Understanding the Importance of Mortgage Protection Life Insurance

Your house is a big investment – probably one of the biggest you’re every likely to make. It is also the place that you and your loved ones call home; a shelter and haven from the outside world. That’s why it is so important to ensure that your home and family are protected in the event of your death. It’s not a topic that any of us like to dwell on, but the sad fact is that should you die and the family are no longer able to afford repayments on the house, they will lose the property and the roof from over their heads.

Having a good life insurance policy in place to protect your property in the event of your death is vital. When you die, your family will have enough to worry about without the added stress of how they are going to hold on to the family home. Your life insurance policy will ensure that this problem is eliminated, with the mortgage balance being paid in full upon your death.

The main types of mortgage life cover

The type of mortgage life insurance cover that you require will depend upon what type of mortgage you have, a repayment or an interest only mortgage. There are two main types of mortgage life insurance cover, which are:

• Decreasing Term Insurance

• Level Term Insurance

Decreasing term insurance

This type of mortgage life insurance is designed for those with a repayment mortgage. With a repayment mortgage, the balance of the loan decreases over the term of the mortgage. Therefore, the sum of cover with a decreasing term insurance policy will also go down in line with the mortgage balance. So, the amount for which your life is insured should match the balance outstanding on your mortgage, which means that if you die your policy will hold sufficient funds to pay off the remainder of the mortgage and alleviate any additional worry to your family.

With the decreasing term insurance, the cover is usually taken out over the term of the mortgage, and payment is made should you die during the term of the policy. Once the policy has expired, it becomes null and void, so you will receive nothing at the end of your policy if you are still living. There is no surrender value on this type of cover, but it does provide a cost effective means of protecting your home and family during the life of your mortgage.

Level term insurance

This type of mortgage life insurance cover is for those that have a repayment mortgage, where the principle balance remains the same throughout the term of the mortgage and the repayments made by the property owner cover the interest payments on the mortgage only.

The sum for which the insured is covered remains the same throughout the term of this policy, and this is because the principle balance on the mortgage also remains the same. Therefore the sum assured is a fixed amount, which is paid should the insured party die within the term of the policy. As with decreasing term insurance, there is no surrender value, and should the policy end before the insured dies no payout will be awarded and the policy becomes null and void.