Home Emergency & Legal Cover - Be Aware

Charlestf

Having noticed a small damp spot on my living room ceiling, I contacted Admiral Home Emergency. They were unable to help as the issue had to be tracked and traced before they would assign a plumber. They wouldn't do the track and trace, however I later learnt my cover included track and trace. What I have also learnt is never to use my Buildings and Contents Insurance company's Home Emergency.
The incident was caused by an inch of grout that had come away from the tiling in the shower above the living room. I fixed the problem in 5 minutes and thought nothing of it until my Building & Contents Insurance came up for renewal. The premium had increased significantly. I therefore shopped around for a better quotation and found several like for like quotes at a much cheaper price. I then contacted the insurers to inform them I had over 16 years no clears but that there is an incident reported, not a claim. The so called loss had a value of £0.00. This incident was costing me between £80 and £150 a year in increased premiums. What I mistake I made by asking by asking Admiral if they could put me in touch with a plumber. That phone call, which was a complete waste of time as well, is going to cost me approximately £240 over 3 years, (3yrs x £80), possibly more. 
Surely, insurance companies should highlight the fact that by contacting their Home Emergency with a question, you are effectively making a claim and increasing your premium?

DullGreyGuy

The "problem" is that you are asked to declare losses irrespective of if you claim for them or not. Most people conveniently "forget" to mention things they haven't claimed for and deal with privately but if you contact your insurers it will be recorded and will be made available to other insurers. 

A Home Emergency claim will depend on what the issue is... call for a blocked toilet or a sparking plug socket and that won't be passed on to the Building's side unless you mention its overflowed or its caused a fire. 

Not sure why your title mentions Legal but the body doesn't but its similar but even more removed because many insurers do offer their own HE cover but most insurers sell a third party's LE cover and so you contacting them about an issue 1) is less likely to be a Home insurance issue and 2) is being dealt with by another insurer with totally separate systems. In principle if you complained your neighbour had flooded your home again it could be cross noted as a flood/EoW event but is less likely to be. Again irrespective you should be declaring it buy given it won't make it to CUE from your LE insurers most will again "forget"

Marvel1

Even asking a quesiton about making a claim - am I covered? Will increase it too and needs to declared.

qsk

I have used home emergency addon to my home insurance in the past for issues like water leak, broken boiler and pest. Never saw my home insurance affected.

Charlestf

Legal cover works in the same way. Ask a question about a pot hole for example and you get an incident noted on your policy that then increases the premium.

DullGreyGuy

Charlestf said:

Legal cover works in the same way. Ask a question about a pot hole for example and you get an incident noted on your policy that then increases the premium.

Assuming we are still talking about Home insurance then no, if you spoke to your home Legal Expenses insurers about a pothole then it wouldn't impact your Home insurance price. Home LE explicitly has an "advice line" which is separate to making a claim on the LE. Similarly even if your Home and Home LE were the same insurer using the same tools then pothole damage isnt an insured risk on Home insurance and so would be irrelevant to your Home premium in the same way you don't have to declare your car crashes or thefts to your Home insurer