Pest Contamination Cover

Terms & Condition

You have entered into a contract of insurance with Inter Partner Assistance SA and a separate contract with Homeserve to arrange and administer the policy. This document represents the entire agreement of the parties on the matters in question, which will be subject to English Law and the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Please read this document carefully, we do not wish you to discover after an incident has occurred that you are not insured. If  you have any queries please contact Homeserve on 0800 783 0951.

DEFINITIONS RELATING TO THE INSURANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

  1. You/your: The permanent occupier of the property as recorded on your policy documents and your spouse/partner and family who live with you.
  2. Inter Partner Assistance SA/we/us/our: Inter Partner Assistance SA, The Quadrangle, 106-118 Station Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1PR, United Kingdom. Registered No. FC008998.
  3. Homeserve: Homeserve (Membership) Ltd, Cable Drive, Walsall, WS2 7BN registered in England no. 2770612.
  4. Property: The private dwelling, adjoining garage, adjoining domestic outbuildings (excluding sheds, greenhouses and non-permanent structures) and garden all within the property boundary at the address shown on your policy documentation. It must be your permanent home and owned and solely occupied by you and your family as a private residence with no business use.
  5. Flats, maisonettes, mobile homes, bedsits, properties with thatched roofs and properties comprising more than 5 bedrooms are not covered. Let and sub-let properties are not covered. Council and housing association tenants will not need this service.
  6. Pest Contamination:  an infestation of the property by any of the pests detailed in Section A of ‘What is covered?’ under this policy.
  7. Emergency/ies: a sudden and unforeseen Pest Contamination that:
    1. exposes you to a risk to your health; or
    2. creates a risk of loss of or damage to the property; or
    3. make the buildings uninhabitable.
  8. Exclusion period: To prevent claims for pre-existing problems (and therefore to reduce premiums), in your first year of cover, there is an initial 14 day period when you are not covered. The date from which you are able to make a claim is shown on your Policy Summary under ‘period of insurance’. Providing you renew before the expiry of  your policy, the exclusion period does not apply after your first year of cover. 

COST OF COVER

  1. The cost of cover is the total amount you pay as detailed in your policy documentation, which consists of the Arrangement and Administration Fee of £11.00 and the premium. The Arrangement and Administration Fee is the amount you pay for arranging and administering the cover, and the premium is the amount you pay for the insurance contract. These arrangements do not affect the amount that you pay for your cover or the service that you receive. References to ”Pest Contamination Cover” and “Cover” in all documents includes services within both contracts.
  2. Your policy premium will be reviewed upon renewal. Any claims made will also be considered within the review. Any amendments to the policy premium will be confirmed on your Policy Summary approximately 28 days before the expiry of  your cover.

ADMINISTRATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This cover is arranged and administered for you by Homeserve Membership Ltd, Cable Drive, Walsall, WS2 7BN.

  1. Homeserve will arrange and administer your insurance cover and agree service standards for the delivery of the cover provided by the insurance. If the insurance does not provide the cover you need, you should return your Policy Summary to Homeserve at the FREEPOST address shown below (see number 6) within 28 days of the policy start date and your premium will be refunded in full, provided no claim has been made.  Please note that your statutory cancellation rights, which run for 14 days and begin at the end of the exclusion period (if applicable), are included within this 28 day period.
  2. The minimum period for which you may hold this policy is 12 months. Homeserve will arrange for collection of policy premiums in accordance with your instructions. If  you fail to make a payment on the due date, your policy will be suspended immediately and during this period you will not be covered. Homeserve will notify you in writing within 5 working days if  you fail to make a payment. If  you do not pay in full within 30 days of the due date, your policy will be cancelled. Any outstanding payments will be requested and upon receipt of cleared funds your cover will restart.
  3. Homeserve reserve the right to cancel this policy by giving you at least 7 days notice at your last known address. If Homeserve cancel the policy, Homeserve will refund your premium for the remainder of the current policy period shown on your Policy Summary, unless a claim has been made.
  4. Homeserve will contact you in writing before your policy expires to arrange renewal of  your policy. Homeserve reserve the right to refuse renewal of any individual Homeserve policy.
  5. You are responsible for informing Homeserve of a change of  your address so that cover can be transferred to your new property. Please phone 0800 783 0951 to advise Homeserve of  your new address or write to the FREEPOST address shown below (see number 6).
  6. If  you have a complaint relating to an administrative matter, please phone 0800 783 0951 or write to Freepost RLYC-LXAL-GEEH, Customer Relations Department, Homeserve, Cable Drive, Walsall, WS2 7BN. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the response from Homeserve, you can ask us for details of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

INSURANCE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The insurance is underwritten by Inter Partner Assistance SA who are a wholly owned subsidiary of AXA Assistance SA and part of the worldwide AXA Group. 

