House Insurance Renewal Due 11 Days After House Move

Beancounter

I am moving house on 19th June, my home insurance is due for renewal on the 30th.

I have checked the comparision sites and can get a new policy for a good bit cheaper than my current one. Am I likely to be charged a fee for cancelling the existing policy with a few days to go if I go with a new insurer for the new house?

Can I just leave the policy to run till the end?

Aretnap

You might be charged a fee for cancelling, depending on your terms and conditions. Or you could ask them to transfer the policy to your new house for the last 11 days, though that might attract an admin fee as well, and work out more expensive than just buying a new policy.

AFAIK (I'm prepared to be corrected) there's nothing too terrible that can happen if you just "forget" to cancel. With car insurance the main reason for not letting it run on after you sell a car is that if the new owner doesn't insure it himself the Road Traffic Act can make your insurer liable for third party costs if he has an accident, and the insurer could then come after you to demand their outlay back. However there's no equivalent law which can force your home insurer to cover the new occupant's liabilities, so that problem doesn't arise with home insurance.

marlot

My house insurance covered the move, as long as I used a professional removal company. As there would be a couple of weeks when I owned both houses, they covered both of them. No extra charge, either!

Beancounter

Looking at my insurers charges of "up to £50 for alterations including cancellation" I think I shall just"forget" to cancel it.

r2015

Just make sure they don't automatically renew it and take the premium from your card or bank account.


For 11 days it would probably cost more to cancel it than you would get back.


I once had a car policy with a certain company and got cashback.


They wouldn't insure my new car and wanted the cashback back, and an admin fee. I paid £75 for the policy in October, I bought the new car in March the next year.


They wanted over £100 to cancel the policy.


I just left it to run.


I still get emails and letters telling me the renewal is due.


I've had my new car for 4 years.

Beancounter

The fee is £50 so no way am I paying that for the sake of 11 days!

Once the renewal comes in I will phone and just cancel the renewal just in case they automatically do it.