Car Insurance - Worried That They Won't Believe Me

Dvorak123

Hi everyone,

I currently have my Rover 75 insured with Admiral in my own name at my home address, 3PFT. This is its normal home, and it is accurately described as being parked on private property.

This term, I am planning on taking it to University for a few weeks. Over the whole of this year, it will still spend the vast majority of its time at home - Even if I had it at university for the whole year, more than half of its time would be spent at home.

I am worried, however, that Admiral might refuse to pay out in the event of an accident even though I would not be doing anything wrong. I can't find any useful definition of what my "permanent residence" actually means in the policy handbook, and I don't know what I am expected to tell them about having the car in another place even for a short period of time.

Can anyone give me any advice?

Thanks.

Quentin

If you are worried then inform them of the temporary location in writing (get proof of posting).

scheming_gypsy

your best option is to phone them and ask them.

GwylimT

Your insurance should still be registered at home as your licence will have your home address, you can however phone them and explain the situation for peace of mind, but really it makes absolutely no difference.

Ultrasonic

GwylimT wrote: »

Your insurance should still be registered at home as your licence will have your home address, you can however phone them and explain the situation for peace of mind, but really it makes absolutely no difference.

I suspect you are right, but logically it should make a difference. But logic doesn't always factor in these things.

Dvorak123

My reasoning is that it's not unreasonable to expect that you can visit someone for a month, so it shouldn't be any different for University. But then the insurer/insured relationship is so biased in favour of the insurer that you just can't be sure that common sense will prevail.

I'll give them a call on Monday, but if anyone has more input it would be great.

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Joe_Horner

Honestly, I wouldn't even phone them.

They'll almost certainly tell you that you need to inform them, and will adjust your policy accordingly - possibly a change in premium and almost certainly a mid-term adjustment admin fee. Then they'll want another adjustment fee when you tell them it's back at home.

jackc12

Pretty sure their advice is if you're at an address for more than 2 weeks then you need to tell them. But like the last poster says, it'll cost you if you move, especially if you keep having to move it back and forth over the uni breaks. Personally I wouldn't, just leave everything at your permanent home address.


One thing to keep in mind next time you go to renew though is to find out in advance what their rules are. So do your comparison sites, then ring up with your quote number and spell out when you'll be back and forth from Uni in advance + find out exactly what they'll charge in admin fees. Doing that I got Churchill to preemptively waive their admin fees, so that each time I moved all I'd pay/get refunded is the difference in the premium due to the address risk.

vaio

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Honestly, I wouldn't even phone them.

They'll almost certainly tell you that you need to inform them, and will adjust your policy accordingly - possibly a change in premium and almost certainly a mid-term adjustment admin fee. Then they'll want another adjustment fee when you tell them it's back at home.

^^ this......as long as it is at home for >50% of the year (and you can prove it if necessary) then you need (and would be advised) to do nothing.

If insurers cared if you had two addresses then they would ask. If they don't ask and you start volunteering things they just get confused and the general knee jerk reaction when they are confused is to take some money off you

vaio

jackc12 wrote: »

Pretty sure their advice is if you're at an address for more than 2 weeks then you need to tell them....

that's a new one on me, don't suppose you have a link to an insurer that actually says that?

jimmo

Even if it costs you it is much better to keep your insurance company up to date than worry about it.

As it happens, when my son went to university his insurance company were quite happy knowing his permanent address and his term-time address.

In fact the insurance company told him that his term-time address was in a cheaper insurance area than our home so they reduced his premium accordingly