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The roles & responsibilities of the Insurance Ombudsman
Published April 10, 2019
If your home insurance claim doesn’t go as smoothly as you’d hoped, you may end up needing the help of the Financial Ombudsman Service. This may be the case if your insurance company refuses to pay you – or isn’t paying you the full amount – or if you have any other dispute about the final payment during the insurance claims process.
If you have questions about the role of the Insurance Ombudsman, read on…
What is the role of the Insurance Ombudsman?
The financial Ombudsman is a service set up by Parliament to resolve any problems with financial services. They can help with a range of financial services, including home insurance claims, banking and mortgages, among others.
If you do not agree with your insurance company’s decision or believe you are not being paid the full amount you are entitled to, you can raise a complaint with the Insurance Ombudsman. They will help to resolve the dispute and carry out a formal investigation if necessary. They may also try to resolve the case through mediation first.
At the end of the investigation, the Ombudsman’s decision is binding and your insurance company will have to abide by it even if they disagree with the outcome.
Who appoints the Insurance Ombudsman?
Anybody can reach out to the Ombudsman for help if they need it. Before making a complaint, you should let your insurance company know that you plan to contact the Ombudsman and give them a chance to provide their final response. If you receive this and still aren’t happy, you can get in touch with the Insurance Ombudsman.
Do you have to pay for the Ombudsman?
The Financial Ombudsman Service is completely free to use. The service is there to help make sure financial service providers treat their customers fairly, and give consumers a way to fight back for free when they need it.
It is an independent official body that won’t cost you anything to use, but could help secure the payout you are entitled to. Although your case might not be approved, it will not cost you anything to raise a claim with the Insurance Ombudsman. Therefore, the worst case scenario is that you lose nothing and simply end up back where you were.
What other options do I have?
The Insurance Ombudsman isn’t the only option you have. In fact, getting help with your insurance claim earlier on could mean you never need to get the Ombudsman involved. Whether it’s your first time making a claim on your home insurance or not, a Loss Assessor can help you through every step of the process. From liaising with your insurance company and dealing with a Claims Adjuster, to making sure you receive the payment you are entitled to, a Loss Assessor will help make the claims process as straightforward, stress-free and successful as possible for you.
Like the Insurance Ombudsman, using a Loss Assessor might not cost you anything. Get in touch to find out more and see if a Loss Assessor could help with your case.
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