Car Insurance

[Fruity]

I live on a narrowboat based at a marina in Cheshire. I have a Boatmail address (Bedfordshire) for my official mail, e.g. driving licence, bank, pensions, etc.

 

I recently took out car insurance cover with Hastings Direct giving the Cheshire address, as that's where I live. They subsequently requested Proof of NCD and driving license copies. Having discovered that my Driving License address (Boatmail) and insured address are different they requested a utility bill. I've just called them to say that I live on a narrowboat based at a marina in Cheshire and they have immediately given me 7 days notice of policy cancellation, saying they cannot help me because I don't live in a brick thing.

 

Do you know of any half decent car insurer who 'tolerates' liveaboards?

 

Thanks guys,

 

Kim

[Sea Dog]

Sorry to hear of your difficulties, which I suspect have now been compounded when you answer the question "have you ever been declined or refused insurance cover". I don't know the answer, hopefully someone here will, but it's clearly something that is better to be got right before the quote rather than to be put right after the contract. A cautionary tale, I think.

[b0atman]

Compare the Meerkat the address is boat name NB PEACE c/o marina however everything is email usually been L&V but this year its AA .A lot cheaper than AA quoted me as a member.

Utility bill mooring bill surely would count.

[Martin Megson]

It might be worth trying your boat insurer. I notice that Towergate Mardon who used to insure my boat also do car insurance.

[bag 'o' bones]

I live on a narrowboat based at a marina in Cheshire. I have a Boatmail address (Bedfordshire) for my official mail, e.g. driving licence, bank, pensions, etc.

 

I recently took out car insurance cover with Hastings Direct giving the Cheshire address, as that's where I live. They subsequently requested Proof of NCD and driving license copies. Having discovered that my Driving License address (Boatmail) and insured address are different they requested a utility bill. I've just called them to say that I live on a narrowboat based at a marina in Cheshire and they have immediately given me 7 days notice of policy cancellation, saying they cannot help me because I don't live in a brick thing.

 

Do you know of any half decent car insurer who 'tolerates' liveaboards?

 

Thanks guys,

 

Kim

I've received something similar from Admiral for 'audit purposes'.

It seems if your insurance is slightly unusual it triggers an audit.

In my case it because I'm 'piggybacking' a non eu nationals car on my insurance to reduce the premium as part of a multicar policy. Piggybacking is perfectly acceptable and is not 'fronting' - which is illegal - as long as the named 'piggy back' driver is registered as the main driver. Point is, it is an unusual arrangement which has obviously been flagged up.

Best to give them a ring. They will cancel your policy if you don't sort it.

[Paul C]

I live on a narrowboat based at a marina in Cheshire. I have a Boatmail address (Bedfordshire) for my official mail, e.g. driving licence, bank, pensions, etc.

 

I recently took out car insurance cover with Hastings Direct giving the Cheshire address, as that's where I live. They subsequently requested Proof of NCD and driving license copies. Having discovered that my Driving License address (Boatmail) and insured address are different they requested a utility bill. I've just called them to say that I live on a narrowboat based at a marina in Cheshire and they have immediately given me 7 days notice of policy cancellation, saying they cannot help me because I don't live in a brick thing.

 

Do you know of any half decent car insurer who 'tolerates' liveaboards?

 

Thanks guys,

 

Kim

 

Have you carefully read the small print of the insurance - either before you took the insurance or now? And if so, is it in these T&Cs or do you feel you're being unfairly treated here? If the latter, then you need to sort it out with them v soon or else they will remove the car from MID and then its only a matter of time before your car will be stopped by police via ANPR (if you use it - of course you could choose to not use it while the insurance is sorted).

[bag 'o' bones]

 

Have you carefully read the small print of the insurance - either before you took the insurance or now? And if so, is it in these T&Cs or do you feel you're being unfairly treated here? If the latter, then you need to sort it out with them v soon or else they will remove the car from MID and then its only a matter of time before your car will be stopped by police via ANPR (if you use it - of course you could choose to not use it while the insurance is sorted).

Funnily enough my conversation with my insurer was questioning why the terms and conditions relating to providing documentation was hidden away in the small print.

 

Not that I think it is unreasonable to provide documentation, but moreover my gripe was their threatening behaviour and why they wanted photocopies of my licence card even though the same information is available through the DVLA data base which I had given them permission to access (which incidently has been setup specifically for that purpose).

 

They also want a copy of the V5 for the car I bought recently (which I am still waiting for from the DVLA). Again this information is available from the DVLA why do they want a photocopy?

 

Talk about big brother!

[LoneWolf]

Sorry to hear of your difficulties, which I suspect have now been compounded when you answer the question "have you ever been declined or refused insurance cover". I don't know the answer, hopefully someone here will, but it's clearly something that is better to be got right before the quote rather than to be put right after the contract. A cautionary tale, I think.

