Not upheld: mis-selling - failure to clearly communicate policy exclusion complaint against Ripe Insurance Services Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr H purchased a holiday chalet insurance policy from Ripe in 2022 and renewed it annually. When he made a flood claim in 2025, it was declined because his chalet was not located on a registered holiday park, a condition in the policy. Mr H complained that this condition was not brought to his attention during the sales process. The ombudsman found that Ripe provided clear information about the registered holiday park requirement at the point of sale and at each renewal through policy documents and Statements of Fact. As the sale was non-advised, Ripe's obligation was to provide appropriate information for an informed decision, not to ensure suitability. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

As this was a non-advised sale, Ripe's obligation was to provide appropriate information to allow Mr H to make an informed decision, not to ensure the policy was suitable for his needs. The ombudsman found that Ripe presented clear information about the registered holiday park requirement at the point of sale and at each renewal through policy documents and Statements of Fact. The information was fair, clear and not misleading. The fact that a previous claim was paid does not affect Ripe's obligation to provide information, nor does the fact that Ripe now requests additional information from new customers indicate that the information provided to Mr H was inadequate.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website