Churchill Home Insurance

Building

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Section 6 - No Claim Discount
A. No Claim Discount
If you don't make a claim, or if a claim doesn't arise under this policy, we will reduce any premium for renewal in line with our scale that applies at the renewal date. Details are available if you need them.
If you make a claim under Section 1, we will reduce your No Claim Discount on your buildings insurance.
If you make a claim under Section 2, 3 or 4, we will reduce your No Claim Discount on your contents insurance.
You cannot transfer your entitlement to No Claim Discount to another person.

B. No Claim Discount Protection - Buildings
or
C. No Claim Discount Protection - Contents (or both)
In return for an extra premium, you can keep your No Claim Discount unless you make:
- more than one claim in a period of cover; or
- more than two claims in any three periods of cover in a row.
If we have to reduce your No Claim Discount when we renew your cover, we will increase any premium for renewal in line with our scale that applies at the renewal date.

Important information
Your right to cancel when you buy or renew your policy
If the cover does not meet your requirements, please call us immediately on 0800 032 9488, or return all your documents within 14 days of receiving them. We will return any premium you have paid in full as long you have not made any claims during that time.
You must pay the full annual premium if you have made a claim during that period.

Section 1 Buildings
What is not insured
- Any excess shown in the schedule.
- Television and radio receiving equipment on the outside of your home.
- Swimming-pool covers.
- Damage caused by wet or dry rot.

C. Optional Cover
1) Accidental damage
This paragraph only applies if your schedule shows that accidental damage is included in Section 1 - Buildings.
We will pay for accidental damage to the buildings.
But we will not pay for damage:
- by a cause listed in or specifically excluded in paragraph A
- caused by a paying guest or tenant;
- caused by normal settlement or shrinkage;
- caused by an electrical or mechanical breakdown, wear and tear, loss of value or anything which happens gradually;
- caused by process of cleaning, repairing, taking apart, changing or restoring;
- caused by insects, vermin, fungus, the weather, the effect of light or pets;
- caused by faulty materials, workmanship or design;
- caused by changing or extending the buildings or the cost of maintenance or routine decorating; or
- after your home has been unoccupied for more than 30 days in a row.

Section 1 Buildings
What is not insured
- Any excess shown in the schedule.
- Television and radio receiving equipment on the outside of your home.
- Swimming-pool covers.
- Damage caused by wet or dry rot.

A. Loss of, or damage to, the buildings
We will pay for loss of, or damage to, the buildings caused by the following.
6. Subsidence, heave or landslip of the site your home stands on.
But not:
- the excess shown in the schedule;
- loss or damage caused by normal settlement or shrinkage;
- loss or damage caused by coastal or river erosion;
- loss or damage caused by demolition or structural changes or repairs to your home;
- loss or damage caused by faulty materials, workmanship or design;
- loss of, or damage to, solid floor slabs or loss or damage resulting from their moving unless the foundations under the outside walls of your home are damaged at the same time by the same cause; or
- loss of, or damage to, patios, terraces, tennis courts, outdoor swimming pools, walls, fences, gates, drives, service tanks, drains, septic tanks, pipes, cables and central-heating oil tanks, unless your home is damaged at the same time by the same cause.

Section 1 Buildings
What is not insured
- Any excess shown in the schedule.
- Television and radio receiving equipment on the outside of your home.
- Swimming-pool covers.
- Damage caused by wet or dry rot.

A. Loss of, or damage to, the buildings
We will pay for loss of, or damage to, the buildings caused by the following.
11. Water or oil escaping from any fixed water or heating installation, including underground drains and pipes,or from any domestic appliance.
- Any fixed water or heating installation freezing.
But not:
- after your home has been unoccupied for more than 30 days in a row.
- subsidence, heave and landslip that results from escaping water or oil.

Helplines
We have arranged three helplines to give you practical help at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.
Legal advice: 0845 246 2853 (24-hour service)
The legal helpline lets you speak to a qualified legal advisor who can give you free confidential advice on any personal, legal, financial or employment matters. The service only provides advice and does not cover any costs which you run up as a result of following the advice.
You must have bought Home Emergency Legal Protection (Section 5) to receive legal expenses insurance.

Emergencies: 0800 400 695 (24-hour service)
The home emergency helpline puts you in touch with someone who can help in a domestic emergency. Just phone the helpline number and the trained operator will contact a reputable and skilled tradesman (such as a plumber or an electrician) for you. The helpline service is free, but you will have to pay the charges of the tradesman or firm called out to help you. You may be able to get these charges back under this or another insurance policy.

Glass replacement helpline: 0800 389 9633 (24-hour service)
The glass replacement helpline will arrange for any glass forming part of your home or furniture to be replaced if it gets broken. If the damage is covered under your policy, you will only have to pay the excess shown in your schedule. If the damage is not covered under your policy, you will receive a discount as a Churchill policyholder.

