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Refused Insurance

Quick to buy online

  • We cover customers that other companies won’t.
  • Buildings, contents and combined policies available.
  • Underwritten by AXA Insurance.
Emma Myrie

Written by

Emma Myrie

Insurance Underwriting Expert

Libby Goodsearles

Reviewed by

Libby Goodsearles

Head of Marketing

Less than 1 minute

Updated: 13 Mar 2024

Finding cover after a refusal to renew or a cancellation notice

When you start a quote, home insurance providers may ask whether you have ever had a policy cancelled or refused. You have a duty to answer the questions asked honestly and to the best of your knowledge. By answering ‘Yes’ truthfully, you will likely be asked several follow-up questions. This is so that your potential insurer can assess the risk to underwrite your policy and provide adequate cover.

Why would you be refused home insurance?

There can be several reasons for a refusal. for instance, if a high value claim has been paid or your circumstances have changed since the original policy was taken out. In some cases, an insurance provider may not be able to offer cover because you didn’t meet an underwriter’s criteria. It all depends on your personal and property circumstances.

Reasons you could be refused home insurance:

What to do when your home insurance is cancelled

It can be difficult to find cover from another provider after a refusal to renew or a cancellation notice but it is worth taking the following steps:

  • Speak with your insurer to find out why your policy has been cancelled.
  • Resolve the issue if possible and ask for your cover to be reinstated.
  • Make a complaint to your insurer in writing.
  • Contact the Financial Ombudsman if you think your insurer is not treating you fairly.
  •  If your current insurer does not reinstate the policy, contact a specialist insurance provider.

Your house insurance provider has the right to cancel your policy in certain circumstances, such as failed payments, fraud or failure to disclose a change in circumstances or a change to the property.

At Homeprotect we understand your situation and do not believe that you are uninsurable. We can provide a home insurance quote online in 97% of cases, even if you have been refused insurance in the past.

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What’s covered by BUILDINGS & contents insurance?

Home insurance provides financial protection if you need to repair your home or replace your belongings after they’ve been stolen, damaged or destroyed.

It comes in two parts: buildings insurance (cover against damage to the property itself) and contents insurance (for damaged or stolen items within the home). These can be combined or bought separately, so the first step is deciding which option is better for you.

What we offer

Quick home emergency response times

Have a home emergency, such as electricity failure, faulty locks or vermin infestation? With the 24/7 Home Emergency cover, which we provide as standard, you can typically get an engineer at your home within four hours. And if you’re worried about an uncontrollable leak in your home, we aim to have an emergency plumber to you within two hours.

Extreme weather conditions may extend response time. Policy terms and claim limits apply.

5 star rated buildings cover

Our building insurance has been given the highest rating by independent financial research companies, Defaqto and Moneyfacts.

Repair guarantee

Any buildings work we undertake is guaranteed for 24 months following a claim and any contents repair work we undertake is guaranteed for 12 months.

New for old

Where we replace an item, we will do our best to meet the original specification on a ‘new for old’ basis. If we can’t find an exact replacement, we’ll offer you a suitable alternative, or a full cash settlement.

Legal advice

We provide Legal Protection cover as standard, giving you access to telephone legal advice on any personal legal issue, under the laws of the UK, any European Union country, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Switzerland and Norway.

What isn’t included?

Damage cause gradually, or by wear and tear, or by failure to fix a known issue.

Faulty design or poor workmanship.

Damage caused by pets.

The cost of repairing or replacing items following a mechanical or electrical fault.

Lost items.

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buildings & Contents Insurance Cover Levels

Our home insurance is designed to protect your home against insured events such as fire, storm, flood, escape of water, theft, malicious damage, subsidence, landslip or heave.

