Not sure what the deal is with insurance, though.

Probably private. We found massive cost increases - what? We were lied to! - about the switch to private insurance.

And, with no one actually responsible for insuring you - if you can pick anything, no one's on the hook - you can get dropped from an insurer, black-listed amongst friendly companies, and unable to actually get insurance. Consider this useless anecdote:

• 2004, raccoons rip up roof tiles and cause a small roof leak. Fixed easily via insurance claim (for safety because you never know).

• 2020, inflow connection to toilet pops off and begins spraying water on floors and walls of bathroom. When homeowners return home, floors in upstairs and foor/walls of kitchen water-damaged. Fixed under claim, phew.

• insurance company drops customer for 'persistent pattern of water-damage claims' and other insurers won't insure due to history.

• bring on the loan-shark costs!

My dear friend has been through the ringer, but it seemed so well-executed, this scarlet-letter process, that it can't be rare.

The regional-gov insurance programme may seem costly now, but an organization we can still manage indirectly through voting measures and who must insure without prejudice like this is in-fucking-valuable.