My home and buildings has been cancelled

deedee66_2

Hello 

I hope someone can shed some much needed light on my problem 😫

I made a claim for a collapsed drain at the beginning of the year  . It cost me £1500 . I went through the insurance and they said it was fine however it all suddenly changed when they said I had something on my file from 2018. I purchased the house in Dec 2020 and the claim was from the previous owners who had discovered some subsidence at side of the garage which is not attached to the house . I was fully aware of this when I purchased the house and I was given all the relevant paperwork . 

When I made the claim for the collapsed drain , the insurance company claimed I had not told them about the subsidence! I went back and said I had evidence from a transcript of the webchat ! 

They then involved a loss adjuster who called me several weeks later and asked if they could come and visit the property which I said yes to . She asked some questions about the drain but I felt like she was trying to catch me out ! I then get an email stating that they have done a drive by!

I have received a letter today telling me that my insurance has been cancelled 😡 

No explanation . I have tried calling and I’m getting passed from pillar to post . I have managed to get a little insight from one agent who said it was that I didn’t declare the subsidence .

I’m 57 years old and not stupid ! Why would I hide this! 

I am so angry . I’ve emailed , asking for a full explanation as to why it’s been cancelled but in the meantime I  now need to get another insurer .

Should I seek legal help too? 

Dee

DullGreyGuy

What was the chat about?

Presumably they advised it didnt need to be declared?

deedee66_2

The webchat was in 2021 when I went to renew my insurance and I have an email transcript of the conversation.
I have asked for the telephone transcript from Dec 2020 which is when I moved into the house and got the insurance . I clearly told the agent about the subsidence as I was bracing myself for the hike in the premium but was pleasantly surprised when she gave the quote . Well surprise surprise,  I have been told this evening that they cannot send me the transcript from Dec 2020 as they had a cyberattack in 2021 and deleted everything ………

deedee66_2

I am so annoyed 😠 I have now started getting quotes to cover the house and because I am deemed as having insurance cancelled the premium has shot up ………😡

DullGreyGuy

deedee66_2 said:

The webchat was in 2021 when I went to renew my insurance and I have an email transcript of the conversation.
I have asked for the telephone transcript from Dec 2020 which is when I moved into the house and got the insurance . I clearly told the agent about the subsidence as I was bracing myself for the hike in the premium but was pleasantly surprised when she gave the quote . Well surprise surprise,  I have been told this evening that they cannot send me the transcript from Dec 2020 as they had a cyberattack in 2021 and deleted everything ………

What is your recollection of the 2020 conversation? Did they say it had been recorded? That it didn't count as an outhouse? What did the policy docs say when they arrived after?

Why did you question it in 2021? What does the transcript say?

Ultimately you need to register a complaint about the cancellation. The fact they cannot disprove what was said with a call recording is more likely to be to your advantage than disadvantage however the whole story has to be considered and so much more detail would be required to understand the prospects.

[Deleted User]

Make an official complaint. If that doesn't go anywhere, you can then escalate it to the FOS. It will take a long time though.

huckster

Or you could look to take to court, if a claim is not being paid, so you have suffered a loss. But get some legal advice.

Webchat does not appear a satisfactory way of communicating important information about an Insurance risk. 

Not sure the way the Insurance has been transacted by both parties is sufficient to safeguard interest of either side.

Data Protection subject access request to Insurers for all records should submitted.

dunstonh

If they are cancelling the policy as they would not offer cover, then they should refund your premiums from inception.   That is unless they feel you intentionally misled them.

As mentioned in posts above, go to complaint.  

Smithcom

deedee66_2 said:

Hello 

I hope someone can shed some much needed light on my problem 😫

I made a claim for a collapsed drain at the beginning of the year  . It cost me £1500 . I went through the insurance and they said it was fine however it all suddenly changed when they said I had something on my file from 2018. I purchased the house in Dec 2020 and the claim was from the previous owners who had discovered some subsidence at side of the garage which is not attached to the house . I was fully aware of this when I purchased the house and I was given all the relevant paperwork . 

When I made the claim for the collapsed drain , the insurance company claimed I had not told them about the subsidence! I went back and said I had evidence from a transcript of the webchat ! 

They then involved a loss adjuster who called me several weeks later and asked if they could come and visit the property which I said yes to . She asked some questions about the drain but I felt like she was trying to catch me out ! I then get an email stating that they have done a drive by!

I have received a letter today telling me that my insurance has been cancelled 😡 

No explanation . I have tried calling and I’m getting passed from pillar to post . I have managed to get a little insight from one agent who said it was that I didn’t declare the subsidence .

I’m 57 years old and not stupid ! Why would I hide this! 

I am so angry . I’ve emailed , asking for a full explanation as to why it’s been cancelled but in the meantime I  now need to get another insurer .

Should I seek legal help too? 

Dee

Who is the insurer?    Hopefully, it's a well-known and reputable company, who will be amenable to 'doing the right thing' 

Sometimes, a letter to the Chief Executive will carry some weight.

Have a look at CIDRA Regulations (and past FOS decisions re misrepresentation).  Might be of assistance

This is a massively serious problem, not least disclosure of previous cancelled insurance.

Good luck.  Hope you get it sorted

SC

 

[Deleted User]

huckster said:

Or you could look to take to court, if a claim is not being paid, so you have suffered a loss. But get some legal advice.

Webchat does not appear a satisfactory way of communicating important information about an Insurance risk. 

Not sure the way the Insurance has been transacted by both parties is sufficient to safeguard interest of either side.

Data Protection subject access request to Insurers for all records should submitted.

Web chat is often the best way to communicate with them. It's clear and you can keep a copy for your own records.

If they don't pay enough attention to it, that's their problem.

deedee66_2

Thanks for all your comments and advice . I know if I could get a transcript of the phone conversation from 2020 , they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on ! 

I am so fed up with how companies feel that they can do what they want! 

I have had a refund but I’m more angry about the fact that they are saying I didn’t disclose the subsidence when I clearly did . 

It was one call insurance who are the brokers and the insurers were Integra .