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Insurers extend Covid support until December

Emma Lunn
Written By:
Emma Lunn
Posted:
Updated:
13/10/2020

Insurers which previously committed to help customers during the coronavirus crisis have extended their support until the end of the year.

Members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have confirmed that where office-based workers continue to work from home, or employees drive to their workplace rather than use public transport due to Covid-19, they won’t need to contact their insurer to update or extend their cover.

The original pledge was due to be reviewed on 1 September and was then extended until 31 October. It has now been reviewed again and will remain in place until the end of 2020.

The insurance companies say they will continue to help many of the UK’s 17 million home and 27 million motor insurance customers.

If you are an office-based worker and are working from home because of the pandemic, your home insurance cover won’t be affected. You don’t need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.

If you have to drive to and from your workplace because of the impact of Covid-19, your insurance policy will also not be affected. You don’t need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.

Also, if you are using your own car for voluntary purposes to transport medicines or groceries to support others who are impacted by Covid-19, your cover won’t be affected. You don’t need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.

This applies to all categories of NHS Volunteer Responders, including transporting patients, equipment, or other essential supplies.

If you are a key worker with a role critical to the national response to Covid-19 and you need to use your own car to drive to different locations for work purposes, your insurance cover won’t be affected. You don’t need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.

The next review of home and motor insurance will take place in advance of 31 December.

The ABI says that if policyholders have less temporary changes in their working at home or driving patterns that will continue into the next 12 months and are renewing their insurance policy, they should discuss these changes with their insurer.

Laura Hughes, ABI’s manager for general insurance, says: “The extension of these temporary pledges underlines the commitment of insurers to helping customers through these continued challenging times.

“From pledges of extra support, paying over £1.8bn in Covid-related claims, and donating through the Covid-19 Support Fund over £100m to help the most vulnerable, insurers continue to do all they can to help their customers and wider society during the crisis.”