homeprotect has supported UNLOCK, the National Association of Reformed Offenders, with the sponsorship of the charity’s new criminal record disclosure website.
Launched at the House of Lords today, the new website disclosurecalculator.org.uk, will enable millions of individuals who do have criminal convictions to instantly calculate which convictions are ‘spent’ under the Act, and which ones still need to be disclosed when applying for insurance.
“Getting back into society, including obtaining insurance if you have a conviction, can be difficult. And it is not just the ex-offender who struggles, it is their family too as they are required to declare if anyone in the household has an unspent conviction. However, it is not that easy for ex-offenders and their families to know if their conviction is spent or not, which is where the disclosure calculator can help” says David Walker, Managing Director of homeprotect.
More than 8 million people in England and Wales have a criminal conviction (approximately 16% of the adult population) and one in three men are convicted by the age of fifty-three. “These figures are significant but they simply do not translate into home insurance where only 2% of applicants actually disclose any convictions (equating to 12.5% of the ex-offender population)” explains Walker. “The lack of knowledge and understanding of when convictions are considered spent has been an on-going issue and we welcome the move by UNLOCK to help demystify the process for individuals”.
“Our aim is to educate ex-offenders, that disclosure of unspent convictions is necessary and that they can still get cover if they do. Not every insurance provider excludes ex-offenders. We want to show that the industry can adopt a fair, evidence-based approach to these convictions and disclosure will NOT mean a blanket refusal of cover. By demystifying the issues surrounding disclosure requirements, it will encourage uptake in cover by ex-offenders, who are no longer stymied by the application process.”
The stated aim of homeprotect is not to exclude anyone from being able to get cover and that includes ex-offenders. “With homeprotect we ask all the relevant questions as part of the online application process instead of tucking them away in the assumptions pages often found on many sites, we are able to automatically underwrite each conviction risk and enable most customers to obtain cover immediately.”
Walker believes that more insurers would target people with convictions if they had the systems to capture the data and respond online. “We know from our own experience that with the right systems and processes in place, the vast majority of this can be written automatically, providing immediate online access to millions of people who were previously excluded”.
By sponsoring UNLOCK’s calculator, homeprotect is aiming to create awareness of the issues surrounding insurance and convictions while increasing financial inclusion for ex-offenders. Walker concludes, “Whilst UNLOCK continues to remain impartial, we are proud to help support such a move as it should help the entire industry move the market on a step.”
More information about how homeprotect is helping people with convictions get a fair deal on home insurance