Csenge and Bence's shelf: 107 articles in plain language – every big question covered, from signing to claims.
Plain-language, decision-supporting articles on home insurance – answers instead of ad copy. Tip: the magnifier button in the header searches the whole site.
Csenge and Bence's shelf: 107 articles in plain language – every big question covered, from signing to claims.
Start here: what it is, what it protects, and how to read it.
A plain-language guide to how home insurance works: buildings cover, contents, add-ons, sum insured and premium – what matters when a claim happens.
Read it →What counts as buildings and what as contents in home insurance? The fitted kitchen, the air conditioner, the garage bike and the place for jewellery.
Read it →No law requires home insurance in Hungary, but mortgage lenders typically insist on it. Who needs cover, who simply should have it, and when is enough?
Read it →Who should be the policyholder on a home insurance policy, and who's the insured – and what about co-owners, usufructuaries or tenants? The roles explained clearly.
Read it →Core cover, typical add-ons, limits and exclusions in home insurance – a plain-language map of what you can expect, and what's covered by something else entirely.
Read it →Five steps through your home insurance policy wording: insured property, events, exclusions, limits and deductibles, claims rules – what's where, and what to watch for.
Read it →"The insurer won't pay anyway", "old and cheap is fine", "the building's policy is enough" – six common home insurance myths, answered with the facts.
Read it →Condominium insurance protects shared property; home insurance protects your flat and contents. The boundary, typical overlaps, and a leak upstairs.
Read it →In a let-out flat, two interests sit side by side: the owner's building and furnishings, the tenant's contents and liability. How to split cover properly, no disputes.
Read it →A home insurance crash course: sum insured, rebuilding value, deductible, limit, exclusion, indexation, mitigation and more – 15 terms explained in plain sentences.
Read it →Missed home insurance premium: reminder, 30-day grace period, retroactive termination under Ptk. Section 6:449, 120-day reinstatement, losses in the meantime.
Read it →Water, storm, fire, burglary, liability – peril by peril, small print included.
Burst pipes, leaks, blockage floods: what the water-damage-from-pipes cover pays for, the rules on pipe repair and exposing hidden faults, and where maintenance ends.
Read it →What counts as a storm under home insurance? Roofs, shutters, garden structures, hail damage - and the line between a storm-driven leak and a maintenance gap.
Read it →Fire, explosion, lightning, snow load, cloudburst: what natural-perils cover includes - smoke and soot damage, firefighting water, and why the sum insured matters most.
Read it →Burglary, sneak-in theft, robbery: what these mean in home insurance, what security measures insurers typically expect - and what to do if the worst happens.
Read it →What counts as insured glass: windows, balconies, shower cubicles? Limits and deductibles for glass breakage, thermal cracking, and the separate rules for special glass.
Read it →A leak into next door, the kids' football, the dog: when personal liability cover protects you, who it extends to - and why professional liability is a different area.
Read it →Garden furniture, solar panels, bicycles, smart devices, lock replacement: the typical optional covers in home insurance - and how to pick the ones that fit your life.
Read it →Earthquake, flood, inland inundation, groundwater in home insurance: waiting periods, area restrictions, deductibles - an honest look at what can and can't be covered.
Read it →Blocked drains, lockouts, glazing, temporary storm-damage covering: what home assistance can do, with what limits - and why you must call it through the insurer's line.
Read it →Wear and tear, intent, a vacant home, business use: the typical exclusions and grounds for exemption in home insurance - and the questions that help you clarify them before you sign.
Read it →Secondary effect of lightning in home insurance: surge damage to appliances, separate limit, required protection, proof, common reasons for rejection.
Read it →Wall cracks and subsidence after drought: what counts as landslide or cavity collapse, which ground movement is excluded, and what to do before reporting.
Read it →Recourse in home insurance: under Ptk. Section 6:468 the injured party's insurer claims from the person liable. When does liability cover help, what to do?
Read it →Gross negligence in home insurance: when the insurer is released from paying (Ptk. 6:464), where carelessness ends, and what if a family member caused it.
