For the past few years I have had building and contents home insurance with esure, but I missed the renewal email and my policy expired.
I had made a claim for a small subsidence problem at the end of 2022. This is ongoing – it has really dragged on – but is being dealt with.
When I called esure about a separate matter, it told me my policy had expired at the beginning of April.
I did not receive a renewal letter – there was an email, but it went into my junk mail and I missed it.
Esure says it cannot offer me a new policy directly, and points me towards using a price comparison site.
However, when I tick the box indicating a subsidence problem, I am told it is unable to cover me, as do many other insurers. I literally can’t give anyone my money.
MJ, by email
Subsidence is every homeowner’s nightmare, and members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which include esure, promise to work with policyholders to manage ongoing subsidence risk and maintain cover, though there may be some circumstances where this is not possible.
In keeping with the ABI guidance, esure did offer a renewal, but you missed the correspondence and, in doing so, opened yourself up to a world of pain. While you could get a contents policy (for a price), you could not get buildings cover.
Your dealings with esure were complicated by a systems upgrade which meant you could not buy direct and had to use a price comparison site where subsidence was a red flag. This is only temporary, with the option now restored for motor insurance and home due to return this summer.
After I alerted esure to your predicament, it contacted you and is offering a continuity policy, as well as to cover any cancellation charges you may face, which I think is a good outcome. The ball is now in your court to tie things up.
If esure had not done this, I would have suggested contacting a specialist broker able to arrange cover for properties that have suffered subsidence. You can find one via the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (Biba) on 0370 950 1790.
• And talking of insurance, on a separate note MW got in touch after I reported HJ’s Saga saga (the cost of the contents policy on his London flat had shot up by an eye-watering 220%).
“I’m afraid I can beat this by quite some margin,” MW says. “Last year I paid £365 for a buildings and contents policy, but my renewal is £2,040.
“We haven’t changed a thing or made a claim, yet the cost is up fivefold.
“Needless to say, we will be going elsewhere.”
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