They said no.
A refusal letter is a position, not a ruling.
Find your insurance type below. Each page sets out the reasons they give, what the published record shows, and how the arguments are answered.
Who's behind thisSteve Smart Helped people recover £25M+ from rejected claims
By what you insured
The arguments an insurer reaches for depend on what you insured.
Home claims are refused with a handful of recurring arguments — wear and tear, betterment, under-insurance, "not a storm". Each has a name, and each has a known answer. Find yours below, or let us read the letter for you.
Common reasonsWear and tear"It wasn’t a storm"Under-insurance8 guidesRead the counter-arguments →Travel refusals lean on pre-existing conditions, exclusions you were never walked through, and evidence nobody told you to collect. The wording is not the last word — and Which? has already told the regulator as much.
Common reasonsPre-existing conditionReasonable careLate notification6 guidesRead the counter-arguments →Motor refusals cluster around non-disclosure, voided policies, and total-loss valuations that arrive suspiciously low. All three are arguable — and the first two carry consequences worth fighting on their own.
Common reasonsNon-disclosureMarket-value offersReasonable care3 guidesRead the counter-arguments →Private medical claims are refused over pre-existing conditions, "not medically necessary" rulings, and disputes about approved hospitals and consultants. Your consultant’s evidence usually carries more weight than an insurer’s internal guideline.
Common reasonsPre-existing conditionNon-disclosureLate notificationRead the counter-arguments →Pet refusals lean on pre-existing conditions, annual limits, and breed or age exclusions. Some are firm — but many turn on how "pre-existing" was defined and whether you were ever clearly asked.
Common reasonsPre-existing conditionNon-disclosureLate notification1 guideRead the counter-arguments →Start free. Pay only if we can help you win.
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Meet Steve Who's behind this
Forty years inside the insurance industry, in both senior legal and commercial roles. Former UK General Counsel at AIG. Current Chairman of Lancashire Insurance UK. Regular voice on LBC radio. Steve has watched the same disputes come up again and again — and built the library of arguments that smarterclaims runs on, based on his decades of experience.
“I've spent forty years on the inside of insurance. The same excuses come up again and again, and most consumers don't know how to overcome them. This is the tool I wish my clients had before they called me.”Steve SmartMore about Steve
Real people, real results
“After being injured in action, my military insurer tried to argue that my injuries weren't permanent — so they'd pay me only a small percentage of the policy limit. Steve identified several arguments to challenge their refusal, and they ended up paying me virtually the full policy limit.”
“After a major house fire destroyed our contents, our insurer said we were under-insured — and that they'd only pay a fraction of our claim. Your know-how helped us overcome their excuse and get everything we were asking for.”
“Following a house fire, my insurer's loss adjuster argued that a lot of the damage was excluded. Steve identified the arguments to make, and they ended up paying our claim in full.”
“When my husband's physiotherapy practice was forced to close temporarily due to a virus, our insurer said it wasn't on their list of diseases and wouldn't pay anything towards our loss of earnings. The arguments you came up with convinced them to pay up.”
“After a car crash that wasn't my fault, the insurer tried to write off my car for far less than it was worth. You guided me through exactly what I had to do and say — everything was clear and easy to understand, and I got the full amount I was owed.”
Real clients we have helped, shared with their written permission.
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