Helplines
We have arranged three helplines to give you practical help at any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.
Legal advice: 0845 246 2853 (24-hour service)
The legal helpline lets you speak to a qualified legal advisor who can give you free confidential advice on any personal, legal, financial or employment matters. The service only provides advice and does not cover any costs which you run up as a result of following the advice.
You must have bought Home Emergency Legal Protection (Section 5) to receive legal expenses insurance.

Emergencies: 0800 400 695 (24-hour service)
The home emergency helpline puts you in touch with someone who can help in a domestic emergency. Just phone the helpline number and the trained operator will contact a reputable and skilled tradesman (such as a plumber or an electrician) for you. The helpline service is free, but you will have to pay the charges of the tradesman or firm called out to help you. You may be able to get these charges back under this or another insurance policy.

Glass replacement helpline: 0800 389 9633 (24-hour service)
The glass replacement helpline will arrange for any glass forming part of your home or furniture to be replaced if it gets broken. If the damage is covered under your policy, you will only have to pay the excess shown in your schedule. If the damage is not covered under your policy, you will receive a discount as a Churchill policyholder.

Section 1 Buildings
E Settling claims
1 We will pay the cost of repairing or restoring the damaged parts of the buildings.
2 We will take off an amount for wear and tear if the buildings have not been well maintained.
3 If the repair or restoration is not carried out, we will pay the reduction in the market value of your home caused by the damage. We will not pay more than the repair or restoration work would have cost if the work had been carried out.
4 We will not pay the cost of repairing or restoring any undamaged part of the buildings.
5 We will not pay more than the sum insured for a claim.
The amount we pay will also depend on any limits shown in the policy or schedule and inflation.
6 You must pay the excess shown in the policy or schedule.
7 The sum insured will not be reduced by paying a claim, unless there is a total loss of the buildings or we pay the full sum insured.
8 If, at the time of loss or damage,the sum insured for your building (shown in your schedule) is less than the full cost of reconstructing your building, we will use the following calculation to work out the reduction we will make to the amount we pay for any claim made under the policy:
sum insured divided by reinstatement cost.

Section 2 Contents
F Settling claims
1 We will decide whether to:
- replace the lost or damaged item;
- pay the cost of repairing or replacing the item; or
- make a cash payment, which will not be more than the amount it would have cost us to replace or repair the item using our own suppliers.
We will take off an amount for wear and tear in any claim for: - clothing, towels, bed or table linen or pedal cycles.
2 We will not pay for the cost of repairing or replacing any undamaged part of a set, collection or suite.
3 We will not pay more than the sum insured for a claim. The amount we pay will also depend on any limits shown in the policy or schedule and inflation.
4 The most we will pay for all unspecified high-risk items is shown as the 'Total high-risk limit ' in the schedule. .
5 The most we will pay for any one unspecified high-risk item is £1, 500. This limit will not apply to those items described within the specified items section of the schedule. The most we will pay for a claim for a specified item will not be more than the sum insured shown in the schedule.
6 If you claim for an item specified in your schedule, you will need to provide proof of the item 's value. We recommend that you keep copies of valuations, receipts, photographs and instruction booklets to help you do this.
7 You must pay the excess shown in the policy or schedule.
8 If, at the time of any loss or damage, the sum insured is not enough to replace all the contents in your home as new, we may take off an amount to reflect the difference between these values.
For example, if your contents sum insured is equal to 75%of the amount needed to replace all the contents as new, we may pay only 75%of your claim.

Section 3 - Personal possessions
D Settling claims
1 We will decide whether to:
- replace the lost or damaged item;
- pay the cost of repairing or replacing the item; or
- make a cash payment, which will not be more than the amount it would have cost us to replace or repair the item using our own suppliers.
We will take off an amount for wear and tear in any claim for:
- clothing or towels.
2 We will not pay more than the sum insured for a claim. The amount we pay will also depend on any limits shown in the policy or schedule.
3 The most we will pay for any one unspecified item, set or collection is £1,500. This limit will not apply to those items described within the specified items section of the schedule. The most we will pay for a claim for a specified item will not be more than the sum insured shown in the schedule.
4 If you claim for an item specified in your schedule, you will need to provide proof of the items value. We recommend that you keep copies of valuations, receipts, photographs and instruction booklets to help you do this.
5 You must pay the excess shown in the policy or schedule.
6 We will not automatically replace the sum insured for any item of specified personal possessions which has been totally lost or destroyed. If you want further insurance for the replacement items, you must tell us.

General conditions which apply to the whole of the policy
1 Your duty
We will only provide the cover set out in this policy if you keep to all the terms and conditions of the policy.
2 Accidents and losses
You must tell us as soon as reasonably possible about any incident which may lead to a claim under this policy. If you receive any notice of a prosecution or you are sent a writ, summons, claim or letter, you must send it to us, unanswered, as soon as possible. You must also keep us up-to-date with any developments in your claim.
3 Claims procedure
You must not admit liability for or negotiate to settle any claim without our written permission. We may take over, defend or settle the claim, or take up any claim in your name for our own benefit. You must give us all the information and help we need. You must not abandon property to us.
For any loss or damage claim you must:
- give us any information and evidence we ask for, including written estimates and proof of ownership or value;
- tell the police immediately if there has been loss or damage caused by deception, theft, attempted theft, vandalism or malicious damage, riot or loss outside your home; and
- take all reasonable steps to get back lost or stolen property.

