Upheld: claims handling delay and failure to progress claim promptly complaint against Intact Insurance UK Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr L complained that Intact Insurance caused delays in handling his property damage claim arising from a leak in September 2024. Between 2 March 2025 and 3 October 2025, the claim made no meaningful progress despite Mr L's loss assessor sending a dry rot report on 6 March followed by three chasers, which Intact did not address until April. Further delays occurred due to annual leave, unnecessary repeated requests for information already provided, and gaps in communication. The ombudsman found Intact breached FCA rules requiring prompt and fair claims handling, determining that avoidable delays of three to four months had occurred. Intact was ordered to pay £300 compensation for the repeated delays causing inconvenience over several months.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Intact failed to handle the claim promptly and fairly in breach of FCA rules (ICOBS 8.1.1). The evidence demonstrated clear gaps in contact and avoidable delays, including failure to review the dry rot report promptly after it was sent on 6 March, unnecessary requests for information already provided, and lack of meaningful progress over an eight-month period. While Intact cited reasons such as annual leave and investigation requirements, these did not justify the overall pattern of delays. Intact is responsible for its agents' actions, and the agents failed to share information as promptly as they could have. The ombudsman rejected Intact's argument that compensation was not warranted for a couple of weeks' delay, finding that in the overall context of repeated delays over several months causing inconvenience, compensation was appropriate.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website