Not upheld: claim decline - breach of policy condition complaint against Lloyds Bank General Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S claimed for stolen belongings from his car under a home insurance policy with Lloyds. Lloyds declined the claim because the belongings were not stored in a locked boot as required by the policy condition. Mr S argued he was not sent the policy booklet at renewal and that the location of the belongings was irrelevant given the extent of the break-in. The ombudsman upheld Lloyds's decision, finding the policy condition was clear and reasonable, the breach was material to the loss, and Lloyds properly provided access to the policy terms online.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found the policy condition was clear, not ambiguous, given reasonable prominence, and not unusual or onerous. The breach of the condition was material to the loss because the visible items on the floor likely increased the risk of the car being broken into. Lloyds properly made the policy booklet available online through renewal documents and the IPID, so it was fair to rely on the policy terms.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website