Know your policy. Win your claim.
Practical guides on UK consumer insurance disputes — written by people who spent forty years inside the industry.
Top reads
Home
- Act of God in Insurance: Challenging a Weather Claim Refusal
- Does Home Insurance Cover Lost Jewellery?
- What Does a Loss Adjuster Do?
Travel
- How to Make a Claim on Your Travel Insurance
- How to Challenge a Refused Travel Insurance Cancellation Claim
- What to Do If Your Travel Insurer Rejects Your Pre-Existing Medical Condition Claim
Browse all guides.
27 guidesThe 2026 Lords report exposed problems with home & travel insurance claims. Learn why insurers commonly refuse claims and how to challenge their stance.
If your insurance claim is taking too long, learn common reasons for delay, FCA rules, and steps for escalating a complaint.
Wondering how much a loss assessor costs? Learn about the standard 10% percentage fee, zero-fee contractor models, and if you can claim costs back.
Insurers often cite exclusions like wear and tear or unoccupancy to refuse a claim. Learn what your home insurance actually excludes and how to push back.
A property damage insurance claim refusal is a position, not a ruling. Learn how to challenge common insurer excuses like wear and tear or poor workmanship.
Find out if your home insurance covers lost jewellery, how single-item limits work, and what to do if your insurer refuses a claim for lack of proof.
Learn how to negotiate a fair insurance claim settlement. Discover how to challenge low offers, gather evidence, and write a counter-offer to your insurer.
Find out how insurers typically investigate claims, what triggers a fraud flag, and how your social media and industry databases are checked during the process.
Insurer excuses
Find the excuse in your letter.
Refusals rest on a handful of standard arguments. Each has a known answer.
- The damage has occurred gradually over a period of time and is therefore attributable to wear and tear, which is excluded under your policy.Wear and tearCounter-argument →
- As the replacement represents an improvement on the original item, a deduction for betterment of 40% has been applied to your settlement.BettermentCounter-argument →
- Your sum insured of £45,000 represents approximately 60% of the true rebuild cost. In accordance with the condition of average, your settlement has been reduced proportionately.Under-insuranceCounter-argument →
- You failed to disclose a material fact. We have therefore avoided your policy from inception and returned your premium.Non-disclosureCounter-argument →
- Your claim relates to a pre-existing medical condition which was not declared when the policy was purchased.Pre-existing conditionCounter-argument →
- You did not notify us of the incident within the timescale set out in your policy.Late notificationCounter-argument →
- You failed to take reasonable care to safeguard your property, as required by the policy.Reasonable careCounter-argument →
- We have valued your vehicle at £4,150 based on industry trade guides. This represents the market value at the date of loss.Market-value offersCounter-argument →
- Wind speeds recorded in your area did not reach 55mph and therefore do not meet the policy definition of a storm."It wasn’t a storm"Counter-argument →
