Help! We can't insure our house!

blondie4281

I have posted this on the house, buying and selling forum, but thought someone here may have some ideas! I need some advice desperately. We own a 2 bed end terrace which we bought in 2003. We realised there were problems with it in 2006 and it was eventually underpinned by the NHBC in 2009. However, we now can't get anybody to insure it. Our current insurers say that as the NHBC did the repairs and not them they say they should not have approved our insurance and therefore say they will not renew it in September. I can't seem to get anybody to even quote on it - even with a structural report they say that at least 3 years has to pass. It is because it is built on clay soil and surrounded by trees (covered by preservation orders), so the problem which caused the subsidence cannot be got rid of. We want to sell but without insurance it is not mortgagable and a mortgage is going to be another issue even if we get insurance!

dogbot

Usualy the insurer who covered the origional claim should be the onces to continue insurance on the proprerty. Hardly anyone else will touch previously subsided risks with a barge pole because subs often comes back, even on many underpinned properties (ok, this is much less likely in your case as it was more recent) and then it is a nightmare to sort out liability. It can also be even more expensive. Property with prior subs needs individual underwriting and most insurers are not set up to deal with those cases.

Did you not declare the claims history to your current insurer?

Do NHBC only do year 1 property covers? What did the cover it under - the warrantee or a household type policy?

Either way, you still have a few options. The first place to try will be Towergate Household. Then try a local independent insurance broker (i.e. not a chain like Swinton) who will likley to have people they can place such risks with (will probably be Towergate).

blondie4281

Long story but to put it briefly, it was built in 1991. The NHBC started investigating subsidence problems there in 1994, work was done in 1998 and 2001 and their guarantee extended to 2007. The people who sold to us did not tell us this history when we bought it. So we did not know anything to tell our insurers. it has taken us 5 years of digging to find out this much. We have tried to sue the vendors with no success, as they declared it to their solicitor (just) but our solicitor failed to tell us (unbeleivable I know). Now we are suing the solicitors but they are adament we only overpaid by £8k in 2003. It is due to go to court in the next 8 months. Legally our current problems with insurance and mortgages are not relevant apparently. We have an NHBC guarantee against the underpinning for 12 years, but insurance companies say this makes no difference.

dacouch

Try this company http://www.bureauinsure.co.uk/

boiler_man

Whatever you do - make sure you have some insurance on your home and contents. If your current policy expires before you can find an insurer, you should be able to easily arrange cover without subsidence whilst you look for someone who can help.