Can I claim against contents 6 months after losing something?

alstemp

Hi all

At the end of March I lost a diamond bracelet - whilst I was out shopping in my local Waitrose which is literally around the corner from my house.

Anyway, at the time I didn't do anything about it - other than check with Waitrose and retrace my steps. Was gutted. However one thing I didn't do was report it to the police or claim against my contents. It is specified as a unique item on my insurance policy as it is a high value item and covered for loss outside of my house.

Do you think I can still claim for it now in December? Or is it too late?

Also - my policy (currently with the AA) runs out day after tomorrow (only just opened the reminder!) and am in process of getting competitive quotes. If I was to claim on the AA poilcy would they still honour it if I change suppliers from Fri 21st??

thanks for any advice . . .

clear_blu

Generally it is a policy condition that loss is reported to the police. Check your T & C.
I dont hold out a lot of hope.

Quentin

Changing insurer won't affect the decision over whether or not to honour your claim.

You will need to disclose your loss to any new insurer you approach to get a quote from.

InsideInsurance

Generally there is no time limit on making claims (or reporting to the police) unless the delay prejudices the case in some way - eg if you had a damaged roof but left it 6 months they wouldnt cover the additional interior damage caused as a result of having no roof for 6 months.

That said, the timeliness of a claim report (along with value) can be fraud indicators and therefore trigger a more indepth investigation into the matter. If you are telling the truth then its not an issue, if you make up lies about the matter then you are fairly likely to be found out.

alstemp

Ah - I see. they may not believe if it was so long ago. What if I say I only lost it last week or something? But then if I let the police know I will hae to "lie" to the police as well re date etc . . .

I did genuninely lose it back in March but totall forgot I had special insurance to cover it and only just realised having seen my quote request . . .

_Andy_

alstemp wrote: »

Ah - I see. they may not believe if it was so long ago. What if I say I only lost it last week or something? But then if I let the police know I will hae to "lie" to the police as well re date etc . . .

Insurance fraud then..do you really expect anyone here to say 'hey that's a good idea'?

Meadows

Other than it sounding a bit suspect this far down the line, if you claim now you will have to declare this when getting the new quote and that can alter the premiums (don't lie about when it happened as it could affect future insurances (they all pass around details) down the line and it would be a fraudulent claim. Claim for what really happened and when and hope they will pay out!).

Yorkie1

Double check your insurance policy. I *think* mine states that I have to claim within a certain time frame. If yours has a time limit then your claim is likely to fail in any event.

alstemp

Hi everyone

thanks for all your feedback. OK - I am going to tell them the item was lost in March and see what they say and hope I can progress the claim.

In meantime if I switch to another insurer on 21 Dec - will AA (my current insurer) continue to process the claim or will they forward details to the new insurer?

thanks again

Quentin

This will only be dealt with by the current insurance company

Gavin_C

alstemp wrote: »

Hi all

At the end of March I lost a diamond bracelet - whilst I was out shopping in my local Waitrose which is literally around the corner from my house.

Anyway, at the time I didn't do anything about it - other than check with Waitrose and retrace my steps. Was gutted. However one thing I didn't do was report it to the police or claim against my contents. It is specified as a unique item on my insurance policy as it is a high value item and covered for loss outside of my house.

Do you think I can still claim for it now in December? Or is it too late?

Also - my policy (currently with the AA) runs out day after tomorrow (only just opened the reminder!) and am in process of getting competitive quotes. If I was to claim on the AA poilcy would they still honour it if I change suppliers from Fri 21st??

thanks for any advice . . .

I doubt you'd have much success with a claim given the circumstances you post.

But don't forget to inform the insurer you won't need cover for this high value item. Removal may result in a lower annual premium for your renewal