Not upheld: unfair recording of claim enquiry information complaint against Ageas Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr K and Mrs K complained that Ageas unfairly recorded information about a water leak enquiry made under their home insurance policy. Two years later, when Mr K applied for insurance with another insurer, that insurer cancelled the policy because Mr K had not disclosed the earlier enquiry with Ageas. Mr K argued that Ageas should have informed him of the need to disclose the enquiry to other insurers. The ombudsman found that Ageas correctly recorded the enquiry on its claims system and the CUE database as required, and that it was not Ageas's responsibility to advise Mr K on disclosure obligations to other insurers. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Ageas acted reasonably in recording the enquiry as it is standard practice to maintain records of customer communications. The recording on CUE was correct and appropriate, as Ageas is signed up to CUE which requires recording of all insurance-related incidents. The ombudsman determined that it is each individual insurer's responsibility to decide what information they require from applicants and what questions to ask, not Ageas's responsibility to advise Mr K on disclosure obligations to other insurers.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website