Mid-term changes to your premium/administration fees
If you make a change in your policy cover and this results in a charge or refund of premium for the period up to the renewal date of the policy , then such a charge or refund will only be made by us if exceeding £15 plus insurance premium tax.
We do not make an administration charge for processing changes you require.
Are my contents covered on a ‘New for Old’ basis?
Yes, all apart from household linen and clothing.
What is contents insurance and what am I covered for?
Household goods, furniture, furnishings, clothing, personal belongings and valuables all belonging to you or for which you are legally responsible.
My property has suffered previous subsidence, can I get a quote?
If the subsidence has happened in the past 15 years then, unfortunately, we will be unable to offer a quotation for your property.
If the subsidence occurred over 15 years ago, then before we are able to offer a quotation, we would need to see an up-to-date structural engineer’s report that has been completed within the last three years. Once this has been received, we will then decide if we are able to offer a quotation for your property.
My property is a listed building, can I get a quote?
We can still offer you a quotation if your property is listed. We will need to know which Grade the building is.
Alternative document formats
We can transcribe your documentation, letters and schedules using the following alternative formats:
- Braille
- Large print
- Audio
- Tactile
- Audiobook
If you would like us to arrange this for you, please contact our Customer Services Team on 0345 777 3322.
What if I am not satisfied what is the complaints process?
Will my son/daughter's possessions be covered if they go to university?
If your son/daughter stays at your property during university breaks then they will be covered for their contents. The most we will pay for contents whilst in the student accommodation is £5,000 in any one period of insurance. No cover is provided for your son/daughters contents in the student accommodation for loss or damage caused by theft to items away from your home unless force is used to get into or out of a building.
As long as you have Portable items cover under your policy then any items your son/daughter takes away from their student accommodation will be covered. The Portable items sum insured will need to be sufficient to cover the whole family. Please note that if there is more than one child at university then the £5,000 is split between them.
Is my bike covered under my household policy?
If your bike is under £750 it is automatically covered under the policy. If your bike is worth more than £750 then this will need to be specified on the policy individually and will need to be locked to a permanent fixture whilst being kept in an outbuilding.
If you take your bike away from the home you will need to ensure you have opted for the Portable items element of the policy and your bike will need to be locked to a permanent fixture when it is unattended. No cover is provided if you are using your bike while racing.
Is personal money cover included under the household policy?
Yes. You have up to £1,000 personal money cover included on the policy. Personal money means bank notes and coins that are not part of a collection, cheques, postal orders, bank drafts, travel tickets, traveller’s cheques, postage stamps, savings stamps and certificates and premium bonds.
The cover also applies for up to 90 days in any one period of insurance, elsewhere in the world.
Is business use covered in the property?
Using your property to carry out clerical duties in relation to your work is automatically covered.
We also provide cover for your computers and their accessories, office equipment and office furniture, used only for clerical and administrative use up to £10,000. We do not provide any cover for your business stock.
If you have visitors to your property or if there is any other form of business use, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss this with you.
Do I get a no claims discount?
We do offer a no claims bonus on our policy to reward customers who are claim free. We can offer a maximum of five years no claims discount but if a claim is made on the policy this is reduced to nil.
For every year you then remain claim free, you will be able to build this back up to the maximum of five years.
Are lost keys and broken locks covered?
If you lose the keys to your home or they are stolen or there is accidental damage to the locks of the outside doors or windows we will pay for reasonable and necessary costs of:
(a) gaining access to your home
(b) repairing or replacing the locks
The most we will pay for any one claim is £1,000.
What is an excess?
An excess is the first monetary amount that you will pay towards a claim. Under our policies the excesses are £1,000 for subsidence, £250 for any escape of water or oil claim and £75 for any other standard claim. We do have the option to add on voluntary excesses which would be added to the already existing excesses.
Do you cover watercraft?
On request we can provide cover under your contents policy for small boats (measuring less than 5 meters and not having a top speed over 15 knots), craft, surfboard or a sailboard.
If you require cover please contact our team on 0345 777 3322.
Will my premium be lower if I install a burglar alarm or specific locks?
This will not reduce the premium in any way; however your property may be in an area that requires you to meet certain security requirements. We will be able to tell you this.
Am I covered for items that I take away from my home?
If you have opted for this cover then it is provided under the Portable items section of our policy. This will cover any items that you take away from your home and on holiday so can cover mobile phones (handset only), laptops, camera equipment or jewellery.