Inter Partner Assistance SA is authorised by the Commission Bancaire, Financière et des Assurances (CBFA) in Belgium (their regulatory arm) and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) here in the UK.

What is covered?

Section A – Pest Contamination

  1. The insurance provides professional extermination and control of the pests detailed in the ‘Schedule of Pests Covered’ below. The cover is for emergency pest contamination inside the private dwelling of the address on your terms and conditions, including cellars and adjoining outbuildings (as outlined in ‘Definitions’, point 4). In respect of Wasp and Hornets’ nests the cover extends to the garden of the property.
    2. Schedule of Pests Covered
         Brown Rat                    Black Rat
         House Mouse                Field Mouse
         Wasps’ Nest                 Hornets’ Nest
  2. If  you discover a pest contamination of any of the pests detailed in the ‘Schedule of Pests Covered’ you should call us on the 24 Hour Claims Number on your Policy Summary. We will then arrange for an approved technician to visit the property and to take the appropriate action to clear the pest contamination. We will pay up to £300 (including VAT) per incident.
  3. The cover limit stated in Sections A includes the cost of call-out, labour, materials and VAT. The maximum amount we will pay under this policy, arising from any one event is £300 including VAT.

General Conditions:

  1. Claims must be made via the 24 hour claims number by you or a person calling on your behalf at the time of the emergency. We will not cover the costs of work carried out by technicians not authorised by us in advance.
  2. In order for us to verify your cover, when calling, please have your policy number ready to quote. The technician may also ask you to produce your policy summary when they arrive at your property. 
  3. This policy is for homeowners only. Retail, commercial and other premises used for business are not eligible for this cover.
  4. If any loss, damage or expense covered under this policy is also covered by any other insurance or maintenance contract, you must provide us with full details of the other contract. We will not pay more than our fair share (rateable proportion) of any claim.
  5. You must co-operate with us in obtaining reimbursement of any costs we incur under the terms of this cover, which may have been caused by the action of a third party, against whom you have a legal right of action.
  6. Details of  you, your insurance cover and claims will be held by us for underwriting, processing, claims handling and fraud prevention subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.
  7. We may change any of the terms upon which we provide this insurance to you, including the underwriting risks, the level of cover, or any other term whatsoever.  Where this change benefits you, we will make the change immediately and notify you of the change within 28 days.  In all other cases we will write to advise you of the change at least 28 days prior to any change taking effect.

What is not covered?

Inter Partner Assistance SA provides the services and benefits described in these terms and conditions for the period of insurance shown on your Policy Summary. But there are conditions and exclusions, which limit your cover. Please read them carefully to ensure this policy meets your needs.

Exclusions:

  1. The following are excluded from cover:
    1. any pests other than those detailed in the ‘Schedule of Pests Covered’.
  2. Inter Partner Assistance SA shall not be liable for:
    1. infestations known to exist at the insured property prior to commencement of this policy;
    2. any pest contamination occurring where the property has remained unoccupied for 60 or more consecutive days;
    3. damage to decorations or to any wall partition or ceiling including wallpaper and paintwork;
    4. damage to the structure or masonry or fixtures or fittings caused by pests directly or indirectly;
    5. damage to contents caused whilst remedying a pest contamination will not be reinstated to the original condition. The technician will advise if any damage is likely to occur;
    6. any pest infestation where you have not taken reasonable hygiene measures to prevent a pest contamination, where recommendations have previously been made by us;
    7. any claims where you have not given reasonable access to the technician to apply appropriate treatments;
    8. any costs above the limits of cover. You are responsible for agreeing and settling these costs directly with the technician;
    9. any pest contamination arising from subsidence, heave of the site or landslip  caused by:
      1. bedding down of new structures;
      2. demolition or structural repairs or alterations to the property;
      3. faulty workmanship or the use of defective materials;
      4. river or coastal erosion;
    10. any pest contamination occasioned by fire, lightening, explosion, tempest, flood, earthquake, impact or other extraneous causes;

Inter Partner Assistance SA - a promise of service

We wish to provide you with a high standard of service. Very occasionally we receive complaints which we investigate at once, and every effort is made to resolve them to your satisfaction. If  you have a complaint please phone Homeserve on 0800 783 0951 or write to FREEPOST RLYC-LXAL-GEEH, Customer Relations Department, Homeserve, Cable Drive, Walsalll, WS2 7BN.

If  your complaint relates to the service you experienced as a result of a claim, and you feel that the matter has not been resolved satisfactorily, you may escalate your complaint to the General Manager of Inter Partner Assistance SA, The Quadrangle, 106-118 Station Road, Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1PR. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the response from Inter Partner Assistance SA, you can ask us for details of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).