Home insurance claims, excesses and complaints

What does an insurer have to do when I claim on home insurance?

A licensed insurer must make its claims process transparent and tell you what it needs from you. It must decide your claim within a reasonable period and notify you of its decision in writing within 10 days of taking it. If it says no, it must give you reasons, a way to challenge them and the route to an ombud.

Olvian is not an insurer, broker or financial services provider. It passes a person's request to licensed providers, who pay Olvian a fee and contact the person. This guide sets out the rules that apply once you have a policy and need to claim.

What do I need to do first?

Read the claims section of your policy and tell the insurer as soon as you can. Your policy and the insurer's claims information list exactly what applies to you, including any time limit for notifying a loss.

Rule 17.8.3 says an insurer must disclose to the claimant:

• the type of information required;
• where, how and to whom a claim and related information must be submitted;
• any time limits on submitting claims;
• any excesses payable;
• details of any administrative fee payable in relation to managing the claim; and
• any other relevant responsibilities of the claimant.

Rule 17.8.4 says a claim is treated as received on the day the insurer, or an intermediary or service provider mandated to manage claims for it, receives notification. The insurer must then, within a reasonable time, acknowledge it and tell you the process to follow. Keep the acknowledgment. If you phone, follow up in writing so that you have a record of the date.

What is an excess, and when do I pay it?

An excess is the part of a claim you carry yourself, as set out in the policy. The policy schedule shows the amount or the way it is worked out.

The Rules treat it as something you must be told about early. Rule 11.4.2 requires the insurer to tell you about "any excesses that may become payable by the policyholder, the circumstances under which it will be payable and the consequences of not paying", and Rule 11.5.1(c) repeats that in the written information you get within 31 days of the policy starting. If the excess on a claim is different from what you expected, ask the insurer to show you the clause.

How long will it take?

Rule 17.6.1 says an insurer must accept, repudiate or dispute a claim, or the amount of a claim, "within a reasonable period after receipt of a claim". Rule 17.6.2 then says it must notify you in writing of its decision within 10 days of taking it.

No Rule sets one fixed number of days for the decision on a home claim. Delays are often caused by a missing document or an assessor's report. Ask the claims handler what is outstanding, and ask for the answer in writing.

What if the insurer says no, or pays less?

A refusal is called a repudiation. A dispute can be about the claim or about the amount. In either case Rule 17.6.3 requires a notice in plain language that tells you:

1. the reasons for the decision, "in sufficient detail to enable the claimant to dispute such reasons if the claimant so chooses";
2. that you may make representations to the insurer within a period of not less than 90 days after you receive the notice;
3. the details of the insurer's internal claim escalation and review process;
4. your right to lodge a complaint with a relevant ombud, with contact details and the time limits and other legal provisions that relate to a complaint;
5. any time limit in the policy for taking legal action and what it means for you, or if the policy has none, the prescription period under the Prescription Act 68 of 1969.

If you make representations, Rule 17.6.5 requires the insurer to tell you its decision in writing within 45 days of receiving them. