Insurance: Choosing Cover, Making a Claim and Complaining

Insurance is an agreement in which you pay a premium and an insurer agrees to carry specified financial risks for you. If one of those specified things happens, and the policy conditions are met, the insurer pays, repairs, replaces or provides a service instead of you having to find the money yourself.

The important word is specified. Insurance does not cover every loss, every disappointment or every unexpected bill. Whether something is covered depends on:

• the policy wording — the full document, not just the advertising
• the information you supplied when you bought or renewed the policy
• the policy limits, including limits on individual items
• the excess you must pay towards each claim
• the exclusions — the things the policy says it does not cover
• the conditions — the things you must do, such as reporting promptly or locking doors
• the circumstances of the claim itself

This is why the cheapest policy can be poor value. A low premium often means a higher excess, lower limits, more exclusions, fewer add-ons or stricter conditions. If the policy excludes the very thing you were worried about, the saving is not a saving at all. The sensible order is to decide what risk you are protecting against first, then compare policies that genuinely cover it, and only then compare price.

Sixpence Support UK CIC is completely independent. We do not sell, arrange or recommend insurance, we do not rank insurers, and we receive no commission or referral payment from anyone mentioned on this page.

Insurance documents use a small number of words over and over again. Once these make sense, most policies become far easier to judge. The examples below are illustrations only and do not describe any particular company's product.

Not all insurance is essential. Some is legally required, some is required by a contract, some is genuinely valuable, and some duplicates cover you already have. Working through the questions below is usually more useful than comparing prices straight away.

• Is it legally required? Motor insurance for a vehicle used or kept on a road is the clearest example, as is employers' liability insurance for most businesses with employees.
• Is it required by a mortgage, lease, tenancy, loan or contract? Buildings insurance is commonly a mortgage condition, and leases often require particular arrangements.
• How serious would the loss be? Insurance is most useful for losses you could not absorb — a house fire, a serious illness abroad, a liability claim.
• Could you replace or repair it yourself? If yes, and comfortably, the policy may not be worth the premium.
• Do you already have cover? Check other policies, an employer's benefits, a packaged bank account, a credit card, a union or a membership organisation.
• Do the exclusions make it unsuitable? Cover that excludes your actual risk is not protection.
• Do the premium and excess make small claims impractical? If the excess is close to the value of the item, the policy may achieve very little.
• Would savings do the job? For minor risks, an emergency fund can be a reasonable alternative — though it cannot replace legally required cover or protect against very large losses.

Buildings insurance normally covers the structure of the property and its permanent fixtures. Exact cover varies between policies, so always check your own wording.

Contents insurance covers the things you would take with you if you moved. A landlord's buildings policy does not normally protect a tenant's belongings, which is one of the most common and most costly misunderstandings in household insurance.

Where more than one party is involved in a building, insurance responsibilities can be confusing. The general picture is set out below, but your own tenancy or lease governs your position, and we cannot interpret an individual lease.

• Contents cover for tenants is your responsibility, not the landlord's.
• Landlords normally insure the building and their own fixtures and furnishings, and may have landlord liability cover.
• Buildings insurance in blocks is usually arranged by the freeholder or a management company and recharged through the service charge.
• Ask for the insurance documents — leaseholders are commonly entitled to a summary of the policy; ask in writing if it is not supplied.
• Excess disputes arise in blocks when a large excess is passed to one leaseholder; check who is contractually liable and complain if the handling looks unfair.
• Improvements and adaptations you have paid for may not be covered by the freeholder's policy — check and tell your own insurer if needed.
• Shared ownership usually leaves the occupier responsible for contents and often for buildings-related obligations set out in the lease.
• Water leaks affecting neighbours are generally dealt with through liability cover and only where someone is legally responsible — being the source of a leak does not automatically mean fault.
• Alternative accommodation may be provided by the buildings policy, the contents policy, or neither; find out early.
• Complaints about insurance arranged by another party can still be made — complain to the firm that arranged or handled it, and to the freeholder or managing agent about their own conduct.

