Consumer Protection Code – Insurance

When purchasing motor or home insurance, your provider must:

• Send you a renewal notification at least 20 working days before your policy ends
• Provide a pre-renewal notification so you can shop around if you wish
• Quote all available policy options
• Explain any refusal to quote,  and inform you of your right to appeal to the Declined Cases Committee
• Send you all policy documents within five days of providing cover

And, in the cases of motor insurance only, provide details of the previous premiums that you paid.

[Speaker 1] I would say automatically, but friends of mine have told me that I'm not supposed to do that, and I'm supposed to shop around and check every year because I get a better deal so maybe then I should shop around.

[Speaker 2] You don't get no value for being a loyal customer anymore. They just, if it's 500 quid this year, it'll be 600 next year so you just got to go shopping.

[Speaker 3] I shop around, yeah. I usually find you can get a bit money off and like that, you used to think whenever you're with an insurer, maybe it will go down because you've been with them for so long, but it usually goes up. 

[Speaker 4] It just averages up, so always shop around. It may still be cheaper to go with the current one, but always have a look.

[Speaker 5] Like, I’d be, sort of, just let it fall into the next but then I have been shopping around for the past maybe two years, but up until then I didn't. I just sort of just renewed it, renewed it, renewed it with the same people, yeah.

[Speaker 6] I do shop around, even though I hate doing it. I would prefer if companies give you relevant deals for staying with them, as opposed to having to shop around.

[Speaker 7] Generally speaking, I would always just let it go if I'm with someone, even if the price goes up a wee bit, I'd leave it, just out of handiness and things like that, but then this last year, probably, now, we've just started having a mortgage

[Speaker 8] I'm kind of going, and baby on the way, I’m kind of going, well maybe I could save a bit of money here and there, I could get a wee holiday and stuff, so yeah.

Under the Consumer Protection Code, your provider can no longer automatically renew these types of insurance policies unless you explicitly opt-in to this.

The Code ensures you are less likely to pay for insurance that is no longer suitable for your needs.

And it makes it easier for you to shop around to find the most suitable or cost-effective product.