Home Insurance...grrrr!!!

Has anyone ever been successful in a home insurance claim?

I've been with the same company for 9 years now and have only ever called them 4 times, each time I have been told that my policy does not cover it.

Honestly, what is the point of home contents insurance unless you buy the most expensive policy (which I can't afford) it doesn't seem to have any benefit for the £400 I pay per year!!!!

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Comments

  • I've never had to claim myself, but my parents claimed quite a hefty amount for subsidance, which not only included the structural work but complete re-decoration of their lounge afterwards.

    That was a good 10 years ago, though, so perhaps policies have changed since then and insurers are making it more difficult to claim.

    Edit: Obviously my parents' claim wasn't 'contents', so perhaps I've not really answered the OP.

  • I'm just being really grumpy as I'm an honest policy holder never trying anythng on so when I have a genuine claim I get annoyed being told it isn't covered for whatever reason. I'll get over it.
  • I claimed for a fair bit of stuff many years ago when I was burgled. Only partly makes up for it though!
  • Just had daughter's iPod replaced on home insurance (I washed it).  Also 3 glass doors over the years, lost stone from engagement ring and split cold water tank image
  • Why have home contents insurance at all? I 'self insure'.

    By now you would have had 9 x £400 = £3,600 sitting in a bank somewhere to cover any problems. Sorry I know this is no help to you now!

    I do wonder why people automatically think they must have contents insurance. I've been told I'm crazy for not having it! On average you are always going to get less money out than you put in; you have to cover the insurance companies expenses not to mention any fraudulent claims people are making.

  • Hmmm. It's a question of confidence over risk. You could find yourself having to cover massive costs that your 'saved' money won't come close to meeting.... But, yes, it's a choice.
  • I've had ceramic hob replaced after I dropped a knife on it and it cracked and shower repaired after the water froze one really cold winter.  I think the contents bit of mine is only around £200 pa and then same again for the actual buildings cover.

    I would self insure if I thought I was only ever going to have small one off claims but the thought of having to start from scratch if place burnt to the ground would be easier at the thought of getting a  huge cheque rather than what I'd managed to save up.

  • Kryten wrote (see)

    Why have home contents insurance at all? I 'self insure'.

    By now you would have had 9 x £400 = £3,600 sitting in a bank somewhere to cover any problems. Sorry I know this is no help to you now!

    I do wonder why people automatically think they must have contents insurance. I've been told I'm crazy for not having it! On average you are always going to get less money out than you put in; you have to cover the insurance companies expenses not to mention any fraudulent claims people are making.

    Kryten yes I partly agree and often think if I had just saved that money I would be able to replace those things.

    On second look the £400 covers buildings and contents.

    The question is do I cancel the contents and just save the money - seems wiser as in 9 years I've called only 4 times and none of my claims were accepted.

  • Couple of years ago some nimrod stole MrANTB's bike and tried to get mine away too. In the process they took the back wheel and completely trashed the gears and rear brakes. Insurance paid out for a new bike for MrANTB, but not the damage to mine. Repairing my bike cost more than replacing MrANTB's. I was not a happy customer.
  • if you're a homeowner it seems daft not to have contents insurance, if you rent then possibly it is less important, depends on if your possessions are nickable and valuable
  • My insurers couldn't have been more helpful when we were burgled last year - claim settled with no evidence required (probably because it was small) and window fixed very quickly.
  • I guess its a choice between accepting a certain amount of risk (not having insurance) and knowing that you are paying out more than you will get back on average (having insurance).

    To be honest I probably don't have a lot of valuable things and the most expensive are probably two big sofas that are definitely not very steal-able. (If anyone wants to steal my 15 year old TV then feel free. I will help you carry it to your car.)

    Edit: £400 is not nearly so bad if its for contents and buildings insurance, you obviously need the buildings.

  • M.ister WM.ister W ✭✭✭
    You'd be surprised at how much stuff you own.  All it takes is a fire and it's all gone.  Clothes, carpets, furniture, cooking utensils, tools, bikes, CDs etc.
  • S'true. I remember adding it all up. Scary. Plus, if the kids were burned to death, I'd want some money. Did I just say that?
  • or if you live in a flat, the person above you having a burst pipe
  • Wheeeho a fire, getting rid of all the baggage...image Hmmm need to put the matches down, and stop giving me ideas you naughty people above.

    I have contents and life insurance for £160 a year, mainly got it because I own a bike in London.

  • WombleWomble ✭✭✭
    I was surprised how straightforward it was claiming when my bike was stolen. I also claimed for a leaking shower tray on my buildings insurance and that was fairly easy too.
  • I know my bikes aren't covered, costs more to insure them, way way WAY More!!
  • I would never be without insurance...you just don't know what could happen...personally I've claimed when we had an ongoing leak in our kitchen and the units got ruined...result...new kitchen, including white goods!! Literally replaced the whole thing!

    (Endsleigh have been really good)
  • WilkieWilkie ✭✭✭

    I've never had to claim on my insurance in over seven years, but it's only cost me about £60 a year, and I'd certainly get that back if there were a fire.

