Home Insurance

Jalz

Hey all, need some advice please. ¾ of my ceiling collapsed in our living room, made the whole house shake. Luckily there was no one in the room and not too much damage to the equipment a good wipe wont sort out, but the ceiling and spot lights have had it. I called my house insurance (Santander options 123) to make a building claim thinking I would be covered – but by the sounds of it, I’m not covered by the peril looking at the fine print, just waiting for the news. It wasn’t accidental damage, as far as the surveyor/inspector is concerned the material Lath/plaster just must have given up as there was no signs of water leak.

My question is, if the insurance company don’t pay out, will this still be noted as a claim when I purchase home insurance next year even though I have not paid any excess or they haven’t paid out? Just thinking of my premium next year.

InsideInsurance

You need to read the exact question asked and also speak to your current insurers.

As they have incurred the cost of a surveyor then it normally will count as a claim but some may not. Generally you only get away without something being a claim if you withdraw the claim before they do anything. If they decline a claim after investigation as the cause was not an insured peril this normally still counts as a claim

Increasingly home insurers are now asking about incidents rather than claims and given this is "in the system" it would be fairly risky to "forget" to mention it next year if the new insurer does ask about incidents and Santander do say they wont count it as a claim.

Jalz

Thanks, its insideinsurance, it's in the system and someone has come out to assess so I'll just wait and see what happens. Double whammy - should of read the terms instead of panicking at the time

InsideInsurance

Jalz wrote: »

Thanks, its insideinsurance, it's in the system and someone has come out to assess so I'll just wait and see what happens. Double whammy - should of read the terms instead of panicking at the time

Unfortunately many people do panic and either claim for tiny losses which result in premium increases much higher than the value they claimed or having claims declined because the cause wasnt an insured peril.

I guess you also have those that dont panic but think that insurance covers "everything" or believe they've paid for a years cover and its only worth while if they get something back without thinking and dont think about the impact on next year.

Most high street policies are written on an insured peril basis, ie you must prove that the damage was caused by one of the explicitly named causes, but there are policies out there that are all risks where everything is covered unless the insurer can prove the cause is one of the explicitly named exceptions. These are typically marketed at the upper end of the market and their pricing reflects the much broader coverage they offer.