Tag Archives: UK

Paraglider Achieves Guinness World Record

Those of you who enjoy paragliding will no doubt be interested to read that an estate agent by the name of James Du Pavey from Market Drayton has featured in the Guinness World Records for the  “Fastest journey from Land’s End to John-O’- Groats by powered paraglider”. His airborne trip took place from the 8th to the 9th July 2019 and took 1 day 12 hours and 19 minutes.

He actually took off from John O’Groats on the 8th July 2019 at 3.30am completing the trip in just over 36 hours. During the epic journey in the paraglider he reached a height of 10,000 feet. Unfortunately, he had to make three emergency landings but was unharmed. Obviously he needed to stop on a number of occasions to refuel during the 870 mile trip.  No doubt somewhat concerningly, his engine ceased to function when he was a mere six miles from Land’s End but he still made it. He was ably supported by a two man ground crew during the lengthy trip.

You will be pleased to read that James Du Pavey has raised more than £12,000 for the Donna Louise Hospice for children and young people that is located in Stoke on Trent as a result of this paragliding world record breaking journey. Those monies will obviously be put to extremely good use by the hospice.

We are sure that our paragliding clients will no doubt like to join the staff here at AIB Insurance in congratulating James Du Pavey for such a wonderful achievement. He must have been absolutely exhausted by the time he eventually came down to land for the final occasion at the end of the journey.

If you are looking to get into paragliding for the first time or are a veteran, why not get in touch with us here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 and one of our experienced team will be pleased to discuss your insurance needs in relation to this airborne activity and obtain a competitive quotation for your perusal without any obligation.

Our Open Letter to the Treasury, don’t increase IPT!

With rumors of the government increasing Insurance Premium Tax again, we sent an open letter to our MP, Mims Davies. Continually increasing the tax on socially positive motor & home insurance acts as a disincentive to buy, hits the poorest hardest & shouldn’t be a cash cow for the Treasury:

Mims Davies
The House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

October 2018

Dear Mims Davies MP

Airsports Insurance Bureau is a firm that provides insurance in your constituency. Our firm helps to arrange insurance for business and consumers throughout the area and in our capacity as agent of the customer; we act in the best interests of insurance buyers, finding them the best policy for their needs.

We are greatly concerned by the sudden and sharp increases in Insurance Premium Tax that have happened since November 2015 – doubling the rate from 6% to 12%. Further, the Chancellor has indicated that further increases are not only possible – but are likely.

Insurance Premium Tax was introduced in 1993. Before this, the purchase of insurance attracted no tax. Insurance allows people to take responsibility for themselves and their assets, and actually reduces the burden on the state should things go wrong.

Our trade body, The British Insurance Brokers’ Association, has made a comprehensive representation to HM Treasury, calling for a freeze in the rate of Insurance Premium Tax: https://bit.ly/2xWD7p3

As a regressive tax, Insurance Premium Tax penalises those who pay more for their insurance. This includes groups such as young drivers and communities in flood risk areas. For example, the tax contribution for a £1,500 young driver’s policy has increased from £90 to £180 in the last 24 months alone. With young drivers more likely to drive without insurance, any further increases are likely to have an impact on the number of uninsured drivers on the UK’s roads.

HMRC’s policy objective IPT01300 states “that IPT should make the required contribution to UK Government revenue while minimising the effect on the take up of insurance”. It is clear such significant increases are indeed likely to be to the detriment of uptake.

In your capacity as our local MP, I would be very grateful if you could take up this issue with the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mel Stride ahead of the Budget this month, calling for a freeze in any further increases for the term of this Parliament.

Yours sincerely,

Airsports Insurance Bureau

The Difference In Rental Paid Between Furnished And Unfurnished Properties

Furnished Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, you may be interested to read about some research that has been carried out that looks at the difference charged by landlords for furnished and unfurnished two bedroom flats in different cities in the UK.

There are pros and cons of both types of property lets for both tenants and landlords such as a furnished property may appeal more to a single tenant who is moving around the UK on a very frequent basis as he or she may not want to be bothered with the prospect of having to move their furniture frequently. However, a family looking for a long-term rent may prefer to bring their own furniture with them every time they move. A landlord may find it easier to rent out a furnished property and the additional rental income emanating from a furnished property may far outweigh over a period of time the initial financial outlay of buying the furniture and white goods.

The city in the UK where there was the biggest difference between the rental income charged on furnished and unfurnished two bedroom flats was Sheffield. The difference in that city was an average of 21%. A furnished property was being rented out at an average of £726 per calendar month whereas an unfurnished property was being rented out at an average of £598 per calendar month – a difference of £128 per calendar month.UK MAP

In London the difference was 9% with this equating to an extra £128 per calendar month.

In Birmingham there was a difference of 20% that, in monetary terms, was an extra £127 per calendar month.

In Manchester there was a difference of 15% that equates to a price difference of £101 per calendar month.

In Cardiff there was a difference of 7% that equates to a price difference of £50 per calendar month.

In Glasgow there was a difference of 13% that equates to a price difference of £86 per calendar month.

Whether you are a landlord looking to arrange buildings and contents cover on either a furnished or unfurnished property or are a tenant looking to arrange cover on your own contents and personal belongings in an unfurnished property then why not make contact with us here at AIB Insurance on 02380 268 351 and speak with a friendly, knowledgeable member of our team. He or she will discuss your requirements and arrange for you to receive a competitive quotation from one of the insurance companies on our extensive panel.

Motorhome Sales Increase

If you are the proud owner of a motorhome you may be interested to read that you are one of a growing number of holidaymakers who take to the road in such a vehicle to enjoy a break both here in the UK and overseas. According to statistics produced by the NCC that is the trade body for the motorhome, tourer, park home and caravan holiday home industries the number of people buying motorhomes rose in 2017 – in fact there has been a steady increase for a number of years.

Below are the statistics for new motorhomes registered here in the UK: –

2017                14,062

2016                12,332

2015                10,572

2014                  8,733

2013                  7,425

Below are the statistics for pre-owned motorhomes registered here in the UK: –

2017                55,449

2016                55,020

2015                48,839

2014                47,755

2013                45,572

The above organization also produced some interesting statistics for the number of new motorhomes registered in certain European countries that showed there has been an increase in certain countries when comparing 2017 with 2016: –

France             8.3% increase

UK                14.0% increase

Germany       15.5% increase

Italy               19.1% increase

It is estimated that there are in the region of 225,000 motorhomes being used here in the UK. Interestingly, there are about 555,000 touring caravans and 365,000 caravan holiday homes being utilized here in the UK. In 2016, it was estimated that people in Great Britain spent in the region of £2 billion per annum on caravan holidays and it is believed that about £6 billion is contributed to the economy here in the UK by the caravan industry every year.

Of course, as with most things that can be purchased, there is such a huge variance in the cost of buying a motorhome ranging from a few thousand pounds for a second hand vehicle to a six-figure sum for a brand new motorhome.

If you are considering investing in a motor home and it is not the type of holiday that you have tried before then you may prefer to hire such a vehicle for a week or two to make sure that touring around the UK and beyond is for you and your family.

Here at AIB Insurance we have many years experience in arranging motorhome insurance for numerous clients, We have a panel of reputable insurers so why not get in contact with us on 02380 268 351 and speak with a friendly, informative member of our team who will happily arrange a bespoke, competitive quotation without any obligation.