An insurer can decline to renew your policy. They are not obliged to give a detailed reason, only to notify you in advance. Most refusals follow a recent claim, a series of claims, or a change in the insurer’s underwriting appetite. Here is what to do when the renewal letter says no, and how to find cover elsewhere without paying a fortune.
Why insurers refuse renewal
Common reasons:
- A recent large claim, particularly subsidence, fire, or flood
- Multiple smaller claims within a short window
- A change in the insurer’s risk appetite (often portfolio-wide, not specific to you)
- A property characteristic now considered higher risk (location flood-zoning, listed status, prior claims)
- Disclosure issues during the previous policy year
The insurer’s letter should give some indication, but the language is often general. If the letter is unclear, write and ask for the specific reason.
Your immediate steps
Three things, in order:
- Confirm the lapse date. The cover ends on the renewal date in the letter. Note the date and do not let the property sit uninsured.
- Take alternative quotes immediately. Most properties find cover at another insurer. Start with three or four direct insurers and a broker.
- Document the refusal. Keep the letter. Other insurers will ask whether you have ever been refused cover; the question is binary, but having the original letter helps.
How to find a new insurer
Start with mainstream Irish insurers (Aviva, AIG, Allianz, AXA, FBD, RSA, Zurich, Liberty, Irish Life). Most properties find cover at one of these even after a claim.
If mainstream insurers refuse or quote prohibitively, move to specialist brokers. Several Irish brokers focus on non-standard residential and commercial risks: previous subsidence, listed buildings, properties with multiple claims, properties in high-flood-risk areas. They have access to insurers who specialise in these risks rather than refusing them outright.
What if every insurer refuses
This is rare but happens, usually on properties with a recent subsidence claim or a flood claim in a known flood zone. Three routes:
- Insurance Federation of Ireland’s pool arrangements. For some risks, the industry collectively underwrites cover that no individual insurer wants.
- Lloyd’s of London via specialist Irish brokers. Lloyd’s syndicates pick up risks that mainstream Irish insurers will not.
- Reduce the perils covered. Sometimes cover at any price is possible only by excluding the riskiest peril (e.g., subsidence) and self-insuring against it.
Was the original claim properly handled
If the refusal follows a claim that you suspect was mishandled or under-settled, that is sometimes addressable at the source. A claim that was settled at the wrong figure or under the wrong peril is on the property’s record forever; the renewal market reflects that record. Where the underlying claim outcome is contestable, reopening it can sometimes affect the future insurability.
Our team handles rejected claim disputes and overturns first-pass refusals regularly. If the refusal driving your renewal problem was the rejection itself, that is a separate fight worth considering.
When to call a loss assessor
For renewal-refusal scenarios where the underlying issue is a contested claim, a loss assessor’s involvement on that claim sometimes changes the renewal market entirely. We can review the original claim file and tell you honestly whether there is a route back.
Do not let the cover lapse
Whatever you do, keep the property continuously insured. A lapse, even briefly, makes the next application harder and can affect mortgage covenants. Pay for cover at any price for the gap month if needed, then sort the longer-term arrangement properly.
Written by the team at N.J. Carroll & Associates, insurance loss assessors and quantity surveyors, established 1988.
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