Motor insurance is the area where the law is strictest. Using a vehicle on a road or other public place without at least the legally required third-party insurance is a criminal offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988, and keeping an uninsured vehicle without a Statutory Off Road Notification can also lead to penalties.

The main purpose of travel insurance is medical emergencies abroad, which can cost far more than most people expect, particularly where repatriation is needed. Lost baggage matters, but the medical section is the part that protects you from catastrophic cost.

This is the single most common reason travel and health claims fail. The rules are manageable once you understand what is being asked of you.

• Definitions differ. An insurer may define a pre-existing condition by reference to treatment, medication, symptoms, tests or consultations within a stated period — read the policy's own definition.
• Your duty is to take reasonable care when answering the questions the insurer actually asks. You are not required to volunteer unlimited medical history that was never requested.
• Answer accurately and completely, including conditions that feel minor or historical if the question covers them.
• Health can change after buying. Many travel policies require you to report a new diagnosis, new symptoms, a change of medication or a new referral before you travel.
• Waiting for tests, results or treatment is often treated as an undiagnosed condition and may be excluded — ask before booking.
• Mental-health conditions should be declared where asked. Cover is available and blanket refusals are increasingly uncommon, though terms vary.
• Pregnancy is not usually an illness for insurance purposes, but complications, multiple births and late-stage travel are treated specially, and airlines have their own rules.
• Disability does not prevent obtaining travel insurance, and equipment cover can often be added or arranged separately.
• Specialist insurers and medical screening services exist for people with serious or complex conditions, including cancer, heart conditions and transplants.
• Ask for unclear questions to be explained in writing, and keep the answer. If a screening system will not let you record something accurately, contact the insurer directly.

If you are told that cover is unavailable, it is worth trying specialist providers and asking a medical-condition helpline rather than travelling uninsured.

Life insurance pays a sum of money when the insured person dies, if the policy is in force and the terms are met. It is protection, not saving. A life policy and a savings or investment product are not automatically the same thing, and some products combine features in ways that need careful reading.

Critical-illness cover pays a lump sum if you are diagnosed with one of the specific conditions listed in the policy, at the severity the policy defines. It is not general illness insurance.

• Payment depends on the policy's precise definitions, which are medical and detailed.
• Not every serious illness is covered — the list varies significantly between products.
• Severity requirements often apply; early-stage or less severe forms may pay a reduced amount or nothing.
• Survival periods are common, typically requiring the person to survive a set number of days after diagnosis.
• Children's cover, where included, has its own definitions, limits and age ranges.
• A diagnosis alone does not guarantee payment; the medical evidence must meet the definition.
• Specialist reports and consultant evidence are often required, which takes time.

Critical-illness cover is not a substitute for income protection. One pays a lump sum for listed conditions; the other replaces part of your earnings when you cannot work, whatever the cause.

Income protection replaces part of your earnings — typically a percentage rather than the full amount — when you are unable to work because of illness or injury, after a waiting period and for as long as the policy allows.

• Waiting or deferred period: the gap before benefit starts, often chosen to match employer sick pay or savings.
• Definition of incapacity: own occupation is the strongest; suited occupation and any occupation are more restrictive and much harder to claim under.
• Benefit period: some policies pay for a limited period per claim, others until recovery, retirement or the end of the term.
• Employer sick pay and Statutory Sick Pay affect what you need and when.
• Self-employed people should check how earnings are evidenced, as benefit is usually based on proven income.
• Existing health conditions may be excluded or attract higher premiums.
• Rehabilitation and review: insurers usually expect reasonable engagement with treatment and may review a claim regularly.
• Changes of occupation or earnings should be reported where the policy requires it.
• Other income and benefits: a payment may interact with means-tested benefits. We cannot promise it will not affect them — check your position before relying on it.

Private medical insurance is generally designed for acute conditions — those expected to respond to treatment and improve. It sits alongside the NHS rather than replacing it, and NHS care remains available to you whether or not you hold a policy.