 

not necessarily - a similar thing happened to me - insurance co declined to offer me a renewal because 'home' was different from 'place car usually kept' and i checked with them whether it counted as 'decline or refuse' and they said it didn't

 

this was about 3 years ago

[Fruity]

Some interesting thoughts here guys.... thank you :-)

 

I haven't been DECLINED or REFUSED insurance, thankfully. The e-mail says... "we are unable to continue cover with your existing underwriter and therefore, your policy will be cancelled on 01/07/2016"

 

I'll research some more companies and fess up that I'm not surrounded by bricks right from the start

 

Cheers

[Chewbacka]

Some interesting thoughts here guys.... thank you :-)

 

I haven't been DECLINED or REFUSED insurance, thankfully. The e-mail says... "we are unable to continue cover with your existing underwriter and therefore, your policy will be cancelled on 01/07/2016"

 

I'll research some more companies and fess up that I'm not surrounded by bricks right from the start

 

Cheers

As they are closing the policy early I would check with then if they consider that as declined or refused as if they do and you don't declare it your new insurance may refuse to pay out.

[Paul C]

I would check the specific wording, I don't think its "declined or refused insurance" - otherwise I, and I imagine 99.9% of buyers of car insurance, would have to check it (thus rendering it meaningless). The reason being, whenever I've done a car insurance quote on a comparison website, it goes away and asks about 120 insurers for quotes, then shows a list of the quotes in lowest price order. Scroll down and you'll see a few daft ones for thousands of pounds, then about a third of the providers who declined/refused to quote.

 

I suspect the question is more along the lines of "have you ever had car insurance cancelled" - although it is important to check the detailed wording of the question. I don't know why they ask anyway.....their databases are all linked and they know already.....

[Paul C]

Edited to add: DEFINITELY worth checking with the insurance company what it means, partially because different insurers ask a slightly different thing, and when you fill in a generic form for a comparison website those details become translated from one to another slightly different wording - which might be what caught you out originally. For example, moneysupermarket.com asks:

 

"Has anyone on the policy had any non-driving convictions, or ever had insurance declined?"

 

clicking "Yes" expands this to another couple of questions, the information box for the relevant one is:

 

"Has anyone on the policy ever been declined insurance?"

 

"

Why do we ask?

Insurers need to know if you or any other driver on the policy has ever had an insurance policy declined, cancelled, voided or had special terms imposed."

Edited June 24, 2016 by Paul C

[Mat B]

Swinton Insurance brokers managed to find me an insurer who was happy to cover the car kept at a different address. There were a lot of insurers who wouldn't.

 

The policy is with AXA Insurance UK

 

m@

[Richard10002]

 

not necessarily - a similar thing happened to me - insurance co declined to offer me a renewal because 'home' was different from 'place car usually kept' and i checked with them whether it counted as 'decline or refuse' and they said it didn't

 

this was about 3 years ago

It doesn't matter what your previous insurer call it... they wont be making it difficult for you to claim when the time comes. What did your new insurer class it as?

 

When you come to claim, they might be delighted that you didnt tell them - it wont matter if you never claim.

[Sea Dog]

not necessarily - a similar thing happened to me - insurance co declined to offer me a renewal because 'home' was different from 'place car usually kept' and i checked with them whether it counted as 'decline or refuse' and they said it didn't

 

this was about 3 years ago

Just raising the possibility, Lone Wolf, as it would be a bad thing for the OP to discover at the wrong time! Having insurance cancelled or refused isn't the same thing as not taking up a quote as someone else suggested, but your own experience is a comforting piece of information to add to the mix.

[Fruity]

UPDATE:

 

Swinton Insurance went to AXA who refused to quote as I live on a narrowboat. If I lived in a brick thing it would have been acceptable to have a different address.

 

My boat insurer (Collidge & Partners) do not do car insurance.

 

Towergate Mardon have a number of categories for specialist car insurance but nothing for 'ordinary' cars.

 

Most insurers state a quoting assumption that you live at the address.... as it's a Boatmail address I plainly don't.

 

Any more ideas would be gratefully received.... I'm getting desperate now!

[bag 'o' bones]

UPDATE:

 

Swinton Insurance went to AXA who refused to quote as I live on a narrowboat. If I lived in a brick thing it would have been acceptable to have a different address.

 

My boat insurer (Collidge & Partners) do not do car insurance.

 

Towergate Mardon have a number of categories for specialist car insurance but nothing for 'ordinary' cars.

 

Most insurers state a quoting assumption that you live at the address.... as it's a Boatmail address I plainly don't.

 

Any more ideas would be gratefully received.... I'm getting desperate now!

