building and contents insurance for my mum who has had a stroke

daveshipway

Hi there,

I wonder if anyone can advise me please.

My mum had a stroke about a year ago and basically spent 3 months in hospital and then 9 months in a care home.

She has moved back into her house now (with care coming in twice a day), but while it was vacant we got a specialist unoccupied house insurance policy.

Her insurance is up for renewal in May, but since her house is no longer unoccupied and the specialist insurance is expensive, we wanted to see about getting her back on "normal" buildings and contents house insurance.

She is physically pretty good for her age (87) and is mobile, but since the stroke she is not quite as with it as she once was and has communication problems (Aphasia). Although we haven't had any issues so far, this unfortunately means that she less likely to be able to respond to an emergency in her home that she once was.

I just wondered how this would affect her in terms of getting buidlings and contents insurance. I assume that we would probably need to declare details of her condition when applying for insurance, but I hope this is not going to be a barrier to her getting insurance or mean that she will have to pay a high premium.

Probably worth mentioning that since mum does have communication issues, we would be applying for the insurance on her behalf.

Thanks in advance.

Dave

kingstreet

I don't know of any medical history questions on a home insurance application, TBH.

Just make sure the insurer is aware of any contact limitations and have them capable of discussing things with you, perhaps with a password authorised on the policy.

InsideInsurance

Medical conditions are not asked for on Home insurance.

You would obviously need to be aware that if she did need to return into care or hospital then a standard policy would only give cover for a relatively short period before you'd need to cancel it and buy an unoccupied policy again.

Does she live alone? Ideally she/ you need to contact the insurers and add yourself as an authorised third party so that you can deal with matters for her post purchase. If she isnt able to speak on the phone then it will probably have to be done by letter so they have something signed by her giving authorisation

kingstreet

Does she have/lack capacity?

Do you have Power of Attorney?

daveshipway

Hi there,

Thanks for the responses !

Yes my mum does live on her own, and when buying the insurance policy I was going to contact the insurance company and ask if it would be ok to act on her behalf. Unfortunately she can't really conduct a conversation on the phone (well, not for something as complicated as buying house insurance anyway) and cannot fill out forms (although she is able to sign them if filled out for her).

Not 100% sure what is meant by "lacking capacity". She understands most simple things, although again trying to explain to her something complicated like house insurance would be nigh on impossible, and her communication problems mean that she is unable to manage her own affairs. Me and my brother have been doing this since the stroke, and my brother has Enduring Power of Attorney.

Cheers,

Dave

kingstreet

A test of capacity is done to establish if the individual can make decisions. If there's an EPA it doesn't matter as the PoA can sign documentation on her behalf.