• Outpatient and inpatient limits often differ, and outpatient cover is frequently capped.
• Approved hospitals and clinicians may be restricted to a list; going outside it can reduce or remove payment.
• Pre-authorisation is normally required before treatment — arranging it yourself first can leave you with the bill.
• Chronic conditions are commonly excluded from ongoing treatment, though acute flare-ups may be covered.
• Pre-existing conditions are handled by moratorium, full medical underwriting or continued personal medical exclusions — the basis matters.
• Excesses and treatment caps apply per policy year or per condition.
• Dental policies usually have waiting periods, annual limits and percentage contributions, and may distinguish routine, restorative and emergency treatment.
• Cash plans are different again: they refund set amounts towards everyday costs such as dental check-ups, glasses and physiotherapy, and are not full medical insurance.

Private insurance does not guarantee faster or better treatment. Availability depends on the condition, the policy terms, the network and clinical circumstances, and complex or emergency care is often provided by the NHS regardless.

Pet insurance varies more between products than almost any other type of cover, and switching insurer can have serious consequences.

• Accident-only: injuries from accidents, usually not illness.
• Time-limited: each condition is covered for a set period, commonly twelve months from first treatment, then excluded.
• Maximum-benefit: a fixed amount per condition with no time limit, but once the amount is used the condition is excluded.
• Lifetime: a limit that refreshes each policy year, provided the policy is renewed continuously — usually the most expensive and the most comprehensive.
• Excesses and percentage contributions: older animals often attract a co-payment of a percentage of each claim in addition to the excess.
• Pre-existing conditions are normally excluded, and insurers may look back through the animal's clinical history.
• Bilateral conditions: a problem in one hip, eye, knee or ear can make the other side excluded too.
• Dental treatment often requires evidence of annual check-ups and may exclude problems present at the start.
• Hereditary and breed-related conditions may be limited or excluded.
• Routine treatment — vaccination, neutering, flea and worm control, grooming, pregnancy — is normally excluded.
• Age restrictions apply to new policies, and premiums usually rise steeply with age.
• Direct payment to vets is not guaranteed and depends on the practice agreeing.
• Renewal prices change, sometimes sharply after a claim.
• Switching insurer normally means any condition already treated becomes pre-existing with the new insurer, so a cheaper policy can leave an ongoing illness uninsured.

These policies can be useful, but they are also the products most likely to duplicate cover you already have, and their excesses can make small claims poor value.

• Accidental damage, theft and loss are separate risks — many policies cover damage and theft but exclude loss, which is the most common way phones disappear.
• Unauthorised use after a theft is often covered only up to a small limit and only if the loss is reported to the network quickly.
• Screen-only cover is sometimes cheaper but does nothing for other faults.
• Proof of purchase and the device's serial or IMEI number are usually required.
• Security conditions may require the device to be with you or locked away — items left in a bag, a car or a coat on a chair are commonly excluded.
• Manufacturer warranties and retailer guarantees already cover faults, and your consumer rights against the seller for goods that are faulty or not as described exist regardless of any insurance.
• Duplicate cover is very common through home contents policies with personal belongings cover, or through packaged bank accounts.
• Replacements may be refurbished or a different model, and older items may be settled at reduced value.

These may be sold as standalone products or added to a motor or home policy, through a bank account, or through a membership organisation. Check what you already have before buying again.

• Call-out limits: a set number of call-outs per year, after which you pay.
• Emergency definitions: home-emergency cover usually responds to sudden events that make a home unsafe or uninhabitable, such as a burst pipe or total loss of heating in cold weather.
• Excluded maintenance: routine repairs, gradual faults, known problems and general upkeep are not emergencies and are normally excluded.
• Approved contractors: using your own tradesperson without authorisation can void the claim, except where immediate action is needed for safety.
• Parts and labour limits: cover is often capped at a modest figure, and the aim is to make things safe rather than to complete a full repair.
• Waiting periods: new policies frequently have an initial period during which claims cannot be made.
• Legal expenses: cover normally applies only where an insurer's panel considers the case has reasonable prospects of success, usually assessed at better than even.
• Panel solicitors: you may be required to use the insurer's chosen firm, though rights to choose your own can arise once formal proceedings begin.