Read it →E-scooter caught fire while charging or stolen from your home: what home insurance pays, when it excludes vehicles requiring MTPL, where liability falls.
Read it →Malicious damage without theft in home insurance: when vandalism is separate cover, and how a smashed window, graffiti and an unknown offender are treated.
Read it →Wall cracks from building work, renovation or railway vibration: why they are not an insured event in home insurance, who to claim from, and what to prove.
Read it →Boiler, water heater, fridge ruined by a broken neutral or grid surge: when it is not an insured event, when it is payable, and claiming from the grid operator.
Read it →Robot mower, trampoline, barbecue in home insurance: when basic cover applies, when you need an outdoor contents add-on, who is liable for a neighbour's loss.
Read it →Debris removal, demolition, extra costs due to official requirements, design fees, temporary housing: how home insurance pays the additional costs of a loss.
Read it →Rebuilding value, underinsurance, deductibles, premium factors – with no number promises.
Market price or rebuilding value? In home insurance the second counts: land survives a claim, but today's building costs decide the payout. Here's how to set it right.
Read it →Underinsurance and proportional settlement, explained: how the sum insured drifts too low, what the pro rata rule means at claim time, and how to rule it out.
Read it →The first guess at a contents sum is typically far below reality. Estimate room by room with a home inventory, and list high-value items separately.
Read it →Indexation isn't just a premium increase – it's value tracking: the sum insured and the premium move together. How it works, and what happens if you decline it.
Read it →The deductible is the part of a claim you carry: a higher deductible means a lower premium. How much to take on, and where claim-type deductibles differ?
Read it →Building type, age, location, sums insured, deductible, optional covers, claims history, payment – the factors behind the premium, and why we don't quote a figure.
Read it →Behind a strikingly low premium there is typically a low sum insured, a high deductible, narrow cover, or low limits. Expensive isn't better – the right fit is.
Read it →Insuring above the real value brings no extra payout: at claim time, the actual loss is the ceiling. Typical causes of overinsurance – and how to correct the sum insured.
Read it →Jewellery, watches, art, collections and cash typically carry separate limits. When do you need to declare items individually, and what should you document?
Read it →A quarter of an hour a year: reviewing sums insured, covers, your life situation and discounts at renewal. When is this more than routine – after a renovation?
Read it →The March switching window and how to switch well – on substance, not just price.
In March, home insurance can typically be cancelled and switched regardless of the renewal date. Where did this option come from, and what is it actually good for?
Read it →When does what happen in the March home insurance window? Preparation in February, cancellation in March, switching from May - the typical timeline, hedged with care.
Read it →Home insurance can be cancelled for its renewal date all year round - typically notified 30 days beforehand. How do you find your renewal date, and time things well?
Read it →Switching is not the goal, it is a tool: five situations where it is justified, four where staying put is right. Honest broker criteria - no urgency, no push.
Read it →Seven steps to a careful switch: comparison, new policy, proper cancellation, notifying the bank, checking the policy - typically without a gap opening up in your cover.
Read it →Price is a single number; substance runs to many lines - sums insured, events, limits, deductibles, exclusions. Compare offers so you will not regret it at claim time.
Read it →MFO is an MNB certification: uniform basic cover and definitions, easier comparison, more flexible cancellation. What does it mean, and who is it a good choice for?
Read it →With a mortgage, home insurance can still be switched - but notifying the bank and the new mortgagee clause are part of the process. The right order and typical pitfalls.
Read it →A gap in cover, deciding on price alone, forgetting the bank, copying old sums insured, a late cancellation - seven typical switching mistakes, and how to avoid each one.
Read it →A tickable criteria table for switching home insurance: sums insured, events, limits, deductibles, exclusions, optional covers, service - and only then the price.
Read it →Cancelling home insurance in a loyalty period: what the long-term discount is, what the insurer can reclaim at renewal and in March, what to calculate first.
Read it →From notification to settlement – the primary route is always the insurer's claims line.
