How to make sure your home insurance is valid

The first thing that might alert you to the fact there’s an issue with your insurance policy being invalid is when a claim is rejected.

An insurance policy is essentially a contract and both you and your insurer have certain conditions to meet. Most of the time, policyholders break their side of the contract without realising.

To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, it’s good to have a reminder of what sort of situations can make home insurance cover invalid or void.

Don’t do-it-yourself

Things you may have done yourself in the past are now more tightly regulated. If you’ve wired in a new oven or had your boiler apart, these repairs all need a registered electrician or gas engineer to do them and supply the necessary safety certificate.

If a claim arises from something you’ve done that should have been done by a professional, your policy won’t cover you.

That’s not to say you can’t do repairs yourself, but bear in mind that if things go wrong or there’s a mishap, you need to have accidental damage cover that isn’t usually included as standard in policies.

Anna Thunstrom, product manager for Saga Home Insurance, says, “Many insurance policies have an exclusion for faulty workmanship, because if you have a new bathroom fitted and the plumbing leaks a month later and causes property damage, the cost would be met by the liability cover of the company or tradesperson who did the work.

“If you did the work yourself, then there’s no liability cover to claim against, meaning the homeowner is probably going to be left with the repair bill.”

Keep on top of maintenance

Your home insurance won’t pay out for things that have happened because of neglect or for damage caused by general wear and tear. This is why there’s a very strict definition of what constitutes a storm as the weather needs to be quite fierce to damage a well-maintained roof, guttering or chimney.

You can prevent invalidating your insurance by keeping your home in good order from clearing gutters to dealing with problems promptly. As this is so important, most home insurers offer a home emergency service to stop leaks, blockages and broken windows leading to more damage or claims.

Do unlocked doors invalidate home insurance?

Policyholders are responsible for their home’s security, and your home insurance won’t cover you if anyone can easily get in. Anna explains, “Some policies include a clause that states theft is only covered when it involves forcible and violent entry. So if a burglar is able to reach through the cat flap and pull the key out of the lock in your back door, you could fall foul of that clause.”

Having the right locks, secured windows and no keys hidden under flowerpots will ensure you’re not invalidating your home cover.

Does posting on social media invalidate home insurance?

This is the modern equivalent of not cancelling your milk and newspaper deliveries while you’re on holiday. Like milk bottles and papers gathering on your doorstep, posting about your holiday advertises the fact that your home is empty and vulnerable.

It’s unlikely your home insurance could be made void just for putting up a snap of the beach, but sharing too many details with strangers that thieves could piece together could put your home’s security at risk. This also includes things like visible house numbers or showcasing expensive purchases.

Most home insurance policies allow for homes being empty while you’re away on holiday. Look in your policy book to see how long you can leave your home unoccupied before cover is invalidated, with Saga Home Insurance it’s up to 60 days.

Remember, it’s not just being away on holiday. If someone you know has a prolonged spell in hospital or moves into temporary residential care, check their home insurance unoccupancy period.

Keep your insurer informed

Changes to your home and your circumstances, even temporary ones, could have an effect on your home insurance. Think of all those questions you were asked when getting your quote. If any of those answers change, your policy could then be worthless.

Your policy book may have a list of what to tell your insurer. You might need to let them know if:

• Scaffolding is put up
• Your occupation changes or you start a home-based business
• You buy or inherit a valuable item or a valuation of a specified item changes.
• You get a lodger or rent out a room as a short-term let
• You add a room such as an en suite bathroom or conservatory
• The number of people living at your address changes

If you’re in any doubt, get in touch with your home insurance provider as it’s better to be safe than sorry.