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Top Home Insurance FAQs
We’ll send your renewal invitation at least 21 days before your policy is due to renew. This will be uploaded to your customer portal, unless you’ve chosen to receive documents by post only, in which case it will also be sent to you by post.
All annual policies will automatically renew unless you make us aware otherwise.
If you wish to stop your policy from automatically renewing, you can opt out prior to the renewal period via your customer portal. If you are within the renewal period, you can contact our renewals team either by live chat or calling the telephone number provided within your invite.
You can opt out through the customer portal or by contacting us. Do this at least 5 days before your renewal date.
Yes, changing your payment method is easy! Simply log into your account on the customer portal and visit the ‘view my renewal’ section. Here, you’ll be able to make the necessary changes in no time at all.
Whether your old card has expired and you would like to add a new card, or you’d like to change from paying annually to paying monthly you can do so in the ‘view my renewal’ section of the customer portal.
There are many factors that contribute to the cost of your insurance, so it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what has made your premium increase. Some factors are outside of our control, such as:
- Economic cycles
- Legislation and regulation decisions resulting in increased liabilities
- Political influences
- Cost of claims
However, if you have made any changes, received a motoring conviction or made a claim in the last 12 months then the new price will reflect the new risk details.
If you do need to make any changes to your policy, no matter how small, please contact us and we will make these changes to get you an up-to-date quote.
If you need to make a claim on your home policy you can contact one call claims on 0203 738 7300. Once you are connected with an agent , they will guide you on how we then proceed with the claim moving forward.
If you you need to use your home emergency you can contact One Call Claims on 0203 738 7340.
If you’re paying by a payment plan, such as a Direct Debit, and your premium has not been fully paid, you will be required to pay the outstanding balance.
If your premium was paid in full, you will not be refunded
You can make a variety of changes through the customer portal, including updating your address, payment details, levels of additional cover, and more.
Logging into the customer portal is the quickest and simplest way to manage these updates.
If you're paying by Direct Debit, you can update your payment date and account details by logging into the customer portal. This is the quickest and simplest way to make these changes
Whenever you make a change that could affect the price of your insurance, you'll be provided with a full breakdown of the costs.
If you're happy to proceed, you'll be guided through the changes step by step
If you make a change through the customer portal and it’s successful, you’ll receive immediate confirmation. Your documents will be updated within 24 hours, and a confirmation will be sent to the email address registered to your account
Yes, you can speak with one of our friendly agents who will be happy to help you make amendments to your policy. However, we encourage you to self-serve where possible. By making changes through the customer portal, you’ll receive a £18.50 discount on the administration charge and get immediate confirmation of your updates.
If you’re thinking about cancelling due to a change in circumstances, please contact our live chat team. They will be able to assist you with any updates to your existing policy or alternatively find you a brand new quote.
As an insurance broker, we have to manually perform a variety of security and integrity checks on behalf of our insurance providers for both home and motor insurance. Unfortunately, this does cost time and money to perform and starts as soon as you purchase the policy. The fee is charged by us as a broker to recover any costs incurred whilst settling the insurance, providing a service and cancelling the insurance.
We regularly review the cancellation fee and compare against our competitors. We also ensure the fee does not exceed the total cost of your insurance. You can view our charges here.
If you pay via monthly instalments using a premium finance provider, this does not mean you pay for your insurance on a rolling monthly basis.
Essentially, paying monthly means that you have agreed to take out a loan from the finance provider and pay this back over a 12 month contract.
Cancellations inside of the 14 day cooling off period are a total of the time you have been insured for calculated by the insurer and a set-up fee.
Cancellations outside of the 14-day cooling off period follow a set charge structure which takes into account our administration costs for arranging the policy and administrating the policy cancellation. You will be charged for any time on cover as calculated by your insurance provider; this is normally pro rata and an insurance fee, any broker charges, a cancellation fee and the cost of any additional products purchased.
Where you have paid your premium in full, we will let you know the amount you are due back. If you are paying by Premium Finance, you will need to pay a balance of the cancellation charges as set out above, once we have calculated how much you have paid.
Please note this cancellation is based on no claims being made within the policy term, if a claim is outstanding or settled as a fault claim then the insurance premium will be owed in full.
How do I cancel?
If you’re thinking about cancelling due to a change in circumstances, please contact our live chat team. They will be able to assist you with any updates to your existing policy or alternatively find you a brand new quote.
