Home Contents Insurance - relevance of questions

skray

I was seeking quotes for Content insurance only for a privately rented flat there are some questions like (from almost all insurers)

1.What are the external walls made from? (Brick/Stone/Concrete etc)

2.What is the roof made from? (Tile/Slate/Concrete etc). Whether roof has a slope or flat.

3.Which year was the property built?

4.Has your property ever been flooded?

5.How far from the nearest waterway?

etc

For Home Insurance I understand but I am wondering the relevance of these questions for Contents insurance. I have checked with both the management company and the agency I rented from - they do know the answers to these questions either. e.g. Agency is telling me the entire property was refurbished around 2012 but not sure when was originally constructed. Not able to confirm the material used in construction - and it is a 7 storey building the roof is not accessible to the tenants either.

The property is of type Halls Of Residence (originally Students accommodation - a number of studio flats on each floor with same configuration).

What is the consequence of answering these questions incorrectly - can this potentially invalidate any insurance claim? e.g. claims arising from theft or liability claim could be turned down because I incorrectly answered construction date, material of construction etc

Thanks in advance

Emmia

@skray you need to edit your first post in your other thread to remove the address.

Brie

It's all down to how likely damage to the building might cause damage to your contents.  So a flat roof might flood and water pour into your flat and require all your furniture/clothes/books to be replaced.

If your answers were wildly wrong (said it was a new build rather than Victorian) then it would invalidate a claim.  Ask the agent for a letter answering the questions and if they get it wrong then you can go back to them with a claim if the insurance company disallows something.  But frankly most of the answers will be irrelevant to a claim - other than the roof being flat or not if there's flooding!!  Easy enough to check by looking at the building from a bit of a distance or on google maps.

DullGreyGuy

skray said:

I was seeking quotes for Content insurance only for a privately rented flat there are some questions like (from almost all insurers)

1.What are the external walls made from? (Brick/Stone/Concrete etc)

2.What is the roof made from? (Tile/Slate/Concrete etc). Whether roof has a slope or flat.

3.Which year was the property built?

4.Has your property ever been flooded?

5.How far from the nearest waterway?

etc

For Home Insurance I understand but I am wondering the relevance of these questions for Contents insurance. I have checked with both the management company and the agency I rented from - they do know the answers to these questions either. e.g. Agency is telling me the entire property was refurbished around 2012 but not sure when was originally constructed. Not able to confirm the material used in construction - and it is a 7 storey building the roof is not accessible to the tenants either.

The property is of type Halls Of Residence (originally Students accommodation - a number of studio flats on each floor with same configuration).

What is the consequence of answering these questions incorrectly - can this potentially invalidate any insurance claim? e.g. claims arising from theft or liability claim could be turned down because I incorrectly answered construction date, material of construction etc

Thanks in advance

It's all about how likely your contents will get damaged... things like flood, storm etc cause damage to both the building and your contents. Heavy storm, flat roof collapses into your lounge then typically thats your TV, laptop, sofa etc all gone.

The rules around incorrect disclosures is in the CIDRA legislation, basically if you intentionally or recklessly give wrong answers the policy can be voided. If you carelessly give wrong answers then it comes down to if the insurer would have provided cover had the correct answer been given. 

user1977

Whether the roof is flat or not and (roughly) how old the building is don't really require technical knowledge. Things like old maps or planning applications can reveal when the building first appeared. Waterways are shown on maps, flooding is only what you're aware of, you don't need to interrogate local historians.

If you're genuinely stumped then post a photo of the building (or share the address) and people here can have an educated guess.

Emmia

user1977 said:

Whether the roof is flat or not and (roughly) how old the building is don't really require technical knowledge. Things like old maps or planning applications can reveal when the building first appeared. Waterways are shown on maps, flooding is only what you're aware of, you don't need to interrogate local historians.

If you're genuinely stumped then post a photo of the building (or share the address) and people here can have an educated guess.

The OP shouldn't share the address.