Not upheld: Travel / life insurance claim disputes complaint against Ageas Insurance Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs Y claimed under her home insurance policy for damage caused by police during a raid on her property. Ageas declined the claim, stating the raid did not constitute an emergency and therefore fell outside the policy's cover for damage caused by emergency services dealing with an emergency. Mrs Y argued she had been reassured by Post Office customer services that the circumstances would be covered. The ombudsman found that while the raid was sudden and unexpected from Mrs Y's perspective, it was a planned operation under warrant as part of an ongoing investigation, meaning the police were not dealing with an emergency as defined in the policy. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the ordinary, everyday meaning of 'emergency' as defined in the Cambridge Dictionary: something dangerous or serious that happens suddenly or unexpectedly and needs fast action. While the raid was sudden and unexpected from Mrs Y's perspective, the policy requires that the emergency services themselves be dealing with an emergency. Since the raid was planned and part of an ongoing investigation under warrant, the police were not dealing with a sudden, unforeseen event requiring immediate action such as an imminent threat. Therefore, Ageas's interpretation of the policy term was reasonable and the claim was fairly declined.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website