetic with the facade. E.g. A house just down the street has knocked down everything except the double brick "frame" of the front of the house and will build a new a modern house behind that bit of old brick.
Many houses have old and new elements. E.g. My house has original Federation lounge and dining rooms with modern extension at the back and second storey (that is, every other room). If something were to happen to the house, I'd rebuild all new. The sum insured I selected reflects the approximate cost of a new build. If the inside of the lounge/dining rooms were damage, I'd rebuild that part new.
can choose regular building insurance
Yes.
Probably best asking the insurers this one.