Is Paymentshield an insurer or an insurance intermediary?

Paymentshield acts as the administrator for the insurance policies on behalf of separate underwriters, this is commonly referred to as 'whit...

Issues accessing or receiving documents

Online DocumentationIf you're experiencing issues accessing any of your documents online, please follow the suggestions below:If you've forg...

Making a claim

If you're looking to make a new claim on your policy or discuss an existing one, you can speak to your insurer/underwriter directly.If you d...

Arrears & default letters

There's a number of reasons why we may send you an Arrears or Default letter for your policy, but please don’t worry. To check if anything e...

COVID-19

As the situation around the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we’re reviewing the situation regularly, following official ad...

Fines

Our declaration question asks - 'Have you or any member of your family ever received a conviction for any offence?You only need to let us kn...

How claims are paid

When you make a claim, the insurer on your chosen cover will let you know if you have to pay an excess first before they'll pay out on the c...

Previous claims

We need you to tell us the details of any claims made by you or your family in the last five years for the cover required.Our group of insur...

Definition of storm

A period of violent weather defined as;• Wind speeds with gusts of at least 48 knots (55mph), equivalent to storm force 10 of the Beaufort S...

Listed buildings

Listed buildings are covered as standard, however, you need to make sure you have enough cover for the rebuilding cost. Listed buildings can...

Short term insurance

Paymentshield don't offer 'short term' policies for insurance on a temporary basis.For example, if you are a homeowner or landlord planning ...

Mixed wall or roof construction

When telling us what your wall or roof is made up of, refer to the below to help you decide what construction material to select.If the wall...

Public sewers

If a public sewer bursts on the grounds of your property and you are legally responsible to fix it, you'd be covered for accidental breakage...

Contents in the open grounds

Items like built-in hot tubs and ponds that are permanent structures, fixed to the grounds of your property, would be considered part of the...

Quarter houses

A home described as a quarter house would be treated as a flat.Please check the definition of home in your policy booklet to make sure you'r...

Converted into flats

If a house has been converted into flats with separate addresses and entrances, separate policies are required as the flats would be individ...

Detached, semi detached & terraced

The definitions of different types of property are below: DETACHED Where the structure of the property isn't attached to any neighboring pro...

Security restrictions

You should keep in mind there are security restrictions that apply to some parts of your cover, such as malicious damage or vandalism and th...

Bedroom - definition

A bedroom is any room built or converted for sleeping in, even if it's used for other purposes. Paymentshield policies are known as "be...

Outbuildings

There are some important things to keep in mind regarding the terms of cover for outbuildings (a building that's separate to your main home)...

Fixed units, laminate, vinyl and carpet

Kitchen/bathroom units and laminate flooring are generally fixed to the buildings and are therefore covered under buildings insurance. This ...

Coach houses

A coach house should be insured as a house for rating purposes i.e. detached house, semi-detached house or terrace. We can provide cover for...

Annexe or granny flats

An annexe or granny flat, occupied by a family member and which forms part of the main building can be covered under the same Buildings and ...

Correspondence addresses outside the UK

New policiesFollowing Brexit we are no longer able to write business if you are not a UK resident (UK is classed as England, Northern Irelan...

Insurance premium tax (IPT)

What is Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)?Insurance Premium Tax is a Government led tax on general insurance premiums.Exemptions from this tax inc...

Burglar alarms

When setting up a policy, you may be asked if you have a burglar alarm at the property. If you have, you'll be asked to confirm which of the...

Boiler cover

As a boiler is classed as a 'Fixture and Fitting' it’s covered under our Buildings Insurance, boilers are covered for the standard risks, i....

No claims discount - first time buyers

For First Time Buyers we can offer an introductory no claims discount of 2 years if you're first time buyers of a property on Household cove...

Musical instruments

Musical instruments are covered by your contents insurance for the following: When in the home, cover limits vary between policies so p...

Minimum standard security requirements

Depending on which policy you hold there are different limititions and exclusions relating to certain contents claims, such as malicious dam...

Build year

When telling us the build year of your home you must give the date that the original building was constructed as the original build year (or...

Rebuild costs

You must always insure your home cover is based upon the rebuild value of the property and not the purchase value.The purchase value of your...

Definition of flood

The following are examples of an incident that would be considered a flood.• River flood - an ingress of water from a river or other waterco...

Mobile phones - home insurance

For a mobile phone to be covered, you’ll need to provide evidence (a receipt) that you've suffered a loss. If, under the terms of your ...

