Home loan protection plans are a form of insurance policy that provides cover for home loan payments if the insured person is unable to work because of illness or an accident. The benefits are paid directly by the insurer to the mortgage lender, reducing the borrower’s pressure.
The following are things you should know about a home loan protection plan:
Most insurance companies usually provide this for a low monthly premium. So you should ideally take at least five years before taking a home loan so that the insurer can process everything on time. You should know that home loan protection plans are not insurance. It is just a form of credit enhancement where the insurer pays your monthly mortgage payments if you cannot work for any reason. So it helps in reducing the pressure on the borrower.
In case you take a home loan protection plan, then the lender should not charge any pre-payment penalty from you for paying off your home loan before maturity. Also, you won’t be able to take a home loan protection plan when you already have an existing life cover or any other insurance policy in place. You need to cancel these and then only take home loan protection plans.
It is best to take the coverage for at least 10-15 years, giving you enough time before taking another one. You should know that it takes about nine months once you decide to take home loan protection insurance and start paying premiums. Also, depending on who the insurer is, you may be allowed to take home loan protection insurance even if you are self-employed. So this will help in reducing your expenses because there is no need for paying premiums to an employer.
You should also know that most insurance companies ask you to take a mandatory health check-up before selling this product. Also, most home loan protection plans cover only a specific number of years if you suffer from an illness or an accident. So it becomes difficult to continue paying the premium once you are out of this benefit period as the cost goes up compared to when you first started paying for this policy.
You should also know that insurance companies do not provide any joint coverage for this product, which means that the policy covers only one person, and it cannot be transferred to someone else after your death. It would be best to consider this before buying home loan protection insurance.
After paying premiums for a few months, you may be offered to convert your home loan protection plan into an endowment policy that will help you invest and save for your future. You should also know that it is best to include your spouse as the nominee on the home loan protection plan so that in case of an unfortunate accident or death, your family will not have problems paying off the dues on time.
Depending on the insurer, you may be allowed to change the frequency of premium payments according to your need. You should also know that most insurance companies do not cover the cost of repairing your home in a natural disaster such as an earthquake. If you are an active-duty military member or veteran who has met the length of service requirements, you likely qualify for VA loan requirements.
Your credit score should always be good for you to be eligible to take home loan protection insurance, but that is not the end of it. You also need to have a steady source of income that will ensure your repayment capabilities. So work out all these factors before taking up any home loan protection plan.
Last but not least, you should know that the paid-up value is only half of the original sum insured in most cases. So, you have to consider this before taking a home loan protection plan. Again, you should also know that insurance companies consider the borrower’s age, and only those above 40 years can take this policy for themselves without any spousal involvement.
In conclusion, Home loan protection plans are a form of insurance policy that provides cover for home loan payments if the insured person cannot work because of illness or an accident.
