Some advice on Life Insurance/Assurance please

Annisele

I used to work for a life office, and we'd only refuse to pay out for three reasons:

1. The life assured wasn't actually dead. You can't claim on your own life assurance...

2. There wasn't a policy in force - it had been cancelled, or it lapsed because the policyholder stopped paying premiums, or its term expired, or it was never taken up in the first place.

3. The life assured had lied on their proposal form. If you tell the insurance company you're a teetotaller but you actually drink a bottle and a half of whisky a day then drop dead of something alcohol related, they're unlikely to pay out. In the OP's case, lying about the partner's previous health issues would probably cause problems.

OP - since you say "partner" rather than husband or wife, I assume you're not married - and that makes wills and trusts even more important than it would otherwise have been.