According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), UK home insurers paid out a record £4.6 billion to homeowners from Q1-Q3 2025.1 Despite this high level of payouts, public opinion of the insurance industry is not always positive. Most of this stems from the experience of making a claim, which for many homeowners has proved to be a difficult experience.
In this article, we explain how a difficult claims experience or having a claim refused can often be the result of circumstances to which healthcare professionals balancing a demanding profession with a busy home life are all too susceptible. Getting the help of a reputable broker to arrange your Home Insurance can save time and potentially reduce the worry of protecting your property properly.
Miles Brown, Team Leader – Private Client, gives his thoughts on why online ‘quick quotes’ can pose difficulties in the long term:
With the number of Home Insurance policies available online and the ease of access, it is understandable that this is the ‘go-to’ option for many healthcare professionals. Online quotes are designed to make buying insurance straightforward, promoting quick and cheap solutions, but they have arguably given many policyholders a false sense of security. This often results in the purchase of a policy that the buyer simply hasn’t had time to properly research.
On the face of it, the quote may seem like the best deal – a good price and all the headline features/cover values you would want – but behind standard features such as Accidental Damage and Legal Expenses, policies can vary considerably from one insurer to the next. Not realising a particular feature or benefit is missing, or that there is a requirement you must adhere to for your claim to be paid, can and does result in policy holders suffering a significant financial loss.
- Non-disclosure
As a policyholder, it is your responsibility to tell your insurer about anything that might affect the contract. There are several factors that are often overlooked or unknowingly misrepresented; examples include:
- Total value of your contents and/or valuables
Even if your policy states it provides unlimited cover there will be ‘inner limits’ such as for valuables and high-risk items, that you must adhere to. If the value of your possessions exceeds any of the policy limits, you must tell your insurer. For example, you might keep and work from a home computer which links to work IT systems, or you take a laptop used for work to your home. Depending on the make and model of your laptop, the value of your contents might increase to reflect this addition. Bear in mind that theft of a laptop or computer linking to your dental practice IT systems can also lead to loss of valuable data which a Cyber Insurance policy can cover. Think: Contents Insurance for your computer(s) and Cyber Insurance for your practice’s data. Many people think valuables and high-risk items only encompass jewellery and watches, but it will also include camera equipment, household items made of precious metals such as silver or silver plate, pictures, paintings, prints, and, in some cases, will also include electronic equipment. When you account for the replacement value of all of the items your insurer classes as ‘Valuables’ or ‘High Risk Items’ (even if you wouldn’t actually replace them all); when totalled up, the final value can take you past the ‘Valuables’ limit.
- Property alterations
If you are having any type of renovation or building work done, you need to tell your insurer before works commence. If you have added an extension, for example, and failed to inform your insurer or broker you could be at risk of being underinsured. This could lead to only receiving a partial payout following a claim. The biggest issue you could face, however, if you fail to disclose works that are going to take place, is your policy may be invalid if an incident takes place whilst the work is taking place.
- Number of bedrooms
Even if you don’t use a bedroom as a bedroom, it must be declared. This is a major underwriting factor for many home insurers. If you have altered your property to include an office or a child’s nursery, you might believe that the number of bedrooms in your home has reduced. This is a common mistake to make but it can affect your claim, should you need to make one. If you declare the wrong number of bedrooms, your insurer might ask you to pay the deficit between what you have paid and what your premium would have been if you had declared the correct number of bedrooms. A worst-case scenario could be your insurer might reduce the claim settlement value or may decline the claim; it depends on what the insurer thinks is the reason for the incorrect disclosure.
- Failing to comply with a condition
Breaking with the terms and conditions of your policy can invalidate your insurance. Common examples of clauses you may need to be aware of include:
- Total of all High Risk/Valuable items
Policies typically have a limit on the maximum value of items in the home they consider ‘high risk items’ or ‘valuables’; even those that say the sum insured is ‘unlimited’. Even if you don’t wish to insure these items, you must allow for their presence and declare their total value if it exceeds this. Keep in mind also that their definition of ‘high risk’ or ‘valuables’ might extend to a lot more than just jewellery or watches.
- Single article limit
A ‘single article limit’ is the most the insurer will pay out for any one item. If you have any valuables, high-risk items, or items that exceed this limit they must be specified on the policy. Failing to do so could either result in a claim being restricted to the single article limit or possibly being rejected entirely.
- Security alarms
If you fail to set a security alarm when leaving your property (if you have a standard home insurance policy for example, and your insurer has requested the installation of an alarm or it isn’t mandatory but you have declared having an alarm anyway) – then failing to set it when leaving the property might mean you’re not covered for a theft claim; with some insurers requiring that the alarm I set at nighttime as well.
How confident are you in your cover?
If you are concerned as to how your insurer might react to a claim, seek professional advice from Lloyd & Whyte. Get the expertise from our Home Insurance team who can talk you through your existing policy and make any recommendations that may be applicable.
If you have doubts that a typical Home Insurance product might not quite fit your needs due to the value of your contents, home, or items of jewellery or artwork, and you want a more tailored solution, Lloyd & Whyte Private Client which specialises in High Value Home Insurance could be more suitable. If standard Home Insurance coverage works for you, please contact our Standard Home Insurance division.