I don't think insurance companies are interested in whether or not you live on a boat I think there more interested in if you have a permanent address where the car lives most of the time when it is not being used . If the marina is an official residential mooring then it shouldn't be a problem to move your official address to the marina.

 

Technically if you are 'living' on your boat on a holiday mooring then officially that is not where you live. You live wherever your official address is registered technically. As you said if you lived in Bedfordshire in bricks and mortar then there isn't a problem. Technically you do live in bricks and mortar. How can the insurance company prove you don't 'live' at the official address very often?

 

I've just read the detailed terms and conditions of my own insurance policy (Admiral) and nowhere in it does say that you have to live in a house. All there interested in is my official address and that I should notify them if my official address changes, or the car is kept somewhere else overnight.

 

A the end of the day insurance is a contract. Being too truthful sometimes works against you. As long as you give them all the information they need and ask for and you don't contravene the terms and conditions set out in the small print then you have nothing to worry about.

Edited June 28, 2016 by bag 'o' bones

[rupertbear]

I have wondered about this whole area. I asked the RBOA but they didn't have a clue. If you use either a relative's address or a commercial accommodation address it doesn't matter in most cases, as long as people and institutions can contact you there's no problem.

 

I'm not so sure where financial matters are concerned. If you give such an address to your bank, could this be construed as fraudulent? I know that companies can and do use accommodation addresses but does this extend to individuals? I suppose that it comes down to the legal definition of 'address'.

 

When it comes to car insurance then there is obviously more of a problem since premiums are in part determined by location. If you give the address of your Granny's cottage in a Cumbrian village and then you, your boat and your car spend most of the time in London then it could presumably void your insurance.

 

There's a further problem. As honest citizens, the obvious course is to explain your circumstances to the institution but there is a well founded fear that the reaction will be 'No fixed abode! We don't want to know. Goodbye'.

 

Do we have a boating Insurance broker? There may be business to be had. Or maybe the IWA could look at this?

[David Mack]

Do we have a boating Insurance broker?

We used to have one in Michael Stimpson. But he sold his business to Mardon, who are now part of Towergate. The last I heard Michael was still retained by Towergate as an advisor. If you google you will find his old website with an email address and phone number, but I've no idea if they still work.

[Lady Muck]

we use Switfcover, the car is insured as being kept at our mooring, which is different to our postal address.

[Chewbacka]

..............................should notify them if my official address changes, or the car is kept somewhere else overnight.

 

A the end of the day insurance is a contract. Being too truthful sometimes works against you. As long as you give them all the information they need and ask for ........................................

I would suggest that not having a fixed address or keeping the car overnight often not in direct sight of the boat would both be things the insurance companies would 'need' to know, and if they didn't would see that as a good reason to not pay out.

In those circumstances it may be easier to get 3rd party only cover as the insurance company would have no liabilities relating to loss or damage to the vehicle whilst parked, though that may not be what you want.

[Lady Muck]

our policy with swiftcover states the truth of where our car is kept and that its different to our postal address

[bag 'o' bones]

I would suggest that not having a fixed address or keeping the car overnight often not in direct sight of the boat would both be things the insurance companies would 'need' to know, and if they didn't would see that as a good reason to not pay out.

In those circumstances it may be easier to get 3rd party only cover as the insurance company would have no liabilities relating to loss or damage to the vehicle whilst parked, though that may not be what you want.

At the end of the day all the insurance company wants to know is where your official address is for calculating your premium. Obviously if the car spends most of it life at another address then they need to know this.

 

When the op is asked 'where do you live' then he should reply at the official - bricks and mortar - address. Obviously he needs to explain that he spends a lot of time staying on a boat and takes the car with him. If the boat is on a non residential mooring then the insurance company cannot argue that is where you live because from a legal point of view it cannot be classed as a dwelling. That's how I understand it.

 

Its no different than folk who live in a holiday caravan for 11 months of the year and only return to their 'official' address for 1 month so they don't have to pay council tax.

[Fruity]

Well, being truthful has paid off... NFU Mutual have come good for me with a competitive quote and what appears to be far better cover than other policies I've looked at. Mind you, the proof of the pudding is in the claim, and I hope I never have to!!!!

 

Thank you for all your help guys, even the doom merchants

 

[Jess--]

NFU is who I use, in my case it's because anything being towed is automatically covered even if it becomes detached for any reason.

 

unlike the policy of a friend who had the insurance company wriggle out of paying for his caravan.

 

while towing he had the ball shear off from his towbar and the caravan went off merrily into the ditch (the breakaway cable did it's job and the brakes were on)

his policy states that while the caravan or trailer are attached to the vehicle they are covered, but the insurance company successfully argued that when the damage was caused to the caravan it was NOT attached to the vehicle and therefore the caravan was no longer covered, they did however offer to replace his towball.