Our blog is dedicated to providing you with the latest BIBALet and industry updates.
Barbon raise extra money for homeless charities
Date Posted: 13.12.2011
Since Barbon introduced the new Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy earlier on this year, we have taken part in a wide range of fundraising activities including the recent 'sofa carry' and sky diving. Through our fundraising efforts we have raised a fantastic sum of money for a number of homeless charities across the UK - this sum is yet to be confirmed.
Our fundraising total can only get better though, and we are pleased to advise a further £1855 has been raised for the local homeless charities we currently support; this money has been raised by staff taking part in a recent Barbon survey, so thank you to all of those who completed these.
We look forward to announcing our final fundraising total soon.
Sofa carry a success for the Barbon Management team
Date Posted: 21.11.2011
Last week saw the Barbon Management team undertake the 10 mile sofa carry/push. The teams' day started at 5am with bacon rolls and strong coffee before heading to Lloyds of London for a 6:30am start.
Amazing fund raising efforts had been taking place but the team were £2,000 short of their target, this was not good enough for the team, so with Blackberries working overtime and with over 100 emails, texts and calls made the extra £2,000 had been raised by the time the team crossed over the Thames!
I think if it hadn't have been for Jerry Hall waiting for the team at the finish line, things could have been a bit different. Injuries were popping up left, right and centre!
Well done to all involved and a huge thank you to all who donated.
Our support for BBC Children in Need
Date Posted: 18.11.2011
We are helping to raise money for this year's BBC Children in Need with a delicious bake sale and spotty dress.
Our bake sale has been a complete success with "Jillie's famous cheese straws" selling out within 5 minutes of opening the sale!
So far we have raised £82.50 for Children in Need and we hope to raise more this afternoon for this wonderful cause.
Staff take part in Zumba class for Step by Step
Date Posted: 15.11.2011
Yesterday evening saw the boys (in fancy dress), take part in a Zumba fitness class conducted by Zoe Lee and Helen Rust.
Zumba fitness is the only Latin-inspired dance fitness program to hit the nation and as you can see from the pictures below, they all had a very exhaustive hour of dancing and gave the rest of the Bordon staff a great show!
The Zumba class raised an impressive £630.71 for Steo by Step, so well done to you all!
Barbon charity update
Date Posted: 08.11.2011
The Barbon Management team are undertaking a 'sofa carry' to raise money for Emmaus, the Barbon chosen charity for the year. Details of the news article with details of the sofa carry (plus a link the just giving page, for anyone who might want to sponsor them) can be found here:
http://www.emmaus.org.uk/news/view/488/sofa-from-home-send-us-your-sofa-pictures
We hope you will join in the fun by taking photos of yourself (and your colleagues/family) on your sofa and upload it onto the site -
The dedicated campaign page is http://www.emmaus.org.uk/sofafromhome
Look forward to seeing you on your sofas!
BIBA calls for the notification period to be increased on the Riots (Damages) Act permanently
Date Posted: 09.09.2011
The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) has called upon the Government to permanently change the Riot Damages Act notification period from 14 to 42 days.
This call was made following the Home Affairs Select Committee's Inquiry - 'policing large-scale disorder: lessons from the disturbances of August 2011.'
BIBA's Head of Corporate Affairs, Graeme Trudgill commented: "14 days is not a remotely realistic period for businesses to quantify losses and make a full submission under that Act, and there is no obvious necessity to have such a strict deadline. The move to extend this to 42 days in August was correct and we now want to see this changed permanently to help future victims."
BIBA have also pushed for the Government to provide advice for consumers and businesses on the value and benefits of insurance and what is specifically covered under the Riot (Damages) Act.
*Source - www.biba.org.uk
Increase in people investing in Buy to Let Properties
Date Posted: 31.08.2011
With lower house prices, the increasing availability of mortgages and most importantly, rental income reaching a new record high, there has been an increase in the amount of people investing in buy to let properties.
In the second quarter of 2011, rental income rose by 2%, reaching an average of £867 a month by the end of June 2011 and following on from this increase, research has also shown a 9.7% rise in the number of properties being offered for rent.
*Source - Residential Landlord
ABI and government in talks over riot compensation
Date Posted: 17.08.2011
It has been confirmed that the ABI are in talks with the Home Office and Treasury to determine exactly which claims can be refunded under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886.
Under the act, insurers and the individual affected can be refunded for all legitimate claims relating to a riot, from the local police authority.
Prime Minister, David Cameron announced in the House of Commons: "On repairing the damages, I can confirm that any individual, homeowner or business that has suffered damage to, or loss of, their buildings or property as a result of rioting can seek compensation under the Riot (Damages) Act.
The act outlines that authorities will pay out for damage caused by at least 12 people "riotously and tumultuously assembled."
There has also been confusion in relation to motor claims; these are not specified under the act however David Cameron has suggested that insurers can be refunded for claims from motorists with third party, fire and theft cover.
With confusion on where the funding will come from to compensate these claims, a government official advised: "Discussions are ongoing between the Home Office and the Treasury as to how this will be funded. There is no estimate yet for the total cost."
