Partially upheld: service failure, poor communication, claim handling delays complaint against Aviva Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs R complained about Aviva's handling of a home insurance claim for storm damage in 2022 and subsequent water ingress reported in 2025. Mrs R alleged the 2025 damage resulted from poor repair quality in 2022 and that Aviva failed to pursue recovery against NHBC. The ombudsman found the 2022 repair was likely adequate, as defects would have manifested sooner given severe weather in the intervening years. However, the ombudsman upheld the complaint in part, finding that Aviva failed to communicate their commercial decision not to pursue NHBC recovery and failed to provide a completion certificate, leading Mrs R to have false expectations. Aviva was directed to pay £150 compensation and provide the completion certificate.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found Aviva's position on the quality of the 2022 repair to be reasonable, as defects of the alleged nature would likely have manifested sooner given the severe weather conditions in the intervening years. However, the ombudsman found that Aviva failed in their service to Mrs R by not clearly communicating their commercial decision not to pursue recovery against NHBC, leading Mrs R to have a false expectation that Aviva would handle this matter. The failure to provide a completion certificate and other documentation created avoidable uncertainty. While Aviva was not responsible for contacting NHBC on Mrs R's behalf, they should have been transparent about their intentions and decisions during the period when Mrs R was actively seeking this information.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website