House Insurance renewal. Previous subsidence.

caper7

Until last year I reinsured every year with Zurich. 
I simply had to pay whatever they offered because the house (inherited from parents) had 2 previous incidents of subsidence.
One in the mid 70's and one in the mid 90's
Both caused by trees. Trees removed, house repaired (not underpinned).
Last year, Zurich said they were no longer selling insurance directly and directed me to A Plan, now Howden insurance brokers.
I insured with them at £1600 approx, much higher than previous Zurich.
This year they say the previous underwriters aren't an option, and they've come back with a quote for nearly £3000.
Is there anything I can do? 
Different brokers? 

Additionally, if I were to sell the house I would have expected Zurich to be passed to the new owners previously, but where would I stand with this seemingly yearly broker situation?
Any advice most welcome. 

Annemos

My thoughts are, that now it has been many years since the last claim, then you can take a look at BIBA and do a search for a new broker that could source a policy for you. At perhaps a cheaper price. 

The new proposed one might need to see a new Structural Engineering report to demonstrate that the property is stable and has been stable for years. Also do a google/bing search on-line for non-standard Homes  "insurance for homes that have had Subsidence". 


https://www.biba.org.uk/



Please see the attached FOS case which discusses some of the guidelines. I an not sure where you stand? Should Zurich have actually done more to find you an Insurer that would guarantee ongoing cover into the future, not just for one year? (Maybe that is not possible in practice? This case concerns Society of Lloyds and they have access to more Underwriters in their own Market Place.) 

Also in this case there is also a bit about if the property is sold, but it is not very clear if that primarily applies to a claim that is still ongoing. (In this case the claim is actually still ongoing.) 

When an insurer accepts a subsidence claim, its best practice for it to offer a renewal to its policyholder, including ongoing subsidence cover. And to extend that offer to a potential purchaser of the house when the time comes. That avoids policyholders and/or potential buyers finding themselves unable to secure subsidence cover at a reasonable cost on the open market. As the claim will now be accepted, SOL should ensure the underwriter offers ongoing subsidence cover to Mr H and to a potential purchaser in the future, in line with best practice. 



In any case, as the previous claims are now quite old, I have read cases where the FOS first looks for evidence to show that you were not able to get a policy anywhere else. (As is often the case with ongoing claims and more recent claims.) So I think the FOS would now be expecting you to show you made good efforts to source your own policy. 


Also unfortunately, I think this is why it is often said, that a property which has had a Subsidence claim in the past, may have to be sold at a lower sales price, due to the additional cost of getting Insurance. 

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decision/DRN-3897491.pdf

LearningToBePassive

Have a look at AXA home insurance.  Their quote has only one relevant question which is "Has your home experienced subsidence, ground heave or landslip in the last 10 years?" to which I think you could honestly answer "No".