Why do I have to pay a cancellation fee?
As an insurance broker, we have to manually perform a variety of security and integrity checks on behalf of our insurance providers for both home and motor insurance. Unfortunately, this does cost time and money to perform and starts as soon as you purchase the policy. The fee is charged by us as a broker to recover any costs incurred whilst settling the insurance, providing a service and cancelling the insurance.
We regularly review the cancellation fee and compare against our competitors. We also ensure the fee does not exceed the total cost of your insurance. You can view our charges here.
I pay via premium finance, why do I owe money to cancel my policy?
If you pay via monthly instalments using a premium finance provider, this does not mean you pay for your insurance on a rolling monthly basis.
Essentially, paying monthly means that you have agreed to take out a loan from the finance provider and pay this back over a 12 month contract.
How is the cancellation calculated?
Cancellations inside of the 14 day cooling off period are a total of the time you have been insured for calculated by the insurer and a set-up fee.
Cancellations outside of the 14-day cooling off period follow a set charge structure which takes into account our administration costs for arranging the policy and administrating the policy cancellation. You will be charged for any time on cover as calculated by your insurance provider; this is normally pro rata and an insurance fee, any broker charges, a cancellation fee and the cost of any additional products purchased.
Where you have paid your premium in full, we will let you know the amount you are due back. If you are paying by Premium Finance, you will need to pay a balance of the cancellation charges as set out above, once we have calculated how much you have paid.
Please note this cancellation is based on no claims being made within the policy term, if a claim is outstanding or settled as a fault claim then the insurance premium will be owed in full.
Example of the calculation
The table below provides an example of the insurance cost and shows the total amount that may be charged if your policy is cancelled.
(figures used for illustration purposes only)
Total annual insurance cost | |
|---|---|
Total Insurance Premium | £748.33 |
Policy Enhancements | £0 |
Broker Fees* | £40 |
Insurer Fee | £0 |
Discount | £0 |
Total Insurance Costs | £788.33 |
Balance Outstanding from my previous policy | £0 |
Total cost of cancel | |
|---|---|
Cost for days insured | £129.16 |
Policy Enhancements | £0 |
Broker Fees* | £40 |
Insurer Fee | £0 |
Cancellation Fee | £55.99 |
Total Cancellation Costs | £225.15 |
Total Paid to Date | £143.26 |
Final Balance (total cancellation cost minus total paid to date)
£81.89
*Broker fees include any fee that has been applied to your policy throughout the policy term.
In this example of this cancellation, if you cancel your policy today, your total cancellation cost would be £225.15. You have already paid £143.26, meaning you would still need to pay £81.89.
The exact definition of a home emergency differs from insurer to insurer. But, in a nutshell, it’s an issue that makes your home uninhabitable or unsafe – putting your health and wellbeing at risk.
Our basic home emergency cover is included for free alongside our home insurance policies, but we have upgrades available for additional peace of mind.
We encourage you to specify an item when first taking out your policy. If your policy has already come into effect then please contact us via Live Chat and a member of our team will be happy to help with your request.
If you have specified an item that is of high value on your home insurance, you’ll need to provide proof of value in the form of a valuation or a receipt of that item. You can specify an item on your policy at inception or if your policy has already come into effect then please speak to one of our Live Chat agents with this request. If you have specified an item that is of high value on your home insurance, you need to provide a valuation or a receipt of that item for proof of value.
Yes – however, any item generally valued at over £1500 (dependant on the insurer) would need to be declared individually in order to be covered. This is known as ‘specifying an item’.
You can specify an item when you first take out your policy or, if your policy has already come into effect, please speak to one of our Live Chat agents who will be able to assist you with this request. Please note, you will need to know the value of the item and provide a description of the item.
If you have specified an item that is of high value, you need to provide a valuation or a receipt for proof of purchase.
The difference between a flood and escape of water is where the water has come from.
- A flood: water coming into your house from an external source. For example, from an overflowing river or a burst water main.
- Escape of water: water coming from inside your house. For example, from a burst or leaking pipe.
If you have chosen to upgrade your policy, you may be entitled to basic home emergency cover. This includes up to 3 call outs per year, each with a limit of £250 and a £25 call out fee. We also offer a range of further upgrades with higher call out limits, no call out fees, and even boiler cover. Contact our customer care team to discuss your options.