4 Other insurance
If you have other insurance which covers the same loss, damage or liability, we will not pay more than our share of your claim.
5 Settling disagreements
If we have agreed to a claim but there is a disagreement over the amount we will pay, the problem must be decided by an arbitrator who you and we can both accept. You cannot take legal action against us until the arbitrator has decided on the amount we should pay.
6 Preventing loss or damage
You must take all reasonable care to prevent loss, injury or liability, damage or accidents and to maintain all property covered under this policy in good condition.
7 Number of bedrooms
You must tell us if the number of bedrooms in your home changes from what is shown in the schedule.
8 Fraud
You or any person acting for you must not make false claims. If you or anyone acting for you makes a claim knowing any part of it to be false or exaggerated in any way, or if you deliberately cause loss or damage, we will not pay the claim and we will cancel your policy and all other policies you are connected to with The Royal Bank of Scotland Group (the RBS group).
9 Changes that may affect your cover
You must tell us as soon as possible if there are changes that may affect your insurance, such as the following.
- You change the address where you normally live.
- Your property is unoccupied for more than 30 days.
- You change jobs.
- You are convicted or have a conviction pending for any offence other than motoring.
- You suffer a loss for which you are not claiming.
- Your home is going to be used as a holiday home.
- Your home is to be let out to tenants or shared with lodgers.
- Your home is used for business.
- Work that is going to be done to your home that is not routine maintenance or decoration.
We may then re-assess your cover and premium. If you do not tell us about any relevant changes, we may:
- charge you the wrong premium;
- reject or refuse your claim; or
- declare your policy invalid.
10 Paying the premium
a If you do not pay the premium, we will assume that you intend to cancel the policy. As a result, any cover provided by this policy will no longer be valid from the date the premium was due.
b If you are paying by instalments and you miss a payment, we will cancel your cover. We will give you seven days' notice before we do this.
c If you are paying by instalments, you must pay the full yearly premium if you have made a claim in the current period of cover. We have the right to take this amount off any claim we may pay.
11 Cancelling your policy during the period of cover
- We can cancel this policy by sending you seven days' written notice to your last known address. If we do, we will return the premium you have paid, less an amount for the period the policy has been in force.
- You can cancel your policy by giving us seven days' written notice. As long as you have not made a claim or suffered a loss that may lead to a claim in the current period of cover, we will return any unused premium, less one month's premium.
- We will never refund your premium if you have made a claim during the period of cover.
If the amount due when we or you cancel the policy is more than the amount you have paid, you must pay the difference.
12 Amending your policy during the period of cover
If you make any changes to your policy during the period of cover, you may have to pay an administration fee, which we may add to your premium or deduct from any refund due to you. Our administration fee is £5 plus Insurance Premium Tax (IPT).
13 People involved in this contract
This contract is between you and us. No-one else has any rights they can enforce under this contract, except those they have under law.
14 Joint policyholder
If the schedule confirmation notes the interest (or interests) of other people, these people will have the same rights and interests as the policyholder.
15 Auto renewal
We have found that most of our customers choose to renew with us each year. To make renewing easier for you, unless you have told us not to, we will renew your policy automatically using the payment details you have already given. If you do not want to renew your policy, you must call us before the renewal date to let us know. It is not possible to offer automatic renewal with all payment methods, so please check your renewal invite when it arrives for further details.

General exceptions which apply to the whole of the policy
You are not covered for any of the following.
1. Radioactive contamination
Any loss or damage to property or any direct or indirect loss, expense or liability caused or contributed to by:
- ionising radiation or radioactive contamination from any nuclear fuel or waste; or
- the radioactive, toxic, explosive or other dangerous properties of nuclear equipment or its nuclear parts.
2. War
Any loss or damage caused by war, invasion, revolution or any similar event.
3. Sonic bangs
Loss or damage caused by pressure waves from an aircraft travelling at or beyond the speed of sound.
4. Loss of value
Loss of value which is more than the cost of repair or replacement.
5. Events before the policy starts
Any loss, damage, liability or injury which happened before the cover under your policy started.
6. Pollution or contamination
We will not pay for any expense, loss, damage or legal liability directly or indirectly caused by pollution or contamination, unless arising from oil leaking from any fixed heating installation or from any domestic appliance in your home, which takes place during the period of cover.
7. Failure of computers and electrical equipment
Damage or loss directly or indirectly due to:
- any computer or other electrical equipment or component failing to correctly recognise any date as its true calendar date; or
- computer viruses.
8. Terrorism
We will not pay for any expense, loss, damage or legal liability directly or indirectly caused by terrorism.
Terrorism is defined as the use of biological, chemical or nuclear force or contamination by any person or group of people, whether acting alone or in connection with any organisation or government and whether or not committed for political, religious, ideological or similar purposes, including the intention to influence any government or to put members of the public in fear.