Insurance Company not honouring policy T&Cs
Discussion
It’s a tricky one but will keep story short. My house was destroyed by a fire last year. Following brief investigation insurance company accepted liability and the claim process started to rebuild our house. The process has been argumentative and slow but we are now on the contract tendering phase. They have said that we may be underinsured but never provided any evidence of that. On the other hand we can prove we insured the house in good faith and used both a surveyor and industry standard rebuild calculator to set insured rebuild cost. This is something on going.
The main issue for us at present is that they are not renewing the tenancy on the rented house making us homeless come January. Their T&Cs clearly state that they are liable to cover alternative accommodation to a similar standard to our house until the house is rebuilt or up to 10% of insured value. Well the house is not been built yet and by January 2018 we would only have used about 5% of that 10% limit.
We feel they live above the law and just do and say whatever they want without ever backing any of their actions with facts. Matter of under insurance is just based on one person opinion no actually measurements of property, it’s just a sentence on a letter. The accommodation is baffling us, any help appreciated on how to proceed. We have already put a complaint about claim handling, underinsurance to the FOS but their investigation has not started yet.
We have our own loss adjusters but would it be more effective a direct phone call from us to the insurers to understand their reasons? Taking it the court way seems the only option but I doubt we can afford top solicitor against a powerhouse such as the insurance company.
We don’t know what else to do but this is very stressful on my young family, any experiences or any one that understands the law to gives a tip in the next step? Newspapers?
Thank you
The main issue for us at present is that they are not renewing the tenancy on the rented house making us homeless come January. Their T&Cs clearly state that they are liable to cover alternative accommodation to a similar standard to our house until the house is rebuilt or up to 10% of insured value. Well the house is not been built yet and by January 2018 we would only have used about 5% of that 10% limit.
We feel they live above the law and just do and say whatever they want without ever backing any of their actions with facts. Matter of under insurance is just based on one person opinion no actually measurements of property, it’s just a sentence on a letter. The accommodation is baffling us, any help appreciated on how to proceed. We have already put a complaint about claim handling, underinsurance to the FOS but their investigation has not started yet.
We have our own loss adjusters but would it be more effective a direct phone call from us to the insurers to understand their reasons? Taking it the court way seems the only option but I doubt we can afford top solicitor against a powerhouse such as the insurance company.
We don’t know what else to do but this is very stressful on my young family, any experiences or any one that understands the law to gives a tip in the next step? Newspapers?
Thank you
Sorry to hear that. I had a fire claim in 2009. Thankfully on a commercial and not my house. The solicitors I used took it on by way of conditional fee agreement with after the event legal cover which made it affordable. It took three years in the High Court but we won in the end.
If you can afford it, I would stay in the rented accommodation but put the insurers on notice that they are in breach of policy and that you intend to claim it from them at the end.
If you can afford it, I would stay in the rented accommodation but put the insurers on notice that they are in breach of policy and that you intend to claim it from them at the end.
It certainly isn’t us. They took 2 months to move us from an hotel room to a house. The only disagreement was on appointing a surveyor we didn’t want the one they wanted so wanted one that was impartial and got that but in no way explains the delay. All very annoying. We have been treated quite badly. In the end we just want our house reinstated, no more no less. We don’t want anything we didn’t have or anything we are not entitled too.
Their email format is:
Name.Surname@ageas.co.uk
Andy Watson is the CEO of Ageas
Francois-Xavier Boisseau is the CEO of Insurance at Ageas
Robin Challand - Claims Director. He is a a new appointment so might be more keen than others to solve your issues
Name.Surname@ageas.co.uk
Andy Watson is the CEO of Ageas
Francois-Xavier Boisseau is the CEO of Insurance at Ageas
Robin Challand - Claims Director. He is a a new appointment so might be more keen than others to solve your issues
Edited by Christmassss on Thursday 2nd November 15:58
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/com...
They are surprisingly effective if pushed but will do FA unless pushed.
They are surprisingly effective if pushed but will do FA unless pushed.
Do you actually want to stay in the insured property? If you don't have any particular emotional attachment it might be an idea to ask them to buy the property from you. They win in that they don't have to continue paying your accommodation costs, get you off their backs insisting on this or that etc etc and get to finish the property how they like then sell it. You get cash and effectively become a cash buyer and hopefully in a new home pronto. Worth a try?
elanfan said:
Do you actually want to stay in the insured property? If you don't have any particular emotional attachment it might be an idea to ask them to buy the property from you. They win in that they don't have to continue paying your accommodation costs, get you off their backs insisting on this or that etc etc and get to finish the property how they like then sell it. You get cash and effectively become a cash buyer and hopefully in a new home pronto. Worth a try?
This would be my thought also, but it very much depends on who has made what commitments regarding the build (if already underway - last I saw OP was tendering?). Don't want to leave OP holding the proverbial baby here.Plus they'd need to have agreed the value.... which sounded like it was still in dispute?
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