Subsidence is when the ground sinks, causing the foundations and structure of your property to become unbalanced. Damage can occur as a result of subsidence, for example, you may notice cracks developing in the walls, doors and windows and loose or wobbly floors.
Subsidence can happen naturally and is particularly common during prolonged dry spells and heatwaves. It can also be caused by human activity.
If you notice a subsidence issue, it’s important that you tell your insurer to ensure you are sufficiently covered should it get worse. If you are worried that your property may be suffering from subsidence, a survey will be able to tell you whether that is the case. It is carried out by a chartered surveyor, who will identify if subsidence is present and what the most probable cause is.
Not necessarily, as your home insurance will only cover your gadgets should something happen to them at home. Plus, depending on your underwriter, they may not be covered for as much as you like.
To ensure your gadgets – such as your phone, air pods or tablet, are fully covered (including accidental damage outside the home) you may need to purchase our gadget cover. You can do this via the customer portal.
Accidental damage is an unexpected and unintended damage caused by a sudden (and not deliberate) incident inside your home.
Some insurers include full accidental damage in your policy for free or if your policy is your permanent home you will get this for free as a One Protect benefit, please check your documents on your portal for full details.
To put it simply, insurance is a form of financial protection against risks associated items you have purchased. You’ll be more likely to take out insurance if the product you’re purchasing amounts to a significant value.
The list of insurance policy types is endless – almost any product will come with the option to add insurance.
The most common types of insurance are motor vehicle insurance or home insurance policies – these are also our most popular insurance types.
Insurance Firms can choose to be ‘rated’ according to an ‘official financial strength rating’ which is provided by one of the international rating agencies, such as Standard and Poor’s 500 Index (S&P), Moody’s, Fitch Ratings and AM Best. Essentially, where insurance companies specifically ask to be scored, their rating is awarded according to their financial strength and ability to pay claims. The higher the score the ‘safer’ it is to hold an insurance policy with that provider.
An un-rated insurer is one which does not carry an official financial strength rating – this is often because they choose not to participate as the rating is often expensive to purchase and is not required by law. A rated insurer is one which does carry a financial strength rating.
Underinsurance means that the level of insurance you have isn’t enough. This can be for your home or the things in it. If you do not have the right level of contents or buildings insurance, you might have to pay more yourself when you claim.
For example, if your contents are worth £40,000 but you only value them at £20,000 on your policy, you are 50% underinsured. If you were to make a claim, some insurers would only pay 50% of your claim. This means you would have to pay the rest yourself.
Even if the amount you claim is less than the total sum insured, you won’t have paid the right premium for the cover you need. So, your claims payment may still be reduced. Having the right level of cover is almost as important as the cover itself. It means if you ever need to make a claim, you won’t find yourself at a loss.
To see if you are underinsured for contents, first work out how much your belongings are worth. You should do this regularly, in case things have changed in value or you have bought something new. You should include everything you would need to replace if you had a total loss. For example, if all your belongings were destroyed in a house fire.
Then, check your value against your current policy to see what the gap is. If there is a big difference, it may be worth upping the amount you are insured for.
It’s important to check all your policy limits, as there may be things that are insured for a lower limit. If you have home insurance with us, you can check your policy on customer portal and see what’s covered.
Buildings
To see if you are underinsured for buildings cover, there are rebuilding calculators you can use online that will give you a rough estimate based on the property details. One such calculator is BCIS Public Rebuild Calculator. Remember this is only a guide and gives amounts based on different standards of property.
Please note: One Call Insurance Services Limited is not responsible for the content of external websites and accepts no liability if the rebuild cost provided to us is incorrect, regardless of its source.
It’s important to check all your policy limits, as there may be things that are insured for a lower limit. If you have home insurance with us, you can check your policy on customer portal and see what’s covered.
• Check the amount you are insured for. If your policy has a single item or total claim limit, check that these are still right for you.
• Add up the value of your contents room by room. Don’t forget your attic, basement and garage.
• Work out the cost to replace the item now, not what you paid for it. Look up the most recent price of the item to understand this.
• Include any new high value items or heirlooms you have. You may need to list these separately on your policy.
• Think about items you want to cover when you’re out and about. Are they protected under your existing cover or do you need extra cover?
If you take out a lower policy than you need, it can affect how much you can claim for. You may only get a percentage of the money you need to replace or repair your home and contents.
You will then need to pay the remaining amount yourself.
Need to make a claim?
One Call Claims are on hand and available to call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.