Insurance policy renewal - only 23 days notice?!

ldee2111

Hi there,

Looking for some clarity.

Does my home insurer legally have to give 28 days notice of renewing my policy?

My home insurer has automatically renewed my policy but I no longer need it.

They now want to charge £35 to cancel the policy. :eek:

However, they only sent a renewal notice to me on 29 August.

My policy was due for renewal on 20 September. This means they have only given me 23 days notice.

However, I read somewhere that they must give 28 days notice.

Is this correct? What regulator enforces this rule?

My insurance company are calling me back tomorrow and I like to be able to have my facts right.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Quentin

Your facts are wrong. (They don't "have" to give you 28 days notice)

Presumably the autorenewal was agreed when you took out the policy.

ldee2111

Thanks Quentin,

However, an article on Money Saving Expert says

"Apply for cover from your existing insurer as a new customer and it's likely you'll be given a cheaper price. This is because home insurers, like any company, will happily profit from apathy if they can. Insurers must send out renewal notifications at least 28 days before renewal, though this doesn't leave much time and you can end up rushing to try to find a cheaper price."

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rs65

That article is wrong.

ldee2111

Ah. Shame. At least it clears that issue up.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Goodbye £35.

forgotmyname

My car insurance don't send out the renewal until 21 days before its due. As mine is early Jan i lose out on a fair few days and the post takes longer also.

Gives me little time to sort out prices if i wait for the renewal. But i know when it's due so i start looking before the renewal.

Quentin

ldee2111 wrote: »

Ah. Shame. At least it clears that issue up.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Goodbye £35.

Send the bill to mse for misleading you.

I heard the boss not short of a million or two, and he will be devastated to discover this article is misleading his millions of readers,

(What difference would it have made you getting an extra 5 days notice?)

ldee2111

That is really tight!

Well, I've learned my lesson. First and last time I'll hopefully be caught out by this.

ldee2111

Quentin wrote: »

(What difference would it have made you getting an extra 5 days notice?)

I was abroad and haven't long returned. An extra five days would have given me a bit more time.

Spikey1

You do have a cooling off period which gives you 14 days grace after the renewal date to change your mind. However, the Insurer can make a reasonable charge if you've left it until after the renewal to let them know.

If you think the charge is excessive you can challenge this.

Clearly, by sending the renewal invitation to you they have already incurred the costs of producing the renewal documentation. I don't think they could have charged you anything if you'd told them BEFORE the renewal date that you did not want the cover (but, I'm not sure on that and will stand corrected if someone knows different !). So then, I'd be asking them what has happened in the few days since the renewal date which makes it reasonable for them to charge you £35 ? It might be the case that they have made direct debit requests etc.....so if they can justify it then you may have to concede defeat.

ldee2111

I did ask them about a cooling off period but apparently that only applies to when I first took out the policy. Not the renewal.