The ABI recently the riots would cost around £200m in damages.
*Source - Insurance Times 5-18 August 2011 Issue
Riot claim notification periods causing confusion
Date Posted: 16.08.2011
Following on from the riots which hit our nation's largest cities last week, it seems a large majority of insurers have failed to adopt a blanket policy on increasing their claims notification period since the government made the decision to extend the notification deadline from 7 to 42 days under the Riot (Damages) Act.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) welcomed the Prime Minister's decision on Thursday 11th following a revised estimation figure for claims likely to be paid reaching well over the £200m mark.
The director general of the ABI, Otto Thoresen said: "We will work in partnership with the government, and share our expertise, to make sure the police compensation schemes work effectively and get compensation to people who need it quickly. It is important that, after the sad events of recent days, we do everything we can to help people recover."
For further information on how the riots may affect your policy or how to notify us of a claim, please click
here.
*Source - Insurance Age
ABI warns against announcing holiday plans
Date Posted: 26.07.2011
With 35 million of us using social media sites, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) is urging users not to disclose their holiday plans.
With a rise in burglary and an estimated third of all people disclosing their holiday plans via social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it is important to ensure your tweets and statuses aren't providing this type of information.
Last year saw a spike in burglaries during the holiday season, with insurers dealing with 752 claims a day, making this time of year the busiest for burglary claims.
Rental income rose by 0.7% in June, reaching a new record high!
Date Posted: 21.07.2011
Rental income in England and Wales rose by 0.7% in June, reaching a new record high of £701 per month in June, meaning the annual rent inflation has increased to 4.1%.
Average rental income for properties in London reached over £1,000 for the first time, rising by 1%.
Not only has rental income increased but properties in London are frequently let within a day of being advertised and it seems there aren't enough rental properties to accommodate the high demand.
The past year has seen London rents increase by 6.9%, a faster rate of increase than any other region of England and Wales. Steep increases were also experienced in the North East and West Midlands, from 4.6% to 5.1%. The region which saw a decrease in rents was the East of England, by 0.3%.
If property values continue to rise, property investors could expect to make a total annual return of 2.3% over the next year, an average of £3,776 per property.
Who would be your ideal housemate?
Date Posted: 20.07.2011
Following a recent poll organised by the Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) tenants have revealed what type of celebrities they'd like to share a home with.
Singer and X-factor judge, Cheryl Cole, emerged as the most popular, with 1,000 votes.
Other celebrities ranged from Johnny Depp, footballer David Beckham and Lady Gaga, through to Johnny Vegas and Robocop.
Our blog is dedicated to providing you with the latest BIBALet and industry updates.
Barbon raise extra money for homeless charities
Date Posted: 13.12.2011
Since Barbon introduced the new Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy earlier on this year, we have taken part in a wide range of fundraising activities including the recent 'sofa carry' and sky diving. Through our fundraising efforts we have raised a fantastic sum of money for a number of homeless charities across the UK - this sum is yet to be confirmed.
Our fundraising total can only get better though, and we are pleased to advise a further £1855 has been raised for the local homeless charities we currently support; this money has been raised by staff taking part in a recent Barbon survey, so thank you to all of those who completed these.
We look forward to announcing our final fundraising total soon.
Sofa carry a success for the Barbon Management team
Date Posted: 21.11.2011
Last week saw the Barbon Management team undertake the 10 mile sofa carry/push. The teams' day started at 5am with bacon rolls and strong coffee before heading to Lloyds of London for a 6:30am start.
Amazing fund raising efforts had been taking place but the team were £2,000 short of their target, this was not good enough for the team, so with Blackberries working overtime and with over 100 emails, texts and calls made the extra £2,000 had been raised by the time the team crossed over the Thames!
I think if it hadn't have been for Jerry Hall waiting for the team at the finish line, things could have been a bit different. Injuries were popping up left, right and centre!
Well done to all involved and a huge thank you to all who donated.
Our support for BBC Children in Need
Date Posted: 18.11.2011
We are helping to raise money for this year's BBC Children in Need with a delicious bake sale and spotty dress.
Our bake sale has been a complete success with "Jillie's famous cheese straws" selling out within 5 minutes of opening the sale!
So far we have raised £82.50 for Children in Need and we hope to raise more this afternoon for this wonderful cause.
Staff take part in Zumba class for Step by Step
Date Posted: 15.11.2011
Yesterday evening saw the boys (in fancy dress), take part in a Zumba fitness class conducted by Zoe Lee and Helen Rust.
Zumba fitness is the only Latin-inspired dance fitness program to hit the nation and as you can see from the pictures below, they all had a very exhaustive hour of dancing and gave the rest of the Bordon staff a great show!
The Zumba class raised an impressive £630.71 for Steo by Step, so well done to you all!
Barbon charity update
Date Posted: 08.11.2011
The Barbon Management team are undertaking a 'sofa carry' to raise money for Emmaus, the Barbon chosen charity for the year. Details of the news article with details of the sofa carry (plus a link the just giving page, for anyone who might want to sponsor them) can be found here:
http://www.emmaus.org.uk/news/view/488/sofa-from-home-send-us-your-sofa-pictures
We hope you will join in the fun by taking photos of yourself (and your colleagues/family) on your sofa and upload it onto the site -
The dedicated campaign page is http://www.emmaus.org.uk/sofafromhome
Look forward to seeing you on your sofas!