These products are often confused with one another, and the differences matter a great deal to families.

• A prepaid funeral plan is a contract to provide specified funeral services. It is not necessarily the same as life insurance and does not pay a cash lump sum to relatives.
• An over-50s life policy pays a fixed sum on death and can be used for anything. Premiums usually continue for many years, and the total premiums paid can exceed the eventual payment, particularly for people who live a long time.
• Missed-payment rules differ sharply — some plans and policies end with no value after missed payments, others pause or reduce cover. Check before payments become difficult.
• What the plan includes varies: some cover only the funeral director's services, leaving families to pay for burial or cremation fees, ministers, doctors' fees, flowers, a wake or a memorial.
• Inflation and additional costs should be checked — ask specifically which third-party costs are guaranteed and which are only contributed towards.
• Regulation and protection: prepaid funeral plan providers are regulated by the FCA. Check the firm on the FCA register before paying anything.

What a business needs depends on its activities, its workers, its contracts and its legal structure. This is a short orientation, not personalised advice.

• Employers' liability is a legal requirement for most businesses that employ staff, with limited exceptions such as some family-only companies.
• Public liability covers injury or damage caused to members of the public or their property; many venues and clients require it.
• Professional indemnity covers claims arising from advice or professional services and is required by several regulators and many contracts.
• Product liability matters if you make, sell or supply goods.
• Business equipment and stock cover, including tools in transit and equipment kept at home.
• Cyber cover for data breaches, ransomware and business email compromise.
• Business interruption for lost income following an insured event — check what triggers it.
• Vehicle and delivery use needs the correct motor cover, and courier or haulage work needs specialist policies and often goods-in-transit cover.
• Home-working businesses should not assume a household policy covers business activity, stock or visitors.
• Directors' and officers' cover protects individuals against claims relating to their conduct in managing a company.
• Key-person and business-protection cover helps a business survive the death or serious illness of someone essential to it.

A disability or health condition does not automatically prevent somebody obtaining insurance. In particular circumstances, and within the limits set by equality law, insurers may lawfully take certain risk factors into account when setting terms, but they must not treat people unfairly or make assumptions.

Firms are expected to communicate clearly, to consider customers' needs and vulnerability, and to provide appropriate support — including when someone is ill, bereaved, in financial difficulty, has a cognitive impairment or is dealing with a distressing claim.

Someone may authorise a trusted person to speak for them. For decisions rather than conversations, a formal authority such as a third-party mandate, power of attorney or another legal authority may be needed.

Paying monthly is often a credit agreement rather than simply spreading the cost. That has practical consequences.

• The total cost is usually higher than paying annually, sometimes considerably.
• Interest or charges should be shown as a rate and as a total amount — ask for both figures.
• A missed payment can affect cover, and repeated missed payments can lead to the policy being cancelled.
• Cancelling the credit agreement and cancelling the policy are separate things; stopping a direct debit does not reliably end either safely.
• A cancelled policy may need to be declared to future insurers, which can affect price and availability.
• If money is tight, contact the firm early. Insurers and brokers may be able to change the payment date, adjust cover, remove add-ons or agree an arrangement — but support is not guaranteed and depends on your circumstances.
• Free debt advice is available and is always better than losing legally required cover.

Most personal insurance renews automatically. That is convenient for legally required cover and expensive for everything else if the price has risen unnoticed.

• Read the renewal documents — the price, the excess, the limits and the terms can all change.
• Compare the same level of protection before accepting a new price, not just the headline figure.
• Tell the insurer about changes in circumstances — occupation, mileage, adaptations, home improvements, lodgers, health, a business at home.
• Cooling-off rights usually allow cancellation shortly after buying or renewing with a refund for unused cover, less a charge for cover provided and sometimes a fee. The exact period and charges depend on the product and your policy.
• Administration and short-period charges may apply when cancelling mid-term, and some policies retain the full annual premium if a claim has been made.
• Refunds are calculated in different ways; ask for the figure in writing before you cancel.
• Cancelling a direct debit does not cancel the policy. You may still owe the premium and may be recorded as having a cancelled policy.
• Keep legally required cover in place — never cancel motor insurance before replacement cover starts.
• Get written confirmation of any cancellation, refund or change.

