Heritage Insurance - A Warning.

[cliff]

My current Classic policy only offers 30 days European cover a year, as it runs out in a few days, I have been looking for an alternative.

Heritage offered me 90 days European, 5K per year and a decent quote through Norton/Midas so I accepted.

It was only when I read through the docs this morning, I found this little gem:

GW Overnight Garaging Warranty
Indemnity provided by Section 2 of your policy will not apply in respect of loss and/or damage to your car caused directly by
theft, attempted theft or malicious damage between the hours of 22:00 (10pm) and 07:00 (7am) unless your car is kept in a locked
garage while your car is

a) at your private dwelling place
or
b) at any other address specifically agreed by us.
or
within half a mile radius of a) or b).


This is backed up by a statement in the covering letter:

Important feature of your policy: please note if the vehicle is not kept in a locked garage between 10.00 pm and 6.00 am, whilst in the vicinity of your home, your insurance cover is invalid.

A half mile radius covers quite a lot of ground, friends houses, restaurants, pubs, theatre and many other things you might like to do on a warm summers evening.

I called Heritage to query this, I was told that this is a part of the policy. After a discussion about the restrictiveness, stupidity and plain nonsense of this, I was repeatedly given the mantra of "it's part of the policy". I was eventually told that I could change to "parked in a drive way" but only for an extra £59!

It has been a long time since I have been told to be home by a certain time or else, so I cancelled the policy. I will look around for another company but if I don't find what I need, then I will simply put the Elan on my Aviva European policy for the 2 months I want to have it in Europe then revert back to my existing company who I was happy with except for the European cover.

So a word of warning to anyone with cover through Heritage/Norton/Midas, check your policy as you might find out that a quick shandy on a pleasant evening could become very expensive.

[Jon]

I have a pretty similar term in my policy with Classic Line - at the end of the day, if you tell them it is garaged (which mine is) then it has to be garaged, kind of seems fair!

I know all too many people who tell their insurance their car is garaged in order to get cheaper insurance who have NEVER garaged their cars (and in many cases couldn't even if they wanted to - garages here seem to have been built Elan sized and can't fit anything bigger ). No doubt the insurance companies just got sick of people claiming that they had parked outside on just the one night when their car happened to get damaged/stolen?

I'm not sure about the half mile exclusion - I always understood it to apply in the general vicinity of my home, though I'm not sure how far that stretches in practice - though I'd probably walk if I was intending to go anywhere within half a mile anyway.

[cliff]

I have no issue with it being garaged, it usually is anyway.

I object to someone telling me where I have to be and by what time! My life and for that matter my car, are my own and I will not be dictated to by some arrogant upstart whose wages I am paying.

[Jon]

I don't think they are trying to tell you where have to be and by what time - just trying to stop people claim garaged discount when they're not, and because that is a difficult thing to police you end up with a fairly generic clause.

I've checked and mine says:

Garaging

We will not pay any claim arising from theft or attempted theft, malicious damage or vandalism unless your vehicle is in a locked garage at the time of the loss. This cover restriction will apply to any loss which happens between 10pm and 6am when your vehicle is at your home address or any other address you have told us about and we have accepted.

Clearly they haven't gone as far as the policy you have found which stipulates half a mile - though I don't think that would particularly bother me either - which is obviously something which causes you an issue, so you have rightly voted with your feet and changed insurer.

[lotos]

Wow, that's very restrictive. You go out at night and effectively have no coverage? Sounds crazy to me. Doesn't nearly all damage/theft/loss happen when your vehicle is NOT in your locked garage?!

[Jon]

No the restriction only applies outside my home (where I've told them it is garaged).

I can leave it out overnight anywhere else....

[Rusty Wishbone]

What does this mean: "...or any other address you have told us about and we have accepted"? I wonder why I should tell an insurer about another address.

[Simon_P]

If like me you have a single garage and several cars, they are kept at several addresses!

[lotos]

Oh I read it wrong - it's saying that IF the car is at home, it must be in your garage at night. Makes sense to me actually since you're getting the rate reduction for the garage... What am I missing

[Jon]

Exactly Randy, and you aren't missing anything, I was just responding to the OP Cliff to point out that this clause isn't limited to a since insurer and to my mind seems fairly reasonable.

Rusty, "...or any other address you have told us about and we have accepted." means just that - you've told them that you keep the car at another address (for example I've a friend who for space, security and insurance purposes don't keep their car at their home, they keep it at their parents house). It isn't anything more complicated than that.

[cliff]

I now have policy with another company, unsurprisingly.

A half mile radius might not seem much but it would have meant that after 10 pm, I couldn't go to the nearest supermarkets, fuel stations, into the town centre, my local, any cash machine nearby, or even visit my sister! What kind of moron thinks this kind of policy is acceptable to offer to classic car owners?

Everyone, if you haven't already done so, check your policy.

[Tuga2112]

Exactly Randy, and you aren't missing anything, I was just responding to the OP Cliff to point out that this clause isn't limited to a since insurer and to my mind seems fairly reasonable.

Rusty, "...or any other address you have told us about and we have accepted." means just that - you've told them that you keep the car at another address (for example I've a friend who for space, security and insurance purposes don't keep their car at their home, they keep it at their parents house). It isn't anything more complicated than that.

i think that is referring to the scenario if you visit family or girlfriend often who do live close to you?

[CalElan]

I now have policy with another company, unsurprisingly.

A half mile radius might not seem much but it would have meant that after 10 pm, I couldn't go to the nearest supermarkets, fuel stations, into the town centre, my local, any cash machine nearby, or even visit my sister! What kind of moron thinks this kind of policy is acceptable to offer to classic car owners?

Everyone, if you haven't already done so, check your policy.

In your case half a mile would seem to be restrictive on your life. I've never had the issue of all those things being within half mile of my house and like the previous poster I would probably walk if they were. Seems you made the right decision for you.