Not upheld: Home insurance claim disputes complaint against White Horse Insurance UK Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Miss B and Ms P claimed on their wedding cancellation insurance policy after their chosen venue became unable to host their wedding due to a local authority funding decision, resulting in loss of their marquee deposit. White Horse declined the claim as the reason for cancellation did not fall within the four specific covered circumstances: fire damage, adverse weather damage, murder/death/suicide at the venue, or terrorism. The ombudsman found that White Horse fairly declined the claim in line with the policy terms and that the key restrictions on cover were sufficiently communicated to the customers through the IPID document. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that White Horse fairly declined the claim because the reason for cancellation (local authority funding decision affecting the venue) did not fall within the four specific circumstances listed in the policy terms. The ombudsman was satisfied that the key restrictions on cover were sufficiently drawn to Miss B and Ms P's attention through the IPID document, which explicitly stated that 'Cover for cancellation or rearrangement is provided for specific circumstances only'. The ombudsman acknowledged that while the cancellation reason was not foreseeable, wedding cancellation insurance policies are not intended to cover every possible scenario that might lead to a wedding being cancelled.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website