[evad]

can anyone help to solve a bit of a discussion I've had? (obviously it's pretty quiet as it's 4am)

would your house insurance be void if there were no working smoke alarms in the property?

I understand that if you left a window open and you were burgled it could be void (same as if you leave your keys in your car and someone drives off in it)

but the smoke alarms a weird one, no-one was hurt (if they were surely you'd be negligible for some form of manslaughter) but if there was no-one in the house and it was merely aesthetic damage where would you stand?

 

[Squirrel]

Have a read through the policy document, if it specifies smoke detectors are a requirement of the policy, then you need them, if it doesn't, you don't!

Simples

 

[griffo13]

if you tell them you dont have smoke detectors your premium will be more expensive.. but if anything is damage in a fire your insurance wont be void if u told them already you dont have them. if you told them you do have them just to get your insurance down and something happens you cud be f**ked

 

[griffo13]

can anyone help to solve a bit of a discussion I've had? (obviously it's pretty quiet as it's 4am)

would your house insurance be void if there were no working smoke alarms in the property?

I understand that if you left a window open and you were burgled it could be void (same as if you leave your keys in your car and someone drives off in it)

but the smoke alarms a weird one, no-one was hurt (if they were surely you'd be negligible for some form of manslaughter) but if there was no-one in the house and it was merely aesthetic damage where would you stand?

if its your own house and its not rented out then they cant do yo for manslaughter if the fire started by accident.. if the property is rented and you didnt have working smoke detectors then you might be in trouble... thats what i no from renting property in ireland...

 

[Double J]

if you tell them you dont have smoke detectors your premium will be more expensive.. but if anything is damage in a fire your insurance wont be void if u told them already you dont have them. if you told them you do have them just to get your insurance down and something happens you cud be f**ked

Spot on mate. When the quote was processed it will have been based upon information given at the time. Hope you were honest bud :innocent:

 

[evad]

it isn't my house in question, it's my parents and having been there today I think there could be anything up to £25-30k of damage (including replacements of things) as well as the obvious irreplacable things

going to have to speak to the parents tomorrow (that's when they get back) and see f they stipulated anything that may coem back to bite them

 

[DarkTranquility]

Sorry to hear that about your folks. Losing irreplacable stuff is hard.

 

[Simon m]

Smoke alarms have no impact on premiums for house insurance. They are however a requirement in certain commercial situations, residential care homes and the like.

The purpose of smoke alarms is to protect the occupants and not the property, therefore it is irrelevant as far and the cost of insurance. Anyone says different they're talking balls.

EDIT: Just thought, some insurers might give a discount for such things, even so, if there was a claim, they couldn't avoid the insurance ue to smoke alarms, if they try just go to Insurance Ombudsman

 

[DarkTranquility]

^ Makes sense really. A smoke alarm isn't there to give you more time to put out a fire and save your possessions! It's there to get you out of the house!

 

[evad]

Cheers folks yeah we decided that the smoke alarm wouldn't be heard by the neighbours anyway the fire at least happened while they was away and at about 6pm so the neighbours house wasn't damaged (it's a semi detached)

We're taking them to see it today which tells me I may need a beer tonight

 

[Hobbio]

Mate, 99% of insurers do not give discounts for having smoke alarms.

It is extremely unlikely a claim would be thrown out for not having them in operation at the time of the loss, unless this was a specified condition of the insurance.

It is very difficult for an insurer to repudiate any claim, especially one of this magnitude, without VERY good reasons.

I've got more than a decade of experience working as an insurance professional. PM me if you want any advice

 

[evad]

right a development after having spoken to my parents (when they saw the house) yesterday and my sister who was there when the house was on fire

it was one of those smouldering fires that according to the firemen had been going for hours before anyone noticed it

and there was a smoke alarm with a battery in it, which the neighbour heard, and my dad pointed out was stood up next to the telephone in the hallway so this box is ticked

now they just have the pain in the ar5e job of getting on to companies, mainly insurance ones but it goes to everything like sky, bt, etc - luckily the insurance will do the works and an independant cleaning company should be able to salvage a lot of the stuff

it's just proper annoying that me and my sister can't really do anything, we can't even ring any companies for them