The primary route for any claim is the insurer's claims line or online portal. Mitigation, documentation, notification, inspection: the full process, step by step.
Read it →After a burst pipe or leak, the first hour is for damage mitigation: stopcock, power, neighbours. Then report on the claims line, dry out, open up the structure.
Read it →After storm damage, the order is safety, temporary cover, time-stamped photos, then reporting on the insurer's claims line — and leave damaged debris for the inspection.
Read it →After a burglary, report it to the police first, then to the insurer's claims line. Stolen-items list, lock replacement, paperwork — a practical, considerate guide.
Read it →With a leak between flats, there are two directions: you may be the cause or the one affected. Who reports to which insurer, when the building is involved too.
Read it →An inspection or photo-based assessment, calculation, wear-and-tear deductions, a settlement offer — what happens after you report a claim, step by step.
Read it →Not an insured event, lack of maintenance, underinsurance, delay, failure to mitigate damage — the five most common rejection reasons, and how to prevent each one.
Read it →Receipts, photos, title documents, a police report — why the insurer asks for them, and how to submit them in good order so the claim doesn't stall on paperwork.
Read it →A routine claim moves fastest through the insurer's claims line — the broker steps in for stuck or disputed cases: help, reviewing the terms, complaints.
Read it →Flexible hoses, a stopcock routine, pre-storm garden checks, frost protection, locking-up habits — most common home claims can be prevented with small routines.
Read it →Your neighbour's tree fell on your roof or fence: when your own home insurance pays, when the neighbour is liable under the Civil Code, and what to document.
Read it →Home uninhabitable after a claim: when home insurance pays temporary rent and moving costs, what counts as uninhabitable, and what the limit is.
Read it →Does the insurer pay only for the damaged part of the floor, tiles or roof? Partial loss and aesthetic matching: the rules, the room rule, the dispute route.
Read it →Rejecting the insurer's claim settlement? Order of remedies: written complaint (30 days), Financial Arbitration Board, MNB, court – and the limitation period.
Read it →After a leak, your own home insurance, the building's policy and the neighbour's liability cover may all apply. Which comes first – and why not three times?
Read it →After a chimney fire, the insurer asks about chimney sweeping: what the duty to prevent damage is, when the insurer may be exempt and what it must prove.
Read it →Adobe instead of brick, smaller floor area, wrong year built on the policy: the Ptk. disclosure duty, when the insurer does not pay, what to do before a claim.
Read it →Panel flat, family house, renting, holiday home, mortgage, moving – tailored to the situation.
Panel, brick, cob or light-frame? Wall type, roofing material and year of construction are the basis of the risk category - here's what insurers check in a building.
Read it →In a prefab panel flat, the riser-vs-your-own-pipework boundary, water coming from above, contents value and liability to neighbours are the key questions at signing.
Read it →In a family house, everything is yours: roof, chimney, fence, outbuildings, garden. What belongs in the policy, and what to watch for with storms and security?
Read it →For a new-build home, cover should reasonably start on handover day. What the warranty covers, what home insurance covers, and what to watch for with smart-home tech.
Read it →A landlord's own policy typically doesn't cover a tenant's belongings. Tenant contents cover and personal liability: what they protect, and how to move them with you.
Read it →As a landlord, notify your insurer that you're letting the property, and size cover for the building and what you leave behind - a deposit is not insurance.
Read it →With a mortgage, the bank typically requires live home insurance and a mortgagee clause - but you choose the insurer. How the clause works at claim time.
Read it →A holiday home isn't permanently occupied: expect different terms, stricter burglary rules and winterising requirements. What to check when you sign, and each autumn.
Read it →Standing empty for months? Policies typically treat prolonged unoccupancy as a separate case: notification, a check-in routine, the mains and heating keep cover in force.
Read it →Renovating means checking in with your insurer at three moments: notify before major work, raise the sum insured after, and consider separate cover for a full rebuild.
Read it →When you move, cover on the new home should start when you take possession; the seller's policy doesn't carry over, and the old one usually ends on loss of interest.