Any items that you take away from your home that are valued over £3,500 will need to be specified on the policy individually. Cover is provided for your portable items anywhere in the world up to 90 days in total during the period of insurance
Are the contents in my freezer covered?
The contents in your freezer will be covered up to your contents sum insured.
Am I entitled to a discount if I volunteer for the Church?
Yes. If you carry out some voluntary work for the church, then we are able to offer a discount for this.
Is Home Emergency cover included under the policy?
Yes. We have
Home Emergency cover included under your household policy. DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Limited handle these claims on our behalf and you can use this for anything from roof damage, plumbing and drainage, your main heating system, the domestic power supply, the toilet unit, home security to vermin.
If you need to make a claim under this section of the policy, please call DAS on 0345 268 8469.
What is buildings insurance and what am I covered for?
The permanent structures within the boundaries of your home including any garages or outbuildings used only for domestic purposes and home office use, permanent fixtures and fittings including statues and fountains, hot tubs permanently fixed to the ground, wind turbines and solar panels fixed to the buildings or fixed to the ground, swimming pools, tennis courts, paths, drives, terraces, patios, walls, fences, hedges and gates as long as these are all within the boundaries of the land belonging to your property.
Are the contents in my garage/outbuildings covered?
Yes. The contents in these buildings will be automatically covered up to £5,000
My property is going to be unoccupied for 60 days, do I need to let you know?
Yes. We have a 60 day ruling on the policy. After 60 days the cover on the policy may change and so we will need to know if the property will be unoccupied.
Is there any liability cover under the policy?
There is liability cover included on your policy automatically up to a limit of £2,000,000.
What happens if items belonging to matching pairs or sets are damaged?
We will pay 50% of the cost of replacing undamaged items which form part of:
- a pair;
- a set, collection or suite; or
- a matching or uniform design, nature or colour,
with an item that has suffered from damage that is covered under the buildings or contents section of the policy.
How can I find out the rebuild cost of my property?
What do you class as a valuable item?
We define valuables as jewellery and precious metals, clocks and watches, furs, pictures and works of art, stamp, coin and medal collections.
Will Ecclesiastical cancel my previous insurance with my previous provider?
No. You will need to call the previous insurers and cancel the policy.
How do I make a complaint?
If you need to do this then you will need to either call us direct on
0345 777 3322, write a letter or send an email to
household@ecclesiastical.com.
Do I need to tell you about alterations to my property?
If the work taking place will be less than £25,000, please contact us to let us know and allow us to note your policy accordingly.
As a church owned company, are you only able to offer quotes to members of the clergy?
No. We are able to offer new business quotations to all members of the public as well as clergy members.
What if my home cannot be lived in?
If your home cannot be lived in because of damage covered by your policy, we will pay 20% of the sum insured to help you with reasonable and necessary costs of your temporary accommodation (see policy document for full details).
What is the difference between standard cover and accidental damage cover?
Standard cover will cover your property and/or contents for the perils noted in the policy document, e.g. fire, storm, flood and subsidence.
Accidental damage cover will provide cover for your property and/or contents for any damage caused accidently, for example, spilling paint onto a carpet or putting a hammer through a wall whilst carrying out some DIY.
Accidental Damage is an ‘add-on’ which means it is entirely your choice to have this optional extra.
Finding and repairing leaks (building insurance)
We will cover the reasonable and necessary costs incurred with our consent to: locate the source of leaking water or oil from any fixed water or heating system in your home; and repair any damage caused in locating the source of the leak. If there is a gradual cause such as wear and tear or corrosion, the cost of replacing the part and additional labour is not included.
The most we will pay is £5,000 for each leak.
Are the fences at my property covered under my buildings insurance?
The fences at your property will be covered under this insurance. However, damage caused by storm or flood to fences, hedges or gates will only be covered if the main building, garage or outbuilding is damaged at the same time.
Do you offer a landlord’s policy?
We can offer a policy to cover your let property but this is not a specific commercial landlord’s policy.
The cover does not include loss of rent or rehoming the tenants should they no longer be able to reside at the property.
The Legal expenses section does not cover adverse possession.
Why does my insurance exclude wear and tear?
Home insurance policies are designed to cover sudden and unexpected identifiable events such as fire or flooding to your home.
Wear and tear, however, naturally happens to all properties and possessions over time, and as such you will find wear and tear is not covered on most insurance policies.
The cost of maintaining your property or contents or replacing items due to wear and tear is not covered by our policy.
There are a few simple things you can do to prevent wear and tear causing you a problem:
- Check your property regularly
- Ensure you carry out routine maintenance
- Fix problems as soon as they arise.
