Perio Data

Although it may seen odd to talk about spending money on your property during a recession and a credit crunch, this is the time when you may be most at risk if you start changing things around. Let’s start with a simple question. One of the results of this downturn has been a dramatic increase in the level of unemployment. So many more people have either found their hours cut or they are out of work. But what to do? The bills are still there to be paid. The obvious answer for some is to start running some kind of business from home. Even if your efforts only produce a few dollars of profit a week, that’s a few dollars more than you would have had. Except that’s changing the use of a part of your home from residential to commercial. So think about what business you might try. It might be turning your kitchen into a catering operation to sell cakes and cookies. You might look to do some woodworking in the garage. Your spare bedroom might become a home office. The idea is to convert an existing hobby or skill into money. Except your home is currently insured as a residence. Adding in commercial woodworking or cooking operations may increase the risk of fire. More people may come into your home to buy goods or services. If they are injured by slipping on your floor tiles or tripping over a loose carpet, are you covered against third party liability claims? So here comes the headline: always tell your insurance company if you are going to change the use of your home. If you do not, the insurer could refuse to pay out on any claims! [...]

In the good old days, the world was a simple place. You went into a store to buy goods, or to an agent or broker to buy services. The price was quoted and you paid it out of the cash in your bank account. If your account was poorly stocked with dollar notes, you had to wait until you had saved enough. In this primitive way, people lived within their means, only buying goods and services when they could afford them. Those who had regular income and some collateral, were graciously allowed to borrow money from their banks. But pity those who defaulted. Their collateral would rapidly disappear into the hands of their bankers. It was a tough world for borrowers. Then there was a revolution. Suddenly, there was cheap credit available and we could all have what we wanted right now. Just one down-payment and the rest in easy instalments. Then the revolution became a financial tsunami as the newly launched credit cards suddenly put real buying-power in our hands with generous credit limits. Add in the housing equity release plans and all the other wonderful financial gizmos dreamt up by the folk who live on Wall Street, and you have the modern age just before the worst recession in decades and the credit crunch that took everyone by surprise. [...]