We do not quote specific cancellation periods or charges here, because they depend on the product and on your individual policy. Check your own documents and ask the firm to confirm in writing.

For ordinary personal insurance, the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 replaced the old duty to volunteer everything with a clearer duty: you must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation when answering the insurer's questions. The insurer must ask; you must answer carefully and honestly.

• Answer the questions actually asked, fully and accurately.
• Ask for clarification if a question is unclear, and keep the reply.
• Check assumptions and pre-filled answers — online forms and price-comparison journeys often assume things that are wrong for you.
• Correct mistakes promptly if you spot them later; an early correction is far better than a dispute at claim time.
• Keep a copy of the statement of fact, the schedule and anything you were asked.
• Report relevant changes during the policy where the policy requires it.
• Do not guess. If you do not know a date or a figure, say so and find out.

The law distinguishes between an honest and reasonable mistake, a carelessmisrepresentation and a deliberate or reckless one. Where a mistake was careless, the remedy is usually proportionate — for example the claim may be reduced, or the policy treated as it would have been on correct information — rather than automatic refusal. Deliberate dishonesty is treated far more seriously and can void the policy and lead to prosecution.

Do not assume that a forgotten detail automatically invalidates a policy. If an insurer relies on non-disclosure, ask which question was answered incorrectly, what the correct answer would have changed, and how the remedy was calculated. For business insurance, different rules apply under the Insurance Act 2015.

1. Make people safe and contact the emergency services where needed.
2. Prevent further damage where it is reasonably possible and safe — turn off the water, board a broken window, move undamaged belongings.
3. Contact the insurer or the assistance service as soon as you reasonably can, using the number on your documents.
4. Check what the policy requires — reporting deadlines, police reference numbers, approved contractors.
5. Record the claim reference and the name of the person you spoke to.
6. Photograph and film the damage where it is safe, before anything is cleared.
7. Keep receipts and evidence, including anything you have to spend because of the incident.
8. Do not dispose of damaged items until the insurer authorises it, unless they are a health hazard — photograph them if they must go.
9. Record every conversation and decision, with dates.
10. Ask before arranging non-emergency repairs, and get authorisation in writing.
11. Provide requested information promptly, and keep copies of everything you send.
12. Ask for adjustments if the process is difficult because of illness, disability, bereavement or distress.
13. Request written explanations of decisions, including which policy term is relied upon.
14. Track temporary costs and losses — accommodation, travel, replacement essentials, time off work.
15. Follow up when promised updates do not arrive, in writing, and say what you expect next.

What is needed depends entirely on the claim, but the following is the sort of evidence that resolves disputes quickly.

• The policy schedule and the full policy wording that applied at the time
• Receipts, invoices and order confirmations
• Bank or card statements showing purchases
• Photographs and video of the damage, the scene and the items
• Serial numbers, IMEI numbers and model details
• Valuations for jewellery, art or collections
• A police or crime reference number
• Medical evidence, GP or hospital letters and prescriptions
• Travel documents, boarding passes and written confirmation of delays
• Repair estimates, ideally more than one
• Witness names and contact details
• Emails, letters and messages with the insurer, broker or contractor
• A written timeline of events with dates and times
• Call records, including dates, times and who you spoke to
• Proof of maintenance — boiler services, electrical checks, roof work
• Previous survey, inspection or valuation reports

A rejection is not automatically correct simply because the insurer has quoted an exclusion. The exclusion has to actually apply to what happened, and the term must have been clearly presented.

Insurers are expected to handle claims promptly and fairly, to communicate clearly, and not to reject claims unreasonably. Where the handling itself causes harm, that is a legitimate complaint in its own right, separate from whether the claim is payable.

