Upheld: claims handling delays and claim decline notification complaint against Haven Insurance Company Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A complained about delays in Haven's handling of his storm damage insurance claim, specifically regarding provision of the surveyor's report, inconsistencies between verbal statements and the report, and delayed notification of a claim decline. This was Mr A's second complaint; the first had already been decided with £350 compensation awarded for delays up to 10 June 2025. The ombudsman upheld the complaint but found that Haven's handling was largely reasonable: the 7-day delay in providing the report was acceptable for review purposes, the overall 2-month timeframe to claim acceptance was not excessive, and the claim decline did not cause Mr A to incur independent survey costs as he had already commissioned that survey. The ombudsman directed Haven to reimburse £360 for the independent report cost, which Haven had already agreed to pay.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied FCA rules requiring insurers to handle claims promptly and fairly (ICOBS 8.1.1). The ombudsman limited consideration to events after 10 June 2025 per FOS rules. Regarding delay: while 7 days elapsed between Haven receiving the report and sending it to Mr A, this was reasonable time for review. The overall 2-month timeframe from survey to claim acceptance (16 June to 14 August) was not excessive given the activities completed. Regarding claim decline: Mr A commissioned his independent survey before being informed of the decline, so the decline notification did not cause him to incur report costs. Regarding inconsistencies: differences between spoken statements and the report reflected Haven's final investigation conclusions after obtaining additional information (satellite imagery), not misleading conduct. Haven's agreement to reimburse £360 for the independent report was fair and reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website