Home Insurance - definitions.

kenh11

Hi all.

Recently my parents were the victims of a burlgary.

Luckily no one was in at the time, so obviously thats most important.

However we are reading through the policy with NFU mutual, ahead of the assessor coming around in the next few days, and are concerned over some of items they will and wont cover.

Basically around £16k - £18k worth of goods was stolen. This mainly included various things such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches.

Within the policy it states all articles of gold, silver and associated precious metals are covered, but jewelry is not. Obviously we are concerned as it appears that literally everything that was taken will not be covered at all.

Is there any scope in the definition of jewelry? These items were never worn, and were kept in certain trinket boxes, safes and so on. Are they still strictly defined as jewelry?

I know the answer may be obvious and I may be clutching at straws but if there is any way we can argue the definition of jewelry as something being worn, and that these were articles or antiques or god knows what, then it would be a massive help.

I will really appreciate any help and advice, seriously anything anyone can think of would be really helpful during this upsetting time.

Thanks.

iamana1ias

Jewellery should be covered under personal possessions, if your parents purchased that cover.

2sides2everystory

I'll try to catch up with the wording on the NFU Mutual website but meantime I'd be very surprised if there is any blanket exclusion of jewellery as part of general contents (forget personal possessions for the moment unless you know they bought that as an extra section).

I'll have a quick look at what I can find and come back. Is this it?

Home Insurance

Home and Lifestyle Policy Document

Meantime can you quote the bit that worries you exactly ?

Oh I think I have found the first mention that you probably came across under the definitions section:

HIGH RISK ITEM(S)
• articles of gold, silver or other precious metals and precious stones;
• collections of stamps, coins, medals or curios;
• clocks and barometers;
• china, glass, porcelain, other fragile or brittle items, sculptures or statues;
• pictures, prints, drawings and works of art;
• antique furniture;
• antiquarian books and manuscripts.

WE do not cover JEWELLERY.

Don't worry, all that means there is that for the purposes of the policy wording HIGH RISK ITEMS gets one treatment but JEWELLERY gets a different treatment to other hgh risk items.

But then they exclude jewellery from the general contents or contents plus section or indeed 'Personal Belongings' section I think, but again not to worry because they seem to have a completely separate Jewellery section which is for just that, JEWELLERY .


Slightly unorthodox way or structuring a policy if you ask me, but each insurer has its own ways and it is kind of logical to create a policy in which all the sections are self-exclusive. Most traditional policy wordings used to include burglary cover at home for modest amounts of jewellery for example as standard under the contents section (perhaps with an overall limit of £15,000 or 33% of the total contents sum insured unless special items were specified in detail in the schedule e.g. "diamond and sapphire bracelet with filigree whatever in 22 carat gold with 10 diamonds of so many carats and six sapphires £5K").

Then the personal possessions section iaman1ias mentioned (used to be called Worldwide All Risks years ago) extended the cover further if you chose to pay the extra premium to cover losses away from the home e.g. whilst on holiday, but hopefully the Jewellery section is fully operative and not deactivated in your parents policy schedule for some reason? Remember the policy booklet/wording is one thing but needs to be read in conjunction with the current policy schedule which is usually restated in full at every renewal. Have you got that too? That will tell you the limits for each section and confirm which sections are actually operative.


In short then OP, I wouldn't be worrying yet - once you've found the schedule and verified that Jewellery is switched on so to speak, it is page 56 on the so called "Jewellery Section" of the wording where you need to start reading in conjunction with that latest schedule. The schedule will almost certain confirm that not only the Contents but the Jewellery Section is operative (I can't imagine they are ever not both operating the way this policy is structured).

The question is then just one of overall limits for unspecified jewellery in total and per item and adjustments for index-linking and the like as described in page 56 on. With a high proportion of the total claim being for jewellery, then unless your parents were astute enough to detail some of the pieces in advance and get them specified on the schedule, then you might find they have hit a ceiling which restricts the payout ... fingers crossed they haven't but could easily be so with a claim in the teens.

Hopefully you will be able to reassure yourself now ? Forewarned is forearmed sometimes with these things, but if it is anything to do with NFU and you are out in the country the claim should get dealt with more in the old-fashioned civil way of doing things than most do thesedays.

