Veste

Partially upheld: Other regulated complaint complaint against Haven Insurance Company Limited

Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6289005 of 2026-07-01T00:00:00+00:00. Other regulated complaint complaint against Haven Insurance Company Limited. Outcome: Partially upheld.

Decision detail

ReferenceDRN-6289005
Decision date2026-07-01T00:00:00+00:00
FirmHaven Insurance Company Limited
ProductOther regulated product
Claim typeOther regulated complaint
OutcomePartially upheld
RemedyHaven Insurance Company Limited must pay Mr M £225 for the salvage value of the vehicle and £100 compensation for distress and inconvenience caused.

Summary

Mr M claimed on his taxi insurance policy after his vehicle caught fire. Haven declined the claim citing an electrical fault exclusion, supported by an independent engineer's report. Mr M disputed this, claiming the fire was arson based on witness accounts and a fire officer's suggestion. The ombudsman found the engineer's expert opinion more persuasive than Mr M's circumstantial evidence and upheld the claim decline as fair. However, the ombudsman found Haven acted unfairly by not paying the salvage value and ordered compensation of £225 salvage value plus £100 for distress and inconvenience.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Haven's reliance on the independent engineer's expert opinion regarding the electrical fault was more persuasive than Mr M's unverified circumstantial evidence of arson. Therefore, the claim decline was fair and reasonable. However, Haven should have paid the salvage value recovered from the vehicle disposal and compensation for the distress and inconvenience caused by failing to do so.

How this compares

GroupDecisionsUphold rate
Haven Insurance Company Limited, all decisions40747%
Other regulated complaint, all decisions18,99219%
Other regulated product, all decisions51,46230%

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website