Argos Home Insurance

Building

General Conditions
Applicable to the whole of this insurance (other than Family Plus Legal Expenses and Keycare)
You must comply with the following conditions (Your Duties) or we or the insurer may, at our or their option cancel the policy or refuse to deal with your claim.
Cancellation - Cooling Off Period
This policy provides you with a reflection period to decide whether you wish to continue with the full policy. You must notify us no later than 14 days after the start date of your cover, or after you receive your policy documents whichever is later, should you wish to cancel your policy in this reflection period. This is subject to certain terms, including a minimum time on risk charge that will be calculated on a pro-rata basis for the period in which you received cover and will include an additional charge to cover the administrative cost of providing the policy. You must return the schedule immediately.

Section 1 Buildings
(Your schedule will show you if this cover applies)

Accidental Damage to the Buildings
- The following applies only if the schedule shows that accidental damage to the buildings is included, and the appropriate additional premium has been paid.
What is covered:
Accidental damage to the buildings, during the period of insurance.
What is not covered:
- the first £50 of every claim unless otherwise stated in the schedule.
- damage or any proportion of damage, which we specifically exclude elsewhere under Section 1 Buildings
- the buildings moving, settling, shrinking, collapsing, or cracking.
- damage while the home is being altered, repaired, cleaned, maintained or extended.
- damage while the home is lent, let or sublet.
- the cost of general maintenance.
- damage caused by wear and tear, infestation, corrosion, damp, wet or dry rot, fungus, mould or frost or any other gradually operating cause.
- damage arising from faulty design, specification, workmanship or materials.
- damage from mechanical or electrical faults or breakdown.
- damage caused by dryness, dampness, extremes of temperature or exposure to light.
- damage to swimming pools or covers, gates and fences and fuel tanks.
- damage caused by domestic pets.
- depreciation in value or consequential loss.
- damage while the home is unoccupied or unfurnished.

Section 1 Buildings
(Your schedule will show you if this cover applies)

What is covered:
Loss or damage to your buildings, during the period of insurance, caused by the following insured events.
8. Subsidence or heave of the site upon which the buildings stand or landslip.
What is not covered:
The first £50 of every claim, other than event 8, or as otherwise stated in the schedule.
8. loss or damage to domestic fixed fuel-oil tanks, swimming pools or covers, tennis courts, drives, patios and terraces, walls, gates and fences unless the exterior walls of the home are also affected at the same time by the same cause.
- loss or damage to solid floors, unless the walls of the home are damaged at the same time by the same cause.
- loss or damage arising from faulty design, specification, workmanship or materials.
- loss or damage, which compensation has been provided for or would have been but for the existence of this insurance under any contract or a guarantee or by law.
- the first £1,000 of every claim unless otherwise stated in the schedule.
- loss or damage caused by coastal or river erosion.
- loss or damage whilst the buildings are undergoing any structural repairs, alterations or extensions.
- loss or damage caused by normal settlement, shrinkage or expansion.

Section 1 Buildings
(Your schedule will show you if this cover applies)

What is covered:
Loss or damage to your buildings, during the period of insurance, caused by the following insured events.
4. Water freezing in any fixed domestic water or heating installation.
What is not covered:
The first £50 of every claim, other than event 8, or as otherwise stated in the schedule.
4. loss or damage if your home is unoccupied or unfurnished.
- loss or damage if the installation is outdoors or in an outbuilding, unless the installation is connected to a domestic heating boiler protected by a frost-stat device.

Section 1 Buildings
(Your schedule will show you if this cover applies)
Settling Claims
How we deal with your claim
If your claim for loss or damage is covered under Section 1 Buildings, the insurer will pay the full cost of repair or replacement as long as:
- the buildings were in a good state of repair immediately prior to the loss or damage and
- the sum insured is enough to pay for the full cost of rebuilding the buildings in their present form and the damage has been repaired or loss has been reinstated.
The insurer will take an amount off, for wear and tear from the cost of any replacement or repair, if immediately before the loss or damage the buildings were not in a good state of repair.
The insurer will not pay the cost of replacing or repairing any undamaged parts of the buildings which form part of a pair, set, suite or part of a common design or function when the loss or damage is restricted to a clearly identifiable area or to a specific part.
Your sum insured
The sum insured is declared by you and should represent the full cost of rebuilding the buildings.
The most the insurer will pay under Section 1 Buildings is the sum insured shown on the schedule adjusted in line with index-linking.
Underinsurance
If the cost of repairing or rebuilding the buildings is more than the sum insured at the time of any loss or damage, then you will have to pay a share of the claim. For example, if your sum insured only covers one-third of the cost of rebuilding your buildings, the insurer will only pay one-third of the claim.
Maintaining the sum insured
After the insurer has settled a claim, they will not reduce your sum insured on your buildings, as long as you take the reasonable measures they suggest, to prevent any further loss or damage. (The insurer will not charge any extra premium for maintaining the sum insured).
Index-linking
The sum insured will be index-linked. This means that the sum insured will be adjusted, in line with the changes in the House Rebuilding Cost Index, produced by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or in line with any other index that the insurer decide.
If you make a claim, index-linking will continue during the period when the repair or rebuilding is being carried out, as long as you take reasonable action for the repair or rebuilding to be carried out immediately.
We will not make a charge for index-linking during the period of insurance. But each time your insurance is renewed, we will work out a new premium for the adjusted sum insured.