Buildings cover

Covers the main structure of your home if you need to rebuild or repair it.

up to £1 million

(eligibility criteria applies)

Contents cover

Covering the value of all your possessions in the home, on a new for old basis.

from £25,000

Alternative accommodation

For you and your pets, in case you can’t live at your home while it’s being repaired after an insured event.

up to £85,000

Home emergency

Covers emergencies that occur in your home like uncontrollable water leaks, electricity failure, faulty locks and vermin infestation. Two levels of cover are available.

up to £500

Family legal protection

Provides a 24/7 legal advice helpline and up to £25,000 cover for claims involving contract disputes and property damage. For a claim to be successful, there must be reasonable prospects (more than a 50% chance) of winning the legal case. Two levels of cover are available.

up to £25,000

Trace and access

Covers the cost of detecting the source of a water or oil leak and repairing any damage caused in the process.

up to £10,000

Outbuildings cover

Covers rebuild or repair of your outbuildings (such as detached garages, greenhouses, sheds and summerhouses).

from £20,000

Liability cover

Liability cover involving accidental death, bodily injury or illness or property damage that you are legally liable to pay.

up to £5 million

Personal possessions

Cover for portable items that you take out of your home, like bags, clothes and sports equipment

Optional

Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home

Cover for electronic gadgets (e.g. mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc), bikes (including electrically assisted bikes) and valuables (e.g. watches and jewellery) that you take out of your home.

Optional

Accidental damage

Covers situations when unexpected accidents happen, such as spillages on the carpet, breakages around the house or drilling through hidden pipes. Two levels of cover are available.

Optional

New Customer?

If you’re deciding on whether to buy home insurance with us, you can use our latest policy booklets as a guide.

Existing Customer?

Your Questions Answered

There are no regulations around how long a homeowner can leave their property unoccupied. However, when it comes to purchasing vacant property insurance with Homeprotect, your home must have been unoccupied for more than 30 days.  

We are able to provide an online quote in the majority of cases, even for customers with convictions. However, if you are more comfortable speaking with one of our trained agents then they can discuss conviction types and the impact this might have on your home insurance.

There are a few things that we need to know in order to move your quote along:

  • The name of the criminal offence.
  • The year of conviction.
  • The year of offence (most recent offence related to the conviction).
  • Sentence type.
  • If a prison sentence: how many months?
  • If a fine: how much?
  • If community service: how many hours?
  • If conditional/unconditional discharge: how many months?

There are a huge number of non-standard materials being used in modern constructions, such as asphalt, concrete, timber, glass and steel. Older properties are also made with non-standard materials like wattle and daub or flint. When in doubt, check with a builder, surveyor or your home insurance provider.

Yes, business equipment is covered as standard under a Homeprotect Contents policy – up to £3,000 per claim. A higher claim limit can potentially arranged following referral to our underwriting team.

We define business equipment as equipment used to run your business, such as desktop computers, keyboards, monitors, office furniture, photocopiers, printers, routers.

Laptops, mobile phones and other electronic gadgets are also covered under a Homeprotect Contents policy, though these are not subject to the £3,000 claims limit.

Business tools (e.g. professional lawnmowers, kilns, power tools) and business stock are not covered as standard under a Homeprotect policy, though they can be potentially covered following referral to our underwriting team.

When you are refused insurance it means that the provider has decided not to provide cover for your property or belongings. This may be because you do not meet the terms of their underwriters, or it may be because of a change in your circumstances which means you are perceived to be a greater risk to insure.

When applying for insurance, if you do not, when asked, tell your insurer something that is relevant such as having a criminal conviction, then you could be refused house insurance.

If you have been declined insurance in the past then it is best to seek a home insurance quote from a specialist provider. Specialist home insurance providers are likely to better understand your needs and be able to cover your home and contents for a reasonable cost.

You must inform your insurance provider of changes to your home such as letting a room to lodgers, making structural renovations, installing a burglar alarm or door locks, leaving the house empty for more than 30 consecutive days.

View more FAQs

Additional Cover Options

Accidental Damage

The Homeprotect policy includes the option of Basic Accidental Damage, which covers electrical home entertainment equipment (such as desktop computers and monitors, DVD and Blu-Ray players, gaming consoles, home cinema systems, sound systems and TVs) up to £1,500 per claim. An upgrade …

Learn More

Legal expenses cover

The insurance policy includes Basic Legal Expenses cover which provides up to £25,000 for legal fees you may face for disputes associated with your home; such as ownership of the insured property; and the sale or purchase of the insured property. You can upgrade to Full Legal Expenses cover.

Learn More

Home emergency cover

The insurance policy includes Basic Home Emergency cover which provides cover for common home emergencies including burst pipes; failure of the domestic power supply (gas or electricity); and removal of pests or vermin. You can upgrade to Full Home Emergency to include cover for roof …

Learn More

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