BIBA calls for the notification period to be increased on the Riots (Damages) Act permanently
Date Posted: 09.09.2011
The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) has called upon the Government to permanently change the Riot Damages Act notification period from 14 to 42 days.
This call was made following the Home Affairs Select Committee's Inquiry - 'policing large-scale disorder: lessons from the disturbances of August 2011.'
BIBA's Head of Corporate Affairs, Graeme Trudgill commented: "14 days is not a remotely realistic period for businesses to quantify losses and make a full submission under that Act, and there is no obvious necessity to have such a strict deadline. The move to extend this to 42 days in August was correct and we now want to see this changed permanently to help future victims."
BIBA have also pushed for the Government to provide advice for consumers and businesses on the value and benefits of insurance and what is specifically covered under the Riot (Damages) Act.
*Source - www.biba.org.uk
Increase in people investing in Buy to Let Properties
Date Posted: 31.08.2011
With lower house prices, the increasing availability of mortgages and most importantly, rental income reaching a new record high, there has been an increase in the amount of people investing in buy to let properties.
In the second quarter of 2011, rental income rose by 2%, reaching an average of £867 a month by the end of June 2011 and following on from this increase, research has also shown a 9.7% rise in the number of properties being offered for rent.
*Source - Residential Landlord
ABI and government in talks over riot compensation
Date Posted: 17.08.2011
It has been confirmed that the ABI are in talks with the Home Office and Treasury to determine exactly which claims can be refunded under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886.
Under the act, insurers and the individual affected can be refunded for all legitimate claims relating to a riot, from the local police authority.
Prime Minister, David Cameron announced in the House of Commons: "On repairing the damages, I can confirm that any individual, homeowner or business that has suffered damage to, or loss of, their buildings or property as a result of rioting can seek compensation under the Riot (Damages) Act.
The act outlines that authorities will pay out for damage caused by at least 12 people "riotously and tumultuously assembled."
There has also been confusion in relation to motor claims; these are not specified under the act however David Cameron has suggested that insurers can be refunded for claims from motorists with third party, fire and theft cover.
With confusion on where the funding will come from to compensate these claims, a government official advised: "Discussions are ongoing between the Home Office and the Treasury as to how this will be funded. There is no estimate yet for the total cost."
The ABI recently the riots would cost around £200m in damages.
*Source - Insurance Times 5-18 August 2011 Issue
Riot claim notification periods causing confusion
Date Posted: 16.08.2011
Following on from the riots which hit our nation's largest cities last week, it seems a large majority of insurers have failed to adopt a blanket policy on increasing their claims notification period since the government made the decision to extend the notification deadline from 7 to 42 days under the Riot (Damages) Act.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) welcomed the Prime Minister's decision on Thursday 11th following a revised estimation figure for claims likely to be paid reaching well over the £200m mark.
The director general of the ABI, Otto Thoresen said: "We will work in partnership with the government, and share our expertise, to make sure the police compensation schemes work effectively and get compensation to people who need it quickly. It is important that, after the sad events of recent days, we do everything we can to help people recover."
For further information on how the riots may affect your policy or how to notify us of a claim, please click
here.
*Source - Insurance Age
ABI warns against announcing holiday plans
Date Posted: 26.07.2011
With 35 million of us using social media sites, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) is urging users not to disclose their holiday plans.
With a rise in burglary and an estimated third of all people disclosing their holiday plans via social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it is important to ensure your tweets and statuses aren't providing this type of information.
Last year saw a spike in burglaries during the holiday season, with insurers dealing with 752 claims a day, making this time of year the busiest for burglary claims.
Rental income rose by 0.7% in June, reaching a new record high!
Date Posted: 21.07.2011
Rental income in England and Wales rose by 0.7% in June, reaching a new record high of £701 per month in June, meaning the annual rent inflation has increased to 4.1%.
Average rental income for properties in London reached over £1,000 for the first time, rising by 1%.
Not only has rental income increased but properties in London are frequently let within a day of being advertised and it seems there aren't enough rental properties to accommodate the high demand.
The past year has seen London rents increase by 6.9%, a faster rate of increase than any other region of England and Wales. Steep increases were also experienced in the North East and West Midlands, from 4.6% to 5.1%. The region which saw a decrease in rents was the East of England, by 0.3%.
If property values continue to rise, property investors could expect to make a total annual return of 2.3% over the next year, an average of £3,776 per property.
Who would be your ideal housemate?
Date Posted: 20.07.2011
Following a recent poll organised by the Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) tenants have revealed what type of celebrities they'd like to share a home with.
Singer and X-factor judge, Cheryl Cole, emerged as the most popular, with 1,000 votes.
Other celebrities ranged from Johnny Depp, footballer David Beckham and Lady Gaga, through to Johnny Vegas and Robocop.