• Ask for a written timescale and the name of the person responsible for the claim.
• Request regular updates at agreed intervals, and confirm the arrangement by email.
• Record additional losses caused by delay — extra accommodation, storage, travel, lost earnings, replacement essentials.
• Report problems with insurer-appointed contractors to the insurer, not only to the contractor; the insurer chose them.
• Consider a cash settlement carefully — it usually ends the insurer's responsibility for the quality of the work, so make sure the figure is adequate.
• Challenge replacement quality where a repair or replacement is not of a reasonably similar standard to what you had.
• Fair value for a written-off vehicle or destroyed property means what it was genuinely worth immediately beforehand; provide comparable evidence.
• Get independent estimates where you disagree with the insurer's assessment.
• Ask about temporary accommodation promptly if a home is uninhabitable, and keep receipts.
• Escalate hardship and vulnerability explicitly — say clearly if there are children, older people, disabled people, health conditions or no heating involved.
• Make a formal complaint once reasonable requests have not worked; do not keep chasing indefinitely.

A calm, evidence-led approach works better than anger, and costs nothing.

1. Get the rejection in writing, with reasons.
2. Ask for the exact policy term relied upon — the section, the wording and how it applies.
3. Compare it with your schedule and policy wording for the period of cover in question.
4. Check whether the term was made sufficiently clear when you bought or renewed, especially if it is unusual or onerous.
5. Correct factual mistakes in the insurer's account, politely and specifically.
6. Provide missing evidence rather than assuming they have it.
7. Explain vulnerability or exceptional circumstances where they are relevant to what happened or to how you were treated.
8. Ask for reconsideration, setting a reasonable deadline.
9. Make a formal complaint if reconsideration fails.
10. Keep the complaint concise and outcome-focused — a short timeline and a clear request beat a long narrative.
11. Escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you remain unhappy and your complaint is eligible.

Nobody can guarantee that a challenge will succeed. Many are resolved once the correct evidence is in front of the right person.

Complain first to the firm that did the thing you are complaining about — the insurer for claims decisions, the broker for how the policy was sold or administered, and sometimes both. Use the word complaint explicitly so it enters the firm's formal process.

Under the FCA's complaint-handling rules, firms must acknowledge and investigate complaints and are generally expected to issue a final response within eight weeks for most complaints, with a shorter period applying to certain payment-services complaints and other specific exceptions. If you do not receive a final response within the applicable period, or you are unhappy with the response you receive, you can normally take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Check the current rules on the FCA and Financial Ombudsman websites, as timescales for particular products can differ.

The Financial Ombudsman Service settles individual disputes between consumers and financial firms, including insurers and brokers.

• Complain to the firm first. The Ombudsman normally expects the firm to have had the chance to put things right.
• It is free for eligible complainants, including consumers, small businesses, charities and trusts within its published size limits.
• You can usually go to the Ombudsman once you have a final response, or once the applicable response period has passed without one.
• There is a deadline after a final response — normally six months from the date of the firm's final response, alongside wider time limits running from the event complained about or from when you became aware of a problem. Check the current published limits before relying on any date.
• Exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness, may allow a late complaint to be considered.
• The Ombudsman considers the evidence, the law, regulators' rules and guidance, and what is fair and reasonable in all the circumstances.
• It can require a firm to put matters right, which may include paying a claim, correcting records, compensating for loss and awarding an amount for distress and inconvenience.
• Not every business or complaint falls within its jurisdiction — some larger businesses and some types of dispute are outside it, and court may be the route instead.

You do not need to pay a claims-management company. Complaining directly is free, and a paid firm would take a share of any award for work you can do yourself or with free help.

Before you pay anybody for insurance, check that the firm is authorised and that you are dealing with the real one.