Sky Partnership for home insurance customers

Who can access the offers from Sky?The offers are intended for existing Paymentshield Home Insurance customers. The advertised offer for the...

Different types of locks

As part of our question set, you may have been asked to confirm the following:When setting up a policy, you may be asked to confirm the foll...

Invasive plants

The presence of an invasive plant for example, Japanese Knotweed or Bamboo on your property wouldn't prevent you from buying a Home or Landl...

Transferring no claims discount from overseas

You can transfer No Claims Discount (NCD) from your overseas property to your Paymentshield policy providing it's on a "like for like" basis...

Roof construction

When obtaining a quote for your insurance from Paymentshield, you'll be asked the construction type of the roof of your building. You m...

Cover for maisonettes

We can offer Buildings & Contents cover to maisonette properties as standard. Select the relevant property type from the options provide...

Home emergency & legal expenses contact details

There are separate contact numbers shown on your Insurer Schedule for Home Emergency and Legal Expenses if you have chosen these sections of...

Flat roofs

We can provide cover to properties with flat roofs.When quoting you must select the main construction material of the roof and each of our i...

Key operated window locks

As part of our question set, you may have been asked to confirm if all windows to your property can be locked by a key (not including outbui...

No claims discount for first time buyer and non-first time buyer

The discount is only available where both named policy holders are first-time buyers. If there are two parties on the application, with one...

Houses of multiple occupancy (HMO)

We're able to cover Houses of Multiple Occupancy as long as there aren't more than six individual tenants living in the property, the proper...

Properties situated by water sources

If your property is near a source of water such as a river or a lake, you don't need to tell us as long as you're able to confirm you meet a...

Buildings sum insured

Your 'Buildings sum insured' refers to the amount needed to completely rebuild your home in the event your home was completely destroyed, ra...

Emailing landlord insurance documents

We don't automatically send Landlord Insurance documentation by email. However, you can download your documents by logging into your online ...

Submitting new applications for existing policyholders

If your adviser has submitted a new application for you and you're an existing Paymentshield policyholder, we won't send out your new policy...

Cancellation fees

We don't charge any additional fees for cancelling your policy. When you cancel your policy, we'll calculate what you owe up until your canc...

Letter of authority & information requests

Letters of Authority and information requests, along with documents such as death certificates and Power of Attorney information should be s...

Subsidence - new business

Unfortunately we can't cover any property that has suffered from subsidence, landslip or heave.If you're unsure, please check with your conv...

Subsidence - existing customers

If you're an existing Paymentshield customer and make a claim on your policy for subsidence, we'll let you know at your next renewal if your...

Evidence of no claims discount

Paymentshield don't ask for proof of how many years you've had no claims. However, your insurer may validate your no claims discount if you ...

Coal mines / mine shafts

Provided you're able to answer the eligibility questions honestly, to the best of your knowledge and our insurers are able to offer a quote,...

Transferring no claims discount

No claims discount can only be transferred from like to like cover. This means we're unable to transfer a no claims discount that has been e...

No claims discount - first time buyers

If you're a first time buyer we'll automatically give you an introductory no claims discount of two years.A first-time buyer is someone who'...

Convictions

Unfortunately, we're unable to provide insurance if you, or any member of your family living with you, has any unspent convictions or prosec...

Administration charges

Our admin free covers our general administration costs for example, issuing policy documentation and collecting payments. However, we do not...

What is Tenants Liability?

Tenant's Liability cover is included as standard within our Tenants Contents Insurance and can also be bought on its own through our Tenant'...

What is an excess?

The excess on a policy is a fixed amount that you must pay if you make a claim. The excesses you have selected can be found on your Policy C...

Transferring residential cover - ensuring cover is held on both properties

If you’re an existing Paymentshield customer and are in the process of moving home then we can transfer your cover to your new home, whilst ...

Auto renewals - opt in & opt out

What does Auto Renew mean?Auto renewal is the process of automatically enrolling into a new insurance policy before your current policy is d...

How do I make payments for my policy from my online account?

If you're looking to make a payment on your policy, follow the steps below: Renewal payments:To pay for your renewal via debit or credi...

What is a 'licensed credit referencing company'?

For standalone Rent Protection policies, a credit check on the tenant must be carried out from a licensed credit referencing company before ...

Re-letting to new tenants - Rent Protection

If re-letting your property to new tenants, the policy cover can continue provided the eligibility criteria below is met by you and the new ...

Properties held in trust

We can provide insurance for the trustee(s) of a property, however, we can’t provide insurance for a beneficiary until they own the property...