Read it →Inherited a property? The insurance can't wait until probate closes — a practical, matter-of-fact order of steps from inheritance to a new policy.
Read it →Many parents assume their home insurance automatically covers their child's belongings when they move away to university. The reality is more nuanced — factually, with examples.
Read it →Airbnb and home insurance: why short-term lets must be reported, when the insurer is exempted, what is left out, and what an endorsement or the platform adds.
Read it →Home office and home business under home insurance: company laptop, your own equipment, stock, receiving clients – what is insured, and what must be reported?
Read it →In a divorce, the policy is in one name, the home in two: policyholder and insured, premiums, payouts on joint property, takeover, end of insurable interest.
Read it →Leaks, old pipes, cracks in a newly bought home: when it is an insured event, when the seller's warranty under the Ptk. applies – and the order of steps.
Read it →From the calculator to signing and the renewal routine – step by step.
What should you enter into the online home insurance calculator for a usable result? Floor area, real values, optional covers – and the typical input mistakes.
Read it →A twenty-minute needs assessment before home insurance: what the broker asks about the property, its use, the values and claims history – and why each question matters.
Read it →How to compare home insurance offers: amounts, events covered, limits, deductibles, exclusions, optional covers and premium in one table – with strengths and weaknesses.
Read it →The steps of signing a home insurance policy, from offer to policy document: confirming data, declarations, starting the payment – and what to check on the policy.
Read it →When home insurance cover starts, what a certificate of cover is for with a mortgage, where waiting periods apply – and how to keep cover continuous when switching.
Read it →Letting a flat, renovating, a major purchase, a change of owner: which changes to report to your home insurer, how to do it on record – and how a broker can help.
Read it →Renewal in home insurance: what the indexation letter shows, what you can change or cancel at renewal – and what fits into the annual quarter-hour review.
Read it →Reviewing an existing home insurance policy on four points: amounts, cover, limits and deductibles, premium against the market – often the right answer is to keep it.
Read it →Six common mistakes when signing home insurance – insuring at market price, guessed contents, reflex optional covers, undisclosed use – and how to prevent each one.
Read it →When is the online home insurance calculator enough, and when is it worth bringing in a broker? Unusual buildings, letting, a mortgage, high values.
Read it →Can the insurer cancel your home insurance after many claims or a rise in risk? Cancellation at renewal, amendment proposals, premium rises above indexation.
Read it →Home inventory template, checklists, glossaries – tick-box, copyable helpers.
A full A–Z glossary of home insurance terms in plain English, from underinsurance to mortgagee clause, each in one sentence with links to fuller guides.
Read it →A copyable home inventory template, room by room: typical items and valuation tips, for a realistic contents sum insured and a ready list at claim time.
Read it →A tickable claim reporting checklist, in order: loss mitigation, photos, reporting to the insurer's claims line, case number, site visit, missing documents, settlement.
Read it →A step-by-step switching checklist: review your policy, compare substance not just price, sign the new policy, cancel correctly, notify the bank, check continuity.
Read it →Five questions worth asking before you sign home insurance: the basis for the sums insured, covered events, limits and deductible, exclusions, and what to do at a claim.
Read it →A quote request data list for home insurance: address, floor area, structure, usage, sums insured, riders, claims history – ten minutes of prep, no documents needed.
Read it →An annual review checklist for home insurance: the indexation letter, sums insured versus reality, usage, riders, deductible and discounts – in fifteen minutes.
Read it →A home security self-check: doors and locks, key habits, signs of absence, alarms and storing valuables – and why it's worth knowing your policy's security chapter.
Read it →Ten home insurance myths, briefly debunked: from “they never pay out anyway” through “switching in March is compulsory” to “I call the broker first at a claim”.
Read it →A home insurance mini-dictionary in English–Hungarian pairs: sum insured, deductible, exclusion, claim and more – 33 terms with a one-sentence explanation each.
Read it →Free, with no obligation – by the end you will see your options and the next step clearly.