• Check the firm and its permissions on the FCA's Firm Checker or the Financial Services Register.
• Match the telephone number, email address and website against the official details shown on the register — not the details in the message you received.
• Do not rely on a firm-reference number given to you by a caller. Look the firm up independently.
• Clone firms copy genuine business details, including names, registration numbers and website designs, changing only the bank details or contact number.
• Be cautious about unexpected contact, especially calls, texts, emails and social-media messages offering cheap cover or claiming a refund is due.
• Use contact details you found yourself, from your own documents or the official register.
• Authorisation is not a recommendation. An authorised firm can still sell a policy that is wrong for you, and authorisation does not guarantee suitability.

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme can protect customers if an authorised insurer fails and cannot meet its obligations. Whether you are covered, and how much protection applies, depends on the type of policy, when it was taken out and your own circumstances — some types of insurance are protected differently from others.

FSCS protection is not the same as compensation for an ordinary rejected or disputed claim. If a solvent insurer refuses your claim and you disagree, the route is a complaint and then the Financial Ombudsman Service, not the FSCS.

We deliberately do not reproduce compensation percentages or limits here, because they vary by product and change. Check the current position on the FSCS website or with its checking tool.

• Ghost brokers sell fake or invalid motor policies, often to young drivers, through social media or word of mouth. The victim is left uninsured, prosecuted and with the vehicle seized.
• Clone firms imitate genuine authorised businesses.
• Fake policy documents can look convincing — verify cover directly with the named insurer.
• Unrealistically cheap cover is the most reliable warning sign of all.
• Sellers who only exist on social media, with no registered address or FCA authorisation.
• Requests to misstate your occupation, address, age, vehicle location or driving history — this is fraud, even when someone else typed it.
• Payment to a personal bank account, or by transfer to a "colleague".
• Upfront fees to release a claim payment — genuine insurers do not require this.
• Fake claims-management firms promising guaranteed compensation for a fee.
• Identity theft using documents supplied during a fake application.
• Pressure to act immediately — urgency is a tactic.

Reporting across the UK: in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report fraud to Action Fraud (online or by telephone); people in Northern Ireland can also report to the PSNI on 101. In Scotland, Action Fraud does not take reports — contact Police Scotland on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Suspected insurance fraud by others can also be reported confidentially to the Insurance Fraud Bureau.

Illness, disability, cognitive difficulties and bereavement all make insurance administration harder. A relative does not automatically have legal authority to act, and firms are right to check.

• Trusted-person arrangements let a named person speak to the firm with the customer's consent, usually without authority to make decisions.
• Third-party mandates give a wider, written permission to deal with the account.
• Appointees exist for certain benefits and do not by themselves cover insurance matters.
• Power of attorney — a lasting power of attorney in England and Wales, a continuing or welfare power of attorney in Scotland, or an enduring power of attorney in Northern Ireland — gives legal authority when properly registered.
• Executors and administrators deal with policies after a death, with the appropriate evidence of authority.
• Communication support should be requested and recorded, as set out earlier on this page.
• Capacity concerns should be raised carefully; capacity is decision-specific and can change.
• Safeguarding: if you suspect someone is being pressured into buying, cancelling or claiming, or that their money is being taken, raise it with the firm and with the local authority safeguarding team, and with the police where there is a crime.

Insurance is rarely the first thing on anyone's mind after a death, but a few decisions are time-sensitive.

• Life-insurance claims usually need the death certificate, the policy details and evidence of who is entitled to claim. A policy in trust may pay before probate.
• Home insurance is the urgent one: a property left empty may breach the unoccupancy terms within weeks. Tell the insurer straight away and ask what conditions apply.
• Motor insurance does not usually allow others to drive the vehicle after the policyholder's death — check before anyone moves it, and consider a SORN if it will stand unused.
• Notify each insurer — home, motor, travel, pet, health, breakdown — and ask what happens to premiums and refunds.
• Executors and administrators will be asked for evidence of authority; keep certified copies ready.
• Keep necessary cover active. Do not cancel policies quickly to save money without checking what protection is lost.
• Funeral plans should be located early, because they affect the funeral arrangements themselves.

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Understanding insurance

Complaints and compensation

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Fair treatment and equality