Home Insurance not paying after burglary, any way to get compensation?

Quentin

PersianCatLady wrote: »

I live in a non high crime area and I know three people (all with different insurers) who were burgled when they were home. None of them received a payout because the insurers each basically said (using various phrases) that they had failed to take adequate precautions to protect themselves from being burgled.

They need to check the policy wording they agreed to, and take it up with their insurers if they did comply with the poicy yet had their claims rejected.


(Your "advice" that "insurers don't usually pay out when a door is unlocked" is simply not true, and ideally needs editing by you (as others reading this thread may believe it and give up on a claim), or being ignored by others reading it!)

jimmynoon

Its been reopened as the clause in the policy states when going to bed, I agree to lock all downstairs doors, windows and other ground floor entry points. But the key was my partner was not in bed asleep. I brushed it off before as I felt coerced to let it go because the moment I got thrown names of paragraphs thrown at me with nothing in front of me I felt helpless, feel stupid now, normally I'm much more assertive in these situations!

Quentin

PersianCatLady wrote: »

.......I must say though I am surprised that they have done this but it is all good for now.

Don't know why you are "surprised"!


As a number of us have pointed out, your understanding of "unlocked doors" in #4 is incorrect (and presumably this lead you to your poor advice in your #2 to the OP to "put this behind you....and forget about it"):-

PersianCatLady wrote:

You probably don't want to hear this but I very much doubt that you will get any of that money back.......
......... I don't want to be negative but your best bet is just to put this behind you and forget about it otherwise the injustice of it will eat you up.

Quentin

PersianCatLady wrote: »

Rather than edit the post which would make the thread confusing I have added a comment ......

This is what is wrong, rather than "confusing":

PersianCatLady wrote: »

.......Insurance companies don't usually pay out when a door is unlocked......

Quentin

PersianCatLady wrote: »

You now want to complain that I am surprised at something, which I am and which I have every right to do.....

Of course you can be "surprised" - though if you have read the thread following your poor responses to the OP in your posts (#2 & #4 which you have now deleted) you should really have spotted that they have provoked us all to diss your advice and encourage the OP to ignore it.


Which he has.

PersianCatLady

You are correct I deleted my posts rather than mess about correcting them.


Still waiting for an answer to my question though, what insurance company do you work for??

Aretnap

jimmynoon wrote: »

Its been reopened as the clause in the policy states when going to bed, I agree to lock all downstairs doors, windows and other ground floor entry points. But the key was my partner was not in bed asleep. I brushed it off before as I felt coerced to let it go because the moment I got thrown names of paragraphs thrown at me with nothing in front of me I felt helpless, feel stupid now, normally I'm much more assertive in these situations!

Excellent news - do let us know how it goes.

If she was still up and about (even if upstairs) then based on the wording of the clause the claim ought to be paid - though I suppose if it was very late at night you might have too persuade them that she really was up and about rather than asleep in bed.

If they still end up not paying remember that if you don't think they handle the claim fairly you can make a formal complaint via the process outlined in the policy book, and if you're not happy with their response (or if they don't respond to your complaint within 8 weeks) then you can escalate the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman at no cost to you. Hopefully that won't be necessary, but if the complaint doesn't go smoothly you have a better chance of getting your money back via that route than you do from the burglars themselves.

dacouch

jimmynoon wrote: »

Its been reopened as the clause in the policy states when going to bed, I agree to lock all downstairs doors, windows and other ground floor entry points. But the key was my partner was not in bed asleep. I brushed it off before as I felt coerced to let it go because the moment I got thrown names of paragraphs thrown at me with nothing in front of me I felt helpless, feel stupid now, normally I'm much more assertive in these situations!

When they declined the claim they should have sent you a letter which explained the exact reason they are declining.

If you could post up then exact wording of the reason they give in this letter we can tell you whether or not they are correct. This may help you in your dealings with them.

Mojisola

jimmynoon wrote: »

I was burgled on 29/12/16 where 3 teenagers came in through the back door while me and my girlfriend were upstairs and took £1600 (replacement cost, actual cost to me would be much higher) worth of electronic goods. Insurance refusing to pay as the door was unlocked.

Separate from the insurance claim - why didn't you lock the door?

Do you usually leave the door to the outside unlocked?

We should all take some responsibility for looking after ourselves and our belongings.

EdGasket

I lock all doors even during the day. Walk-in, opportunist burglary is one of the most common types and the most common time is in the afternoon.

As the softly-softly crime regime in this country doesn't deter burglars we all suffer with having to take more and more security precautions.

Good luck with your claim but it seems quite reasonable of Admiral to refuse it if you left the door unlocked.