Best wishes to your parents - tell them not to worry - its not nice if this hasn't happened ever before to them. Mine are elderly and it happened first time to them a couple of years ago - a couple of tricksters - one distracting my parents in the garden with a c0ck and bull story about retrieving a ball, and the other in the back door upstairs rifling all the modest sentimental stuff my mother had collected over the decades since she was a teenager - probably got sold for a couple of hundred in some dive. Scumbags.

Come back if you need further help on wording interpretation before the assessor arrives.

kenh11

The policy itself is titled "Home and Lifestyle Insurance".

iamana1ias

Page 7 under "high risk items" it states that they don't cover jewellery.

iamana1ias

And page 8 gives their definition of jewellery.

I doubt very much your parents have any cover for the jewellery.

lisyloo

Why do you think you aren't covered?

What does it say on your schedule?

The definition of jewelry is pretty clear

JEWELLERY
Articles of personal adornment containing gemstones, gold, silver, platinum or other precious metals or
alloys and watches.

http://www.nfumutual.co.uk/policy-wording/documents/Home-and-Lifestyle-Specimen-policy-wordings-version3-0.pdf

But the specific cover they purchased will be shown on the schedule.

kenh11

2sides2everystory wrote: »

I'll try to catch up with the wording on the NFU Mutual website but meantime I'd be very surprised if there is any blanket exclusion of jewellery as part of general contents (forget personal possessions for the moment unless you know they bought that as an extra section).

I'll have a quick look at what I can find and come back. Is this it?

Home Insurance

Home and Lifestyle Policy Document

Meantime can you quote the bit that worries you exactly ?

Thanks.

You replied as I was just refreshing the page.

Yes the policy itself is entitled "Home and Lifestyle insurance".

The policy is actually confusing me a little.

In the link you posted, on page 8:

CONTENTS
Household goods, personal belongings, VALUABLES or HIGH RISK ITEMS, MONEY and CREDIT CARDS,
which belong to, or are the responsibility of, YOU, YOUR FAMILY or any DOMESTIC EMPLOYEE.
WE do not cover:
• MOTORISED VEHICLES, their parts or accessories;
• caravans, trailers, aircraft and watercraft;
• pets or livestock;
• trees, shrubs or other plants which are not inside YOUR HOME;
• fixtures and fittings belonging to a landlord;
• the value of securities, certificates or documents of any kind except for the clerical cost of
reproduction;
• property insured separately under this or any other POLICY;
• any part of the structure of YOUR BUILDINGS, other than television, radio or satellite aerials, masts,
receivers and their fittings, wind turbines or close circuit television cameras and their fittings and
masts which are fixed to YOUR BUILDINGS;
• interior decorations (unless listed on YOUR SCHEDULE); or
• property used for any business or profession other than a mobile phone or laptop.

The above does not mention not covering jewelry.

However this section, at the end says they do not:

HIGH RISK ITEM(S)
• articles of gold, silver or other precious metals and precious stones;
• collections of stamps, coins, medals or curios;
• clocks and barometers;
• china, glass, porcelain, other fragile or brittle items, sculptures or statues;
• pictures, prints, drawings and works of art;
• antique furniture;
• antiquarian books and manuscripts.
WE do not cover JEWELLERY.

Yet further on there is this section which again is confusing as to whether these items are covered or not:

JEWELLERY
Articles of personal adornment containing gemstones, gold, silver, platinum or other precious metals or
alloys and watches.

And then throughout the listings of what is insured, and what is not insured, there are no mentions of jewelry.

Sorry for the long post, just trying to work this out?

Thanks again.

lisyloo

Page 7 under "high risk items" it states that they don't cover jewellery.

Elsewhere it say they do, so am I right in thinking they just don't cover it under the "high risk items" category but do under another category (if you have of course purchased the correct option).

lisyloo

Kenh - you need their schedule not the policy.
The policy is a just a general document.
The schedule will details which options they purchased and hence which bits apply to them.
If they purchased jewelry cover (or whatever it's called) then they'll be ok, if the didn't they won't be covered.

kenh11

Further thing to add - on the schedule I don't think there is an extra personal possessions cover showing as being purchased or activated.

Thanks lisy yes looking at it now. Ill list what it states...