Upheld: Home insurance claim disputes complaint against AXA Insurance UK Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H complained about AXA's handling of a subsidence claim on his home insurance policy, specifically regarding delays in progressing repairs and investigating damp issues between June 2025 and February 2026. AXA's loss adjuster failed to adequately manage the claim, including a one-month delay in appointing a damp surveyor and failure to progress further investigations despite having five months to do so. The Ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding AXA had failed Mr H during this period, but determined that the total compensation of £650 (comprising amounts offered in August 2025, February 2026, and upon referral) was fair and reasonable for the distress and inconvenience caused. The Ombudsman directed AXA to ensure its newly appointed technical handler progresses the claim without further delay and urged prompt assessment of any reports with clear timelines provided to Mr H.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The Ombudsman found that AXA failed Mr H during the period from June 2025 to February 2026 through poor claim management, inadequate supplier briefing, and failure to progress damp investigations. While the Ombudsman could only consider complaints from the specified time period (not the entire claim history), the evidence showed that with better management, AXA would likely have been able to make a decision on the damp by end of September 2025. The five-month delay from September 2025 to February 2026 without significant progress was particularly disappointing. However, the Ombudsman considered the total compensation of £650 to be fair and reasonable given the level of distress and inconvenience caused over the period in question.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website