Home Insurance questions bizarre

Typist

Hi all - Recently searched online to get quotes to renew our Home Insurance and was flabbergasted to be refused cover by LV because we have Oil Central Heating in our property. This is a first in almost 50 years of insurance cover. This set me wondering at the logic behind some of the insurers questions - ie. Have you a Cat/Dog? Does anyone smoke? (Yet never asked if open fire surely a bigger risk in property as a lot of places still have no Gas and even then Gas Boiler equally dangerous.) Any tall trees within 5 metres? Was fully expecting next question to possibly be how many units does each person in the property consume per week?
Rant over - anybody else had similar experience?

sheramber

Seems odd as their policy documents says on page 13

What’s covered
1. Fire (including resultant smoke
damage), lightning, explosion or
earthquake.
2. Water or oil leaking from any fixed
tank, domestic appliance or pipe.

Is there more to the story?

dunstonh

Is there more to the story?

Almost certainly.

LV's home insurance includes a home emergency bolt on. However, they do not include oil fired on that. So, if the OP included the home emergency bolt on, then that bit should be rejected.

It is not an issue on the main home insurance side.

Typist

Still seems odd to me - have never had Insurance refused before and first time had question of do you have oil fired central heating. A puzzle.

dunstonh

Typist wrote: »

Still seems odd to me - have never had Insurance refused before and first time had question of do you have oil fired central heating. A puzzle.

Its not a puzzle.

One of the options available on their home insurance is boiler cover and they do not cover oil fired boilers.

If you wanted boiler cover then they are correct to refuse it. If you didnt want boiler cover, then they can offer the insurance without boiler cover.

Not all home insurance policies have these sort of optional addons.

jjnorthnorfolk

Typist said:

Still seems odd to me - have never had Insurance refused before and first time had question of do you have oil fired central heating. A puzzle.

I’ve just come across this for first time too. I did not add boiler cover or emergency home cover. However after clicking through link on comparison site, LV ask if the home is heated by gas or oil - I clicked oil.... 
LV then says sorry, but they don’t insure those with oil central heating.
No other options presented, so no LV for me!

...and yes, I did go back and check that I hadn’t asked for boiler cover or emergency home cover...

dunstonh

We were just talking about this in the alternative fuels section.  It's not a common question and most don't ask it but a few of the budget end providers do.     So, probably a lucky escape as you don't want a budget plan if you have to claim on the policy.

KathyWootton

Yes, I've just experienced this problem with LV - I wish I had seen this thread first as it would have saved me wasting a lot of time.  It's a pity LV don't state their ridiculous policy at the outset.

happymand

Hi
Did anyone manage to get home insurance with oil fired central heating?  We are finding it very frustrating as we've managed to insure in the past for £400-500 a year and now the only quote we've managed to get is over £1,500 and this is only for building insurance.  How on Earth do rural properties manage to get insurance as not everyone can get a gas supply?  

TELLIT01

I'm guessing, but maybe there are higher environmental charges in the event of an oil tank leaking than there have been in the past.  Easiest way for an insurer to avoid what they perceive as a high risk is simply to refuse to insure it.

sheramber

I lived in a rural area where many had oil fired central heating.  Most seemed to use NFU Mutual.