    I know other people who've claimed for burglary, etc., and not had a problem.  I guess either you have a very restrictive policy AL, or have just been very unlucky.

    You might want to separate the contents from the home insurance, and get a few different quotes.

  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭
    we've recently had to make a claim following P's handbag being stolen - iphone, car & house keys, bag, wallet, money, ancillaries....all those added up to not far short of a grand.....

    the insurance paid up OK bar for the car keys, which we had to claim on the car policy who then insisted on having the locks changed as the car was no longer secure....a lot more faff than needed but the deed is doing. bollocks to doing that with the 2nd vehicle keys - I'm not bothering declaring it as the hassle will be greater - I'll just replace the keys which will cost less than the XS anyway.



  • My manbag was stolen and I claimed that it contained the Lost treasure of the Incas.

    Claim rejected, the weaselling bastards.

  • well my cat's blood all over the carpet was rejected - not covered for accidents by pets!
  • Kryten wrote (see)

    Why have home contents insurance at all? I 'self insure'.

    By now you would have had 9 x £400 = £3,600 sitting in a bank somewhere to cover any problems. Sorry I know this is no help to you now!

    I do wonder why people automatically think they must have contents insurance. I've been told I'm crazy for not having it! On average you are always going to get less money out than you put in; you have to cover the insurance companies expenses not to mention any fraudulent claims people are making.


    Of course if you'd been burgled or had a fire or flood in the first year then you would only have had £400 to spend.

    I used to think along similar lines, thinking that insurance was an expensive option and that I didn't actually need much cover, but then I decided to insure my fishing tackle and learnt a lesson. I had loads of individually expensive rods & reels, but when I actually came to price it all up I discovered that the small 14x14x4 plastic box that held all the little bits and pieces like line, floats, weights, hooks etc was by far the most valuable thing. Nothing in it cost more than a couple of pounds individually, but added together it was well over £1000, far more than any other item.

    The thing is people tend to think of insurance in terms of the things that cost a good chunk of money to buy like furniture, electicals, white goods and individually expensive items like jewelary, cameras, watches etc. The fact is however that it's often the small stuff that makes up a good proportion of what it would cost to rekit a house. Lets's suppose something happened that meant all your clothes got destroyed. Even for the average person that could easily be several thousand pounds to replace it all. Heck, your running gear could easily be pushing a thousand if you add up the different pairs of trainers, jackets, tops, shorts, tights, socks etc. Got CDs, DVDs or books? 20 of each could be a grand to replace, and a lot of people have far more than that (heck, along with the vinyl mine would cost well over £100k retail to replace). What art have you got on the walls or sitting on the mantlepiece? Even if nothing exceeds £100 if you have a couple of picures in every room then you could be nearing £1000. How much would all your towels and bed linen cost to replace? How much to replace all your kitchen utensils? Got custom-fit curtains? There's another £1000 to replace them all. It really does mount up! I've been paying insurance for over 25 years, but the premiums I've paid are still a fraction of what it would cost to replace all my contents.

  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭
    "Nothing in it cost more than a couple of pounds individually, but added together it was well over £1000, far more than any other item."

    yep - similar with a rucsac that was stolen on a biking holiday some years ago. when you added up the price of the bag, bike gloves, camera, keys, coat etc it came not far short of £1K. what the insurers couldn't replace though was 3 rolls of film - over 100 35mm slides if developed - that also went. that was the worst part of the loss from my perspective.
  • al - just a thought: are you covered for accidental damage? It sounds like that's the sort of claim where you've had issues with the insurance company. I've just been renewing my insurance and specifically do not have accidental damage cover.
  • £1000 for made to measure curtains?? Really?

    I kept the receipt for my sewing machine, on the basis that it cost the same as a second hand car, and I didn't want the insurance company replacing it with a cheap nasty version. I got a major fright a while ago when I measured my fabric stash...over 250 metres...at an average of £8 a metre. image

    When we were burgled many years ago, I found it was the smaller thing which added up, all our CDs etc rather than expensive jewellery (luckily I was wearing my 2 expensive rings when we were turned over)

  • SoVeryTired wrote (see)
    al - just a thought: are you covered for accidental damage? It sounds like that's the sort of claim where you've had issues with the insurance company. I've just been renewing my insurance and specifically do not have accidental damage cover.

    yes on questioning what I am actually covered for I do not have accidental damage. I have now paid for this for the remainder of the year (my son has already put his ipod in the washing machine) so now I am covered for things like that but nothing away from home.

    So anything damge /lost/stolen even IN my garden does not count - was too expensive to get that too!! And I am not covered by anything damaged by pet!!

  • best to check what the excess is as some companys move it up on renewal........

    I have recently had 2 bikes stolen from the shed..........I had just changed insurance companes a couple of months earlier so was expecting hassle..............no hassle at all .they were great .even asking if I had things like bottle cages or lights on the bike so i could claim for these if I had..............i wouldn't have even thought of claiming for these things.........the bikes were 3 years old and my road bike had done a fair few miles   receipt for the trek was for £500...and they have given us £800 for a new bike................I have been well impressedimage

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