Home insurance cancelled! Any suggestions?

Munchkinsmum

We are having some building work done - removing a lot of old and damaged things such as a rotten balcony, broken porch, unusable bathroom - and moving a toilet, removing one wall, and putting up some stud walls and doors. We've hired a builder, have a contract and so on.

It never occured to me to contact our insurance (first time ever with building work) so admittedly a week late I've phoned them to say work is being done and they've said they won't insure us now so they're cancelling our policy and we need to find new insurance.

A bit shocked, I was just expecting them to charge us extra! Any suggestions who to go with? We are only expecting work to continue for another three or so weeks.

DullGreyGuy

You are generally in the space of specialist insurers for renovation insurance and so dealing with local brokers. 

What insurers consider "major works" however does vary and so some may consider you under their standard policy, especially after the wall has been removed which appears to be the one real structural piece you are having done. 

elsien

What reason did they give for the cancellation? Just wondering if they’ve  misunderstood something about the work that you’re doing and that the house isn’t habitable at present?

Munchkinsmum

They asked, so I listed what is being done. They asked if we were still living in the property to which I said yes, and how long it was going on for so I said around another 3 weeks. 

Are we better seeking specialist insurance for the following few weeks and starting with a new policy after? I've just done a quick search on one of the generic sites and the quotes are over twice what we currently pay (and obviously there's only a couple more weeks of work left!) I've just removed 'having building work done' as ticked and it has gone from three insurance providers to 53, although the lowest price admittedly is still halfway between the two

bluelad1927

You may have also inadvertently given yourself another problem. You will now have to declare that you have had an insurance policy cancelled whic may also reduce the number willing to insure or increased future premiums.

Not sure about home insurance but with motoring the question is 'ever' and so affects any future insurance

DullGreyGuy

elsien said:

What reason did they give for the cancellation? Just wondering if they’ve  misunderstood something about the work that you’re doing and that the house isn’t habitable at present?

Removing a wall will be beyond the appetite of most standard home insurers. If its habitat or not is irrelevant. 

bluelad1927 said:

You may have also inadvertently given yourself another problem. You will now have to declare that you have had an insurance policy cancelled whic may also reduce the number willing to insure or increased future premiums.

Not sure about home insurance but with motoring the question is 'ever' and so affects any future insurance

This is unlikely to have to be declared... in the ideal course of things the OP would have called before starting the works and be told the policy would have to be cancelled if they go ahead with the works. So effectively by choosing to do the work you've chosen to cancel your insurance rather than your insurers cancelling it on you. 

Appreciate in this case the OP told them after works had commenced but its not the same as the insurer having found out for themselves and voided the policy for non-disclosure. I strongly suspect this will be treated in the same way as if they had contacted them in advance and effectively a PH cancel rather than Insurer cancel