Legal Helplines

Basic homeowners insurance policies generally provide standard cover to protect your home should something happen.  Even under a basic homeowners insurance policy you will find that sometimes you will have access to a legal helpline service. Help lines offer legal advice to people who have a legal question and you will be able to obtain advice about any problem or matter.

Having access to a legal helpline service is a great thing because you are able to ask legally trained advisers about any legal issue.  Most legal helpline services are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year.  This makes it an advantage for everyone, even individuals who work shift patterns as they will be able to utilise the legal helpline service in unsociable hours and take legal advice.

How much will the legal helpline cost me?

Most legal helpline services are included as part of the basic homeowners insurance policy.  You will find that they are normally free of charge, except paying the cost of the phone call.  You can therefore take the time to fully explain your legal problem without worrying about any solicitors’ bills etc.

It can be very costly to obtain advice from a solicitor every time you have a legal query.  However with the legal helpline all you need to worry about if the cost of the telephone call!

There are many different companies which provide a legal helpline service and you will find the legal advisers will have a range of experience in every area of the law.  It may be that the initial adviser may not have the specific experience needed to advise you, but do not worry as more often than not there will be someone else who will be able to advise you .

Normally the helpline will only be able to advise you on the law applicable to certain countries, normally the advice is restricted to the country which you are in.  If you have a question about the law of a different country, you should double check with the legal helpline provider to see if they can provide you with the advice.

Where can I find details of the legal helpline?

You will find details of the legal helpline provider, including the contact telephone number, in your basic homeowners insurance policy.  The legal helpline adviser will normally ask you how you have access to the service as it is likely they will provide a legal helpline service to more than one insurer. It may be worthwhile having your policy number and the name of your insurer ready just in case they ask you.

It is usual for the legal adviser to request some personal information from you.  This is to ensure they keep a record of what legal advice was given and who it was given to.  It is likely to be a requirement of their insurance to hold this information.  The information will be kept confidential and not passed on to any third parties without your consent.

How many times can I use the legal helpline service?

Most legal helpline services will offer you unlimited free legal advice enabling you to consult a legal adviser whenever you want and as many times as you need to.