2016 Star Ratings Landlord Home Insurance Discussion paper

Transcription

1 2016 Star Ratings Landlord Home Insurance Discussion paper Defaqto Limited All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced in any form by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, optical or any other, or be stored in a retrieval system without the express written permission of the publisher. The publisher has taken all reasonable measures to ensure the accuracy of the information and Ratings in this document and cannot accept responsibility or liability for errors in or omission from any information given and for any consequences arising.

2 About this document This document outlines the key developments and trends that will inform the criteria we use for the 2016 Star Ratings for Landlord Home Insurance and, based on these, sets out the areas where we would like to consult the industry as part of ensuring that our Ratings process remains robust and transparent. 2

3 Key developments and trends The market We have reviewed developments in the landlord home insurance market, considering legislation and regulation, provider changes, and landlord home insurance products and propose the following changes to our ratings for 2016: We are proposing to remove relating to cover availability and reflect the cover limit provided. This will lead us to remove a number of current criteria such as Removal of Nests, Rent Guarantee, and Repairs Guaranteed which will be replaced with criteria based on the level of cover provided After reviewing the market we are also proposing to amend the DNA structure applicable to Sum Insured Protection (Buildings) as the minimum sum insured available has increased significantly Legislation and regulation The main focus in this area remains the FCA review into the sale of add-ons and its intended ban on optout sales: This review continues to influence our Star Ratings and we are therefore proposing to amend the criteria which relates to the limit of indemnity and number of perils covered for both Home Emergency and Legal Expenses We have noted a number of providers offer different levels of cover, particularly in the home emergency market, therefore our research will be based on the highest level of Home Emergency and Legal Expenses cover available 3

4 Providers We reviewed how the make-up of distribution has changed in the Landlord Home insurance market over recent years, comparing 2015 to 2010: Total distributor numbers over the period indicate that this is a growing market, with 82 distributor brands today compared to 73 in This summary figure masks some major changes with 22 of the distributors in 2010 no longer selling Landlord Home insurance as at Also 34 of the distributor brands in 2015 did not exist in 2010 Products/propositions We looked at the way in which providers' products and propositions are changing over time: Product numbers have increased significantly, by almost 45%, up from 91 in 2010 to 131 in 2015 It is noticeable that a number of providers are developing products with multiple levels of cover aimed at differing customer profiles. Nearly a third offer a number of products compared to 12% of providers in

5 Key implications for the 2016 Ratings process Product area weightings The criteria have been split into the following areas in order to show the weightings for each within the Ratings: Landlord Home Insurance 2014 No. of 2014 % share of Star Rating Features 2015 No. of 2015 % share of 2016 No. of 2016 % share of Policy Cover - Availability 10 17% 9 16% 8 14% Policy Cover 32 54% 33 58% 34 61% Policy Excesses/Terms 10 17% 10 18% 9 16% Policy Add-Ons 6 10% 4 7% 4 7% Helpline Services 1 2% 1 2% 1 2% Total % % % At each Star Rating review we consider market changes and the relevance of these factors. As you can see the statistics above demonstrate that we will only change the criteria should the need arise following market changes or amendments, or potential amendments in legislation. What does good look like? For 2016 we see no need to change the core criteria for 4 or 5 Star rated products from those which are currently being applied. Landlord Home Insurance Core criteria set for the following Policy Cover Buildings Accidental Damage Subsidence Loss of Rent Lock Replacement Landlord s Contents Carpets/Curtains White Goods Property Owners Liability Defective Premises 5

6 Areas for discussion These are the areas where Defaqto would like to discuss their proposals, and receive any feedback that you might have. Removal of minimum tenancy period Amendments to DNA Scoring Buildings Sum insured protection Criteria to be Amended Home Emergency Cover Home Legal Expenses Insurance New Criterion - 24 Hour Claims Helpline We propose to remove minimum tenancy period as a criterion as this is more of an underwriting restriction than a limit of cover. We propose to amend the DNA structure for buildings Sum insured protection to reflect the increase in the minimum sum insured available across the market We are also proposing to amend the following criteria and base on the level of cover provided rather than the availability of cover: Removal of Nests Rent Guarantee Repairs Guaranteed Where multiple levels of cover are available we intend to show the maximum limit of indemnity and perils available. Where multiple levels of cover are available we intend to show the maximum limit of indemnity and perils available. We are also proposing to add a criterion relating to the availability of a 24 hour claims helpline. We would also welcome your feedback on the whether the FCA review into the sale of add-on products should have a greater influence on our Star Ratings. Star Rating Methodology For 2015 and the proposed 2016 Star Rating criteria we have reduced the overall emphasis on these products. We would like to encourage all providers to contribute their thoughts on whether we should continue to include add-on products as part of the overall future landlord home insurance Star Rating proposition. 6

7 Appendix: Proposed 2016 criteria Based on the above analysis, we propose including the following criteria in our assessment process for the 2016 Ratings (core criteria are in bold text; new criteria are highlighted in green). Proposed criteria Buildings Cover Basis Unauthorised Use Buildings Accidental Damage Sale of Home Subsidence Landlords Contents Sum Insured Protection (Buildings) Landlords Contents Cover Basis Burst Pipes Contents Accidental Damage Blockage of Sewer Pipe Sum Insured Protection (Contents) Trace and Access Mirror/Fixed Glass Accidental Damage Underground Services Theft from Outbuildings Removal of Debris Contents in the Open Tree Felling/Lopping Communal Contents Removal of Nests Sum Insured Carpets/Curtains Loss of Rent White Goods Loss of Rent Sum Insured Property Owners Liability Alternative Accommodation Employers Liability Alternative Accommodation Sum Insured Defective Premises Glass/Sanitary Breakage Minimum Buildings Excess Theft Damage by Tenants Subsidence Excess Theft by Tenants Excess Minimum Contents Excess Malicious Damage by Tenants Minimum Escape of Water Excess (Buildings) Malicious Damage by Tenants Sum Insured Legal Expenses Limit Malicious Damage by Tenants Excess Number of Legal Expenses Perils Manufacture of Drug by Tenants Rent Guarantee Period Manufacture of Drug by Tenant Sum Insured Landlord Home Emergency Limit Emergency Services Number of Landlord Home Emergency Perils Lock Replacement Repairs Guaranteed Period Theft of Keys Legal Helpline Loss of Keys Unoccupancy Period Loss of Metered Water 24 Hour Claims Helpline Loss of Metered Water Sum Insured 7

8 The table below sets out the 2015 criteria that we are planning to remove for Criteria planned for removal Minimum Tenancy Period Rent Guarantee Removal of Nests Repairs Guaranteed 8