Advice pl. Keys stolen from unlocked house. Car on rd outside boundary stolen. Contents of car too

lazydave

So that went OK I think.  I raised the away from home element and he said that the FOS would not be convinced by that, but couldn't offer a qualifying distance from home either.  I asked if I was covered and he said he thought I was, but that could have been a response to get the call done.  Unfortunately his Teams kept freezing so hard the call including that conversation was unrecorded.

Weighty1

WhiskersTheWonderCat said:

Unless it's a common occurrence that you leave the door unlocked (by accident or otherwise), it seems extremely unlikely that the one time you accidentally leave the door unlocked, is also the time that a thief happens to try your front door in the night.  

This happened to me about 12-years ago.  A neighbour about 5-6 doors away had a wayward son who was a drug addict and he'd just happened to try my door, let himself in and helped himself to various things.  Who is to say that these people aren't trying the same doors every night rather than *only* on the niight it was lef unlocked?

DullGreyGuy

lazydave said:

So that went OK I think.  I raised the away from home element and he said that the FOS would not be convinced by that, but couldn't offer a qualifying distance from home either.  I asked if I was covered and he said he thought I was, but that could have been a response to get the call done.  Unfortunately his Teams kept freezing so hard the call including that conversation was unrecorded.

Must admit I missed that part of your of the previous posts...

1) What is the definition of Home in your policy book?

2) In the PP clause you quoted was the word Home highlighted, capitalised, bold, italics or anything else to suggest it was using the defined term?

3) Was the vehicle within your property boundary at the time or on the road?

If "away from" is not defined in the policy book then its a plain English interpretation which means 1mm is as good as 1,000 miles.

As to the interview... glad it went ok. whilst those of us that work in insurance are painted as two headed ogres that enjoy nothing more than eating babies and declining claims the reality is KPIs are about making the right decisions  and you can lose your bonus for declining claims that should be paid (rather than the urban myth that we get rewards)

lazydave

DullGreyGuy said:

lazydave said:

So that went OK I think.  I raised the away from home element and he said that the FOS would not be convinced by that, but couldn't offer a qualifying distance from home either.  I asked if I was covered and he said he thought I was, but that could have been a response to get the call done.  Unfortunately his Teams kept freezing so hard the call including that conversation was unrecorded.

Must admit I missed that part of your of the previous posts...

1) What is the definition of Home in your policy book?

2) In the PP clause you quoted was the word Home highlighted, capitalised, bold, italics or anything else to suggest it was using the defined term?

3) Was the vehicle within your property boundary at the time or on the road?

If "away from" is not defined in the policy book then its a plain English interpretation which means 1mm is as good as 1,000 miles.

As to the interview... glad it went ok. whilst those of us that work in insurance are painted as two headed ogres that enjoy nothing more than eating babies and declining claims the reality is KPIs are about making the right decisions  and you can lose your bonus for declining claims that should be paid (rather than the urban myth that we get rewards)

Hi DullGreyGuy.  

1) Home in my policy is defined as:

The main building which you live in, garages which are part of or attached to the main building, and outbuildings all within the boundaries of the address shown on your schedule. The maximum size of your home in total should not exceed 250 square metres

All of the home must be at the same address in the United Kingdom and must be used by you and your family for domestic or business administration purposes.

2) In the personal possessions cover section home is in bold.  It states:

We will cover up to £2,000 per item for loss, theft, damage or accidental damage to your personal possessions while they are:

a)  temporarily away from your home anywhere within the United Kingdom for up to 60 consecutive days, or

b)  temporarily away from your home anywhere in the rest of the world for up to 60 consecutive days up to £1,000.

3) The vehicle was on the road and outside my boundary.  I cannot see a definition of away from in the policy.  I got the impression that it was his opinion it was not away from home, and he said the FOS would probably view it as home?!  I had to remind him a couple of times it was not on the driveway.  In my statement it says it was parked on the road and is normally parked near to my home (not AT home)

Fundamentally though he talked as though it would be settled and when I asked if I was covered he skimmed the policy and said it looked like I was.  Not taking that for granted though until they have resolved my claim.

Thanks for your support and help

DullGreyGuy

The Home is defined only in terms of buildings and so as it was outside the buildings it was away from the Home. There could have been some argument if you were on your driveway and therefore probably within the plain English definition of what your home is (though its bold/italics so policy definition not plain English). Being outside the boundaries of your property then its damned close to your home/Home but is away from it by virtue of not being in it. 

I'd be highly confident in the ultimate outcome. 

WhiskersTheWonderCat

Weighty1 said:

WhiskersTheWonderCat said:

Unless it's a common occurrence that you leave the door unlocked (by accident or otherwise), it seems extremely unlikely that the one time you accidentally leave the door unlocked, is also the time that a thief happens to try your front door in the night.  

This happened to me about 12-years ago.  A neighbour about 5-6 doors away had a wayward son who was a drug addict and he'd just happened to try my door, let himself in and helped himself to various things.  Who is to say that these people aren't trying the same doors every night rather than *only* on the niight it was lef unlocked?

I know all parts of the country are different, but Jesus, if peeps are trying your door most nights, it's time to move to a safer area, or get security cameras up ASAP! 

lazydave

Update. Just had agreement from my insurance to pay in cash the amount claimed, less excess. Absolutely over the moon. I think it helped having the detailed list and finding all proofs I could. Listing them seemed enough. 

Thank you all for your help and support with this I really is hugely appreciated, and a massive weight off my mind

DullGreyGuy

lazydave said:

Update. Just had agreement from my insurance to pay in cash the amount claimed, less excess. Absolutely over the moon. I think it helped having the detailed list and finding all proofs I could. Listing them seemed enough. 

Glad you are happy with the outcome.

Insurers dont expect people to have every receipt for every item they own... its all about telling a convincing story... saying you have all the receipts for your Argos and H Samuels purchases but the other 50% of items were Cartier, Channel and Hermes but you have no receipts, photos, boxes etc is what really raises suspicions. 

cymruchris

lazydave said:

Update. Just had agreement from my insurance to pay in cash the amount claimed, less excess. Absolutely over the moon. I think it helped having the detailed list and finding all proofs I could. Listing them seemed enough. 

Thank you all for your help and support with this I really is hugely appreciated, and a massive weight off my mind

Glad you’ve managed to get a positive outcome, one that hopefully you won’t need to experience again any time soon. 

tealady

I know it's a bit late op but have you considered asking your local police about security marking your property?
Would smartwater or UV marking be suitable.
I would also take photos of your kit (and especially of any serial numbers).