Home Insurance refund for a proper you no longer live in?

doriangay

Hi all,  Forum newbie here.

My flatmate isn't great with his finances and I've agreed to help him out. 

I've noticed he's been paying > £30 per month Home Insurance for a property he hasn't lived in for a year. 

We're going to cancel it, but I'm wondering if he'll have any chance at a refund for the past 12 months? 

Any guidance or advice on getting the money back is greatly appreciated  

The insurer is Home Protect, if that helps. 

born_again

All you can is ask. There is no right to receive a refund. Unless he had cancelled with them at the time and they have kept taking the payments.

Aylesbury_Duck

Make sure he actually cancels the policy with the insurer, rather than just cancelling the direct debit.  Doing only the latter doesn't cancel the policy.

born_again

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Make sure he actually cancels the policy with the insurer, rather than just cancelling the direct debit.  Doing only the latter doesn't cancel the policy.

Only incurs non payment charges...

macman

Very unlikely, but he has nothing to lose by trying.
Since that policy must have come up for renewal at some point in the last 12m, and yet he moved out 12m ago, he's either renewed it just after moving, or just before? Which does seem particularly forgetful....

Sandtree

macman said:

Very unlikely, but he has nothing to lose by trying.
Since that policy must have come up for renewal at some point in the last 12m, and yet he moved out 12m ago, he's either renewed it just after moving, or just before? Which does seem particularly forgetful....

Or he was on a paper based renewal and didn't set up a post redirection so the renewal quote went to the old address and the new occupiers just binned it.

macman

Possibly, though you would think that setting up a policy at the new address would serve as a reminder to cancel the old one...

powerful_Rogue

Also be aware that if he's still in contract, there might be an early cancellation fee.

spo2

macman said:

Possibly, though you would think that setting up a policy at the new address would serve as a reminder to cancel the old one...

You would think - but we still get renewals for the previous owners of our house. We've owned the house for over 6 years and they pay about twice what we do for buildings and contents and seemingly never notice

pbartlett

I do believe the policy is (and has been since you moved out) null anyway as you cannot insure something that you don't have an insurable interest in.

https://www.abi.org.uk/data-and-resources/tools-and-resources/glossary/insurable-interest/

Aylesbury_Duck

spo2 said:

macman said:

Possibly, though you would think that setting up a policy at the new address would serve as a reminder to cancel the old one...

You would think - but we still get renewals for the previous owners of our house. We've owned the house for over 6 years and they pay about twice what we do for buildings and contents and seemingly never notice

I've had something similar, with the previous owner having paid for locks, roof and vermin cover for years, at over £20p.m. and rising each year.  I've returned mail, emailed and called the insurer several times, to no avail.