Obviously my insurance company thinks mine is.

I am feeling mightily ripped of. After just one very small claim, 6 yeasr ago, in 18 years, I wonder how my insurance company can justify a huge increase in premium again this year.

Last year it was a 26% rise, which they tried to justify by including "free" flood coverage. My house is on the top of a hill.

This year it's 31%, & they are not even trying to jusify this one, at all. I guess the Global Financial melt down cost them a little off their banking bottom line, so they want to rip it back off somewhere easy.

Unfortunately many insurance companies don't insure properties of more than 2.5 acres, or those without town water. This leaves those of us, with a few acres, for the kids horses, with not many options.

It took quite some effort to find out that I was paying an extra $220 to have a $200 excess instead of $500. I guess that was a really good trick for them. It could not have been much, if anything, 18 years ago. The total premium was less than $400 back then.

I suggest those of you who have normal town blocks do some shopping of insurance providers. You too could have a gold plated home.

Hasbeen we need to form insurance co-operatives that invest in things like hardwood forests.We have shortage of such materials in my industry.It is a great investment for super funds etc.Get big biz out of our lives then we will then all prosper.

Get back to mutual societies run by those who really matter.

Hasbeen, insurance companies are simply another business out to make a profit.

The main reason for your increased premium is not your claim history, rather, it is due to the huge amount of claims made as a result of events like the Victorian bushfires.

The entire claim amount is spread over the entire number of clients.

Of cause the alternative for you would be to not insure your home and pay your premium amount into your own bank account, but, be assurred, if you have to make any medium to large claim within the first 20 years, you will be way out of pocket.