Not upheld: claims handling, service failures, quality of repairs complaint against Zurich Insurance Company Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6420070 of 2026-06-10T00:00:00+00:00. claims handling, service failures, quality of repairs complaint against Zurich Insurance Company Limited. Outcome: Not upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6420070 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-06-10T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Zurich Insurance Company Limited |
| Product | Home insurance |
| Claim type | claims handling, service failures, quality of repairs |
| Outcome | Not upheld |
| Remedy | Zurich Insurance Company Limited must pay £750 compensation (if not already paid) for service failures and inconvenience. If Ms C engages her own contractor to complete agreed flooring works, Zurich must reimburse her at the contractor's full rates rather than applying any discount it receives from its own contractors. |
Summary
Ms C complained about Zurich's handling of a home insurance claim for property damage, specifically regarding flooring repair quality, alleged damage to a door lock, and poor communication. Zurich had previously paid just under £2,000 in compensation across multiple complaint responses and offered £750 for additional service failings in February 2025. Ms C sought an independent surveyor assessment of the flooring, reimbursement of travel expenses, and compensation for tenants' council tax and bills. The ombudsman upheld Zurich's position on most issues, finding the proposed minor flooring repairs reasonable, insufficient evidence of contractor-caused door lock damage, and that the £750 compensation was fair for the service failures experienced. The ombudsman rejected requests for an independent surveyor and travel expense reimbursement, but confirmed that if Ms C hired her own contractor for agreed works, Zurich must reimburse at full cost.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that while Zurich had made some service failures, its proposed resolutions were reasonable and fair. On the door lock issue, despite accepting the lock malfunctioned while contractors were present, there was insufficient evidence that Zurich's contractors caused damage through improper treatment, and no visible damage or expert evidence of breakage was provided. On flooring, the ombudsman accepted that Zurich's surveyor was not independent but found no misleading conduct, and concluded the proposed minor repairs were reasonable given no expert evidence of serious defects was provided by Ms C. The ombudsman rejected the need for an independent surveyor appointment as Ms C had not substantiated serious defects. On handling, the ombudsman found Zurich's restriction to email contact reasonable given Ms C's angry comments, and that not appointing another handler was justified to avoid delays. The £750 compensation was deemed appropriate for the service failures and their impact over several months.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich Insurance Company Limited, all decisions | 5 | 20% |
| Home insurance, all decisions | 20,668 | 38% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website