Refuse to renew - Can they do that ?!!

lisyloo

I was just telling you the legal position wrt your question about the FOS.
I realise you don't like it, but I believe they are entitled to do it.

p.s. My husband was "declined to quote" and all the information I received was that he doesn't have to declare it, so do continue to check it out with each insurer.

bluewolfie

lisyloo wrote: »

I was just telling you the legal position wrt your question about the FOS.
I realise you don't like it, but I believe they are entitled to do it.

p.s. My husband was "declined to quote" and all the information I received was that he doesn't have to declare it, so do continue to check it out with each insurer.

Actually, I was wondering about that. I wonder if anyone knows if the home insurance companies share information with each other. If they don't, then no other insurance companies will know unless I tell them myself.

mikey72

lisyloo wrote: »

I was just telling you the legal position wrt your question about the FOS.
I realise you don't like it, but I believe they are entitled to do it.

p.s. My husband was "declined to quote" and all the information I received was that he doesn't have to declare it, so do continue to check it out with each insurer.

I would seriously question your knowledge of "the legal position".

Op you need to make a formal written complaint, and ask why you have been refused a quote.
The insurer should advise you as to why you no longer fit into their underwriting criteria.
If they cannot advise you, or merely wish to"punish" you for claiming, complain to the FOS that you are being treated unfairly, as the insurers know what a refusal to insure will do to your prospects of being insured in the future.
A more normal approach would have been offering you a ridiculously high renewal figure, so you would have moved away of your own accord.

DCFC79

bluewolfie wrote: »

Actually, I was wondering about that. I wonder if anyone knows if the home insurance companies share information with each other. If they don't, then no other insurance companies will know unless I tell them myself.

thats a risky move and could come back to bite you and you could end up paying more or have the policy cancelled.

Dynamic_Panda

Yes insurers do share information...............

it would be the same if you failed to declare the claims they could cancel it................

DP

System

bluewolfie wrote: »

Same news.. I called them up and they said the decision is final and gave me a load of crap about their business policy... I find it quite ridiculous.

You need to put your complaint in writing if you want to progress any further.

You should state in your letter that if MoreThan are not willing to remove the "Declined status" or "Refused status" from your records (and also remove it from the CUE database) then you will escalate to the FOS since you consider their action to be unfair.
Point out that you have already followed the MoreThan complaints process via the Customer relations phone number and as stated in the MoreThan complaints process :

If the Customer Relations Office cannot resolve the matter to your satisfaction, we will provide you with our final response so that you can, if you wish, refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service

You need this "Final Response" in writing so that you can contact the FOS.

P.S.
I too have my Home Insurance with MoreThan and they included Free Home Emergency Cover with this years renewal. Now I know what has happened to you, I will know not to claim under that part of my policy. Not a problem for me since I do also have Boiler Cover with British Gas HomeCare. I have actually called B.G. out to repair my boiler, but I would never have dreamed of informing my home insurer that I had called out B.G. under the HomeCare boiler maintenance agreement, since I do not consider boiler maintenance to be in the same category as home insurance. (And MoreThan shouldn't be lumping it in either in my opinion)

Note:
You can check your own insurance status as listed in the CUE database, see : http://www.insurancedatabases.co.uk/default.aspx

P.P.S.
The MoreThan final response letter needs to clearly state what the reason was for them refusing to insurer you.
If they simply say that it is a "Business Decision" or "Business Policy" then, in my opinion, that would not constitute a notifiable reason that you would need to declare to other Home Insurers, and hence should not have been recorded against your name on the CUE database. You would need to check this point with the FOS.
However, I think you would still need to declare the two claims against the Home Emergency Cover when getting new quotes.

izools

bluewolfie wrote: »

Unfortunately, they all seem to ask if insurance have been declined, cancelled or declared null and void....

Which yours hasn't.

Your policy, which you took out for a year, lasted a year. If they'd have stopped the policy before the one year term ended then it would be considered cancelled.

In this instance' it wasn't declined, cancelled, or declared null and void, they simply declined to offer you a new 12 month policy.

There's a careful distinction there, you'd answer no to this question in your case.

dtaylor84

izools wrote: »

Which yours hasn't.

Your policy, which you took out for a year, lasted a year. If they'd have stopped the policy before the one year term ended then it would be considered cancelled.

In this instance' it wasn't declined, cancelled, or declared null and void, they simply declined to offer you a new 12 month policy.

There's a careful distinction there, you'd answer no to this question in your case.

So what's the difference between insurance being declined and them declining to offer a new 12 month policy?

bluewolfie

dtaylor84 wrote: »

So what's the difference between insurance being declined and them declining to offer a new 12 month policy?

I can't see the difference either. But I will try a few more insurers and see what they say.

dunstonh

cancelled would generally indicate a policy which has been cancelled mid term. They are not cancelling it as they are allowing the policy to continue until its end date. They are just refusing to offer terms for the new policy.

This is where careful reading is needed. If it only says "has a policy been cancelled" then the answer is no. If it includes "has an insurer refused to offer terms" (or words to that affect) then you have to declare it.