Section 2 Contents
(Your schedule will show you if this cover applies)
Settling Claims
How we deal with your claim
If you claim for loss or damage to the contents the insurer will at their option repair, replace or pay for any article covered under Section 2 Contents.
For total loss or destruction of any article the insurer will pay you the cost of replacing the article as new as long as:
- the new article is as close as possible to but not an improvement on the original article when it was new and you have paid for or the insurer has authorised the cost of replacement.
The above basis of settlement will not apply to:
- clothing, linen and
- pedal cycles
where the insurer will take off an amount for wear and tear.
The insurer will not pay the cost of replacing or repairing any undamaged parts of the contents which form part of a pair, set or suite or part of a common design or function when the loss or damage is restricted to a clearly identifiable area or to a specific par
Your sum insured
The sum insured should represent the full value of replacing the contents as new (except for clothing, linen and pedal cycles where an amount should be deducted for wear and tear).
The most the insurer will pay under Section 2 Contents is the sum insured shown on the schedule for contents, adjusted in line with index-linking.
Underinsurance
If the cost of repairing or replacing the contents is more than the sum insured at the time of any loss or damage, then you will have to pay a share of the claim. For example, if your sum insured only covers one-third of the cost of repairing or replacing your contents, the insurer will only pay one-third of the claim.
Maintaining the sum insured
After the insurer have settled a claim, we will not reduce your sum insured on your contents, as long as you take the reasonable measures the insurer suggest to prevent any further loss or damage. (The insurer will not charge any extra premium for maintaining the sum insured).
Index-linking
The sum insured will be index-linked. This means that the sum insured will be adjusted in line with the changes in the Consumer Durables section of the Consumer price Index compiled by the National Statistics or in line with any other index that the insurer decide. If you make a claim, index-linking will continue during the period when the repair is being carried out, as long as you take reasonable action for the repair or rebuilding to be carried out immediately.
We will not make a charge for index-linking during the period of insurance. Each time your insurance is renewed, we will work out a new premium for the adjusted sum insured.



Section 3 Valuables and Personal Belongings
(Your schedule will show you if this cover applies and where the appropriate additional premium has been paid)
Settling Claims (Valuables and Personal Belongings)
How we deal with your claim
The insurer will at their option repair, replace or pay for any article lost or damaged except for:
- clothing and
- camping equipment
where the insurer will take off an amount for wear and tear.
The insurer will not pay for the cost of replacing any undamaged article forming part of a pair or set, of articles.

General Conditions
Applicable to the whole of this insurance (other than Family Plus Legal Expenses and Keycare)
You must comply with the following conditions (Your Duties) or we or the insurer may, at our or their option cancel the policy or refuse to deal with your claim.
Your Duties
1. You must take all reasonable steps to prevent loss, damage or accident and keep the buildings in a good state of repair.
2. You must tell us immediately if you:
- stop using the home as your permanent private residence.
- let the property, or part of it or change the person renting the property, or part of it.
- regularly leave the home unattended by day or by night.
- change any information given to us at the time of quotation.
When you tell us, the insurer has the option to change the conditions of this insurance.
3. You must tell us before you start any conversions, extensions or other structural work to the buildings. When we receive this notice, the insurer has the option to change the conditions of this insurance.
If you fail to comply with any of the above duties, this insurance may become invalid.
Cancellation - Cooling Off Period
This policy provides you with a reflection period to decide whether you wish to continue with the full policy. You must notify us no later than 14 days after the start date of your cover, or after you receive your policy documents whichever is later, should you wish to cancel your policy in this reflection period. This is subject to certain terms, including a minimum time on risk charge that will be calculated on a pro-rata basis for the period in which you received cover and will include an additional charge to cover the administrative cost of providing the policy. You must return the schedule immediately.
Cancellation
We or the insurer, may cancel this policy by writing to you at your last known address and confirming in our/the insurer's letter that all cover will end 7 days after the date on the letter. You must return the schedule to us immediately. A refund based on pro-rata rates, less an administration fee, will be payable by the insurer for any remaining period of insurance.
You may cancel this policy by giving us written notice and returning the schedule. A refund based on our short period rates shown below, less an administration fee, will be given for any remaining period of insurance. If the amount due when you cancel your policy is more than the amount you have paid, you must pay the difference. Any refund due from the insurer will be calculated from the date that we receive the schedule.
A refund will not be allowed if:
A claim is made during the period of insurance or the premium is being paid by monthly instalments.
The following scale shows how the charges are calculated and all cancellations are subject to an administration charge.

  Expired Period     Percentage of
  of insurance     refund
 up to 2 months    80%
 3 months    70%
 4 months    60%
 5 months    50%
 6 months    40%
 7 months    30%
 8 months    20%
 over 8 months    Nil

Instalments
If you choose to pay through our monthly instalment scheme and fail to make a payment when due, we will consider this to be notice that you want to cancel your policy. You must return the schedule to us immediately.
Where a claim has been notified, you must continue with the instalment payments throughout the remaining period of insurance or settle the premium in full.
We or the insurer may at our or the insurer's option, deduct any outstanding instalments from any claim settlement.
Law Applying to the Insurance
The parties to this contract of insurance are free to choose the Law that will apply to it. Unless specifically agreed in writing to the contrary by the insurer, this insurance shall be subject to English Law.
Language Applicable
The language used in the policy and in any communications relating to it will be in English.
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
This contract does not give, or intend to give rights to anyone else. No one else has the right to enforce any part of this contract. The insurer may change any part of the contract without getting anyone else's permission.
Several Liability Notice
The subscribing insurers obligations under contracts of insurance are several and not joint and are limited solely to the extent of their subscriptions. The subscribing insurers are not responsible for the subscription of any co-subscribing insurer who for any reason does not satisfy all or part of its obligations.
Auto Renewal
When your policy is due for renewal we may offer to renew it for you automatically, to ensure that your cover is uninterrupted, and to save you having to remember to contact us before the policy expires. If we offer to do this we will write to you before
your policy expires, with full details of your next renewal premium and policy conditions. As part of this process, we will search from our extensive panel of insurers to find you the best price available, and we may offer to move you to a new insurer.
If you do not want to renew the policy, then please contact us on 0800 1218306.


Claim Conditions
Applicable to the whole of this insurance (other than Family Plus Legal Expenses)
You must comply with the following conditions (Your Duties) or we or the insurer, may, at our or their option cancel the contract or refuse to deal with your claim.
Your Duties
In the event of a claim or possible claim under this insurance:
1. You must notify us within 5 days, giving full details of what has happened.
2. You must pay for any estimates, reports, certificates, plans and specification information that we may require.
3. You must immediately forward to us, unanswered, any letter, claim, writ, summons or other legal document you receive, if a claim for liability is made against you.
4. You must not admit liability, or offer or agree to settle any claim without our written permission.
5. You must inform the Police as soon as reasonably possible following malicious acts, violent disorder, riots or civil commotion, theft, attempted theft or lost property.
How we deal with your claim
1. Defence of claims
We or the insurer may:
- take full responsibility for conducting, defending or settling any claim in your name.
- take any action we or the insurer consider necessary, to enforce your rights or our rights, under this insurance.
2. Other Insurance
If, at the time of any loss, damage or liability covered under this insurance, you have any other insurance which covers the same loss, damage or liability, the insurer will only pay their share of the claim.
3. Fraudulent Claims
If you or anyone acting on your behalf makes any claim knowing it to be false or fraudulent as regards amount or otherwise, or if any loss or damage is caused by your wilful act or with your connivance, we or the insurer will not pay any claims and all cover under the policy will cease. We or the insurer may also report the matter to the Police.

General Exclusions
Applicable to the whole of this insurance (other than Family Plus Legal Expenses and Keycare)
This insurance does not cover you for direct or indirect loss of, or damage to any property, or any legal liability, caused by or contributed to, or arising from the following.
Radioactive contamination from:
- ionising radiation, contamination from any nuclear fuel, or from any nuclear waste arising from burning nuclear fuel;
- the radioactive, toxic, explosive or other dangerous effect of any explosive nuclear equipment or part of that equipment.
War, invasion, act of foreign enemy, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), civil rebellion, revolution or military or usurped power.
Pressure waves caused by aircraft and other aerial devices travelling at sonic or super sonic speeds.
Pollution or contamination of air, water or soil, unless the pollution or contamination is directly caused by an event which is sudden, identifiable, unintended and unexpected. The whole event must happen at a specific time and place during the period of insurance.
The insurer will not cover claims arising from pollution, or contamination which happens as a result of the deliberate releasing of substances, or as a result of leaks other than escape of water or oil from your fixed domestic water or heating systems, subject to the terms and conditions of the insurance.
The insurer will not pay for any loss or damage, or legal liability, directly or indirectly arising from mechanical, electrical, electronic or computer
breakdowns, failures or breakages and computer viruses.
Loss, damage or liability occasioned by or happening through confiscation or detention by customs or other officials or authorities.
Any reduction in market value of any property following its repair or reinstatement.
Indirect loss of any kind.