Jessica investigates: why won't Tesco Insurance pay my house fire claim?

I had a house fire at my mortgaged property. The fire destroyed the living room and every room has major smoke damage, and none of the contents could be rescued. Luckily, myself and the two eldest children (aged six and three at the time) escaped with slight smoke inhalation. The youngest child (10 months) was staying the night with my sister. The fire service extinguished the fire and the house was boarded up for security the same night.

I have been advised that the property is classed as a total loss and will require major works involving rewiring, plastering, a new kitchen and bathroom, new windows and doors, complete redecoration and complete replacement of all the contents. The loss adjuster working on behalf of Tesco Insurance failed to return any calls.

You had chosen to furnish the four-bedroom house Tesco Insurance was renting for you. To pay for the furniture, which would later be moved into your own property, Tesco Insurance had advised that an interim contents payment would be made as a priority. By the time you wrote to me, though, three months after the fire, it had not been.

Meanwhile, you were using your credit card to meet the cost of replacing clothes, toys, school uniforms etc. Interest was being charged on this. Also, to avoid embarrassment, the cost of the locksmith who had boarded up the property, but whom Tesco Insurance had failed to pay, had also gone on the card.

Your numerous calls to the loss assessor, who in turn said he was getting very little response from Tesco Insurance's loss adjuster, were achieving nothing. The insurer claimed that the fire had only been reported a month after it occurred. Now the insurer acknowledges that it had, in fact, been told about it within a matter of hours. Its claims team had got this wrong.

Tesco Insurance told me that the issues had arisen due to a breakdown in communication and human error by its appointed loss adjusters. Crucially, they had failed to appoint a forensic scientist at the time when the property was assessed. After my involvement, forensic experts at last examined the house.

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Jessica investigates: why won't Tesco Insurance pay my house fire claim?
Jessica investigates: why won't Tesco Insurance pay my house fire claim?

I am hoping you can help me with the problem I am experiencing with Tesco Home Insurance. I had a house fire at my mortgaged property. The fire destroyed the living room and every room has major smoke damage, and none of the



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Jersey's home insurance bill goes down by 13% | Simply Fashion

According to the latest Moneysupermarket home insurance quotes analysis, while British homeowners have enjoyed a recent 0.4 per cent decrease in the cost of their home insurance, homeowners in Jersey, South London and East London seem to be winning the UK’s home insurance postcode lottery. Analysis has shown that these areas have seen a decrease in the cost of their premium of a staggering 13 per cent (Jersey) and seven per cent (South- and East London).

Moneysupermarket’s latest press release shows that policyholders started enjoying their home insurance savings between Summer 2010 and Spring 2011.

Other areas that have come out on top in the war against home and contents insurance price hikes include Dorchester, Exeter, Norwich, Isle of Man, Leicester, Walsall and Crewe, which have seen reductions of just fewer than 7% and just over 4%.

Julie Fisher, head of Moneysupermarket home insurance stated that: “Our research shows some areas have seen more of a decrease in the cost of their premiums than others. Unfortunately, postcodes can dramatically affect how much people pay for their home insurance premium.

“For example in Jersey, one fifth of the population is retired, and low crime rates coupled with mild weather conditions means that the cost and frequency of claims are likely to be lower than other areas of the country. East London is undergoing significant regeneration and infrastructure improvements and insurers may be adjusting premiums as a result.”

Although Jersey citizens have appreciated a reduction in their premiums, neighbouring island Guernsey has seen the largest increase in the cost of their home insurance premiums, having soared by 32.24 percent. Correspondingly, home and content insurance costs for residents of Orkney, Kirkwall and Lerwick, Shetland Islands, have been subjected to a 21.05 percent and 20.10 percent increase.

Ms Fisher carried on to say that insurers thought process behind this so-called “postcode lottery”: “In the case of Guernsey, Orkney and The Shetland Islands, home insurance cover in Summer 2010 was lower than the national average premium price. It is likely that insurers have brought these prices in line with the rest of the country, rather than responding to any specific ‘occurrences’ on these islands, although climate may play a part.


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Madison Real Estate Property News: By Chinwe Akomah Lloyd's and London Market Broker, Ives has 25 years' experience in the insurance...


Madison Real-Estate Property News: By Chinwe Akomah Lloyd's and London Market Broker, Ives has 25 years' experience in the insurance...


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In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood

Creator: Truman Capote | Biography & Autobiography -
With the publication of this book, Capote permanently ripped through the barrier separating crime reportage from serious literature.
Publisher: Transaction Pub Large Print

Democracy in America

Democracy in America

Creator: Alexis de Tocqueville, Henry Reeve | History -
This landmark work initiated a dialogue about the nature of democracy and the United States and its people that continues to this day.
Publisher: The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.

A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

Creator: Madeleine L'Engle | Juvenile Fiction -
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the ...
Publisher: Macmillan

White Fang

White Fang

Creator: Jack London | Pets -
When a teenage boy is torn from his friends and city surroundings by his family

Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land

Creator: Robert A. Heinlein | Fiction -
It is the story of Valentine Michael Smith, the man from Mars who taught humankind grokking and water-sharing. And love.
Publisher: ACE Charter