household insurance

[douglas670]

be careful, when i went to renew and told them about firearms they wouldnt renew the policy and i had to trawl around to find somewhere that does include firearms although i dont think the guy at the bank who offers insurance really understood it.
douglas

[dromia]

I have a total amount covered with a cap on the amount any individual firearm is worth. They have not asked for an inventory list.

For firearms your FAC would give proof.

Obsoletes it is worth having an inventory list.

I have such lists so that my wife has an idea of value in the event of my demise.

[Polchraine]

tacb..At this point your policy is probably a waste of money...as it is probbaly voidable in a claim.

NON disclosure is taken very seriously and it is NOT for you to decide it is important or not, that is an essence of insutrance in the UK.

There is no requirement to disclose guns on an insurance application - class them as sporting equipment with all risks. Then only identify any that are above the insurance company threshold.

How can they say "you did not disclose" when they have not specifically asked. DO they want people to disclose football boots? or the wifes "toy collection"?

[Christel]

Scenario...

If something shooting related caught fire and the house burned down, the insurance company was not made aware of the shooting related items, claim is rejected due to us not informing the insurance company. No house, no compensation.

I'll tell the insurance company.

[Polchraine]

Scenario...

If something shooting related caught fire and the house burned down, the insurance company was not made aware of the shooting related items, claim is rejected due to us not informing the insurance company. No house, no compensation.

I'll tell the insurance company.

The same could be said about an artists. They have stocks of turps and oil paints which burn nicely.

Are those declared?

[Christel]

I would hope so...

[Chuck]

polchraine, tacB, you do NOT need to be asked to disclose..you obviously are aware that these things pose a higher risk. Also it is NOT for you to decide if it is relevant or not, there is a Duty of Disclosure and that is legally binding on you. Also there is ubemeri fides..or utmost good faith!

As you have read,. some companies hike the price up and some refuse ergo, if you FAIL to disclose then you are in effect duping the company and they do NOT like that. To answer your question Tack, YES that IS correct...they can and most likely WILL bump your claim if they feel aggeived enough..your gamble but they usually win all round.

Simply, you have say a fire..the loss adjuster comes and looks around, he sees the gun cabinet..he reorts this to the insurer who checks your application. NADA, no mention. Now then the company ses this non disclosure and cancels your policy, WHY? Becaus eha dthey know about the guns they might have refused you outright, or charged a higher premium..point is the risk at the address IS different due to the presence pf guns. SO, even though the guns were NOt the subject of a claim the fact that the company was not holding yu on risk at the CORRECT premium is enough. In effect you failed to declare a marterial fact that COULD affect the risk..i.e they do NOT cover any risk where gns are stored. FACT! I only did this insurance stuff for 30 years so I am probably correct.

Insurance is a contract with an offer and acceptance...YOU offer to insure with the provider, they ACCEPT based on the info you provide..so if you "omit" info you have not made fair representnation to them of the risk in question.

The same applies to LIFE insurance..lie on that and you're stuffed.

Looker - v - law Union rock insurance company and

http://books.google.com.tr/books?id=SW7 ... ny&f=false

It's up t youi but polchraines version of events is not what i would bet on.....they are not simply sporting goods but items that would be classed as posing an additional risk of theft or even additional danger in event of a fire..how do you NOW what's going to happen. better a few quid etra premium than standing outside in your jammies after a total loss and a worthless insurance policy in your hand.

Play semantics all you like but you ARE gambling with the Insurance company..and they will win. The artists oils thing is a red herring, you keep spirits, cooking oil etc at home..all flammable.

[Primer]

Scenario...

If something shooting related caught fire and the house burned down, the insurance company was not made aware of the shooting related items, claim is rejected due to us not informing the insurance company. No house, no compensation.

I'll tell the insurance company.

You could end up with endless scenarios though unless you told the insurance company everything you have for example

Scenario

You have a cat or dog and it takes a leak on an electrical extension plug that then shorts and sets fire to the curtains nearby that then burns your house down, are you saying they won't payout if they didn't know you had a pet or extension leads?

Nowhere in my insurance documents does it mention having to disclose what belongings you have unless the single item value is over the standard limit, it only talks about keeping a seperate inventory with pictures and values in an alternative location incase of a claim, it does mention about maximum quantities of flammable liquids you are allowed to have in the house/garage but nothing about firearms.

You could contact your insurer and pose as a new customer and ask about firearms to see if they have any conditions.

[Polchraine]

The same can be said about a lot of hobbies ... where is the line drawn

[bobbob]

When we worked out the value of our firearms we decided to mention it to our insurers as our contents cover would need to be raised. After a lot of, "I'll have to talk to my supervisor" type comments, we were given a week to find another company. I spent hours reading through the small print and it didn't mention firearms anywhere.
One well known farming insurer wanted to send someone around to look at what we had, no thank you.
Eventually a company was recommended that specifically mentions shooting related items. Little pricey compared to some but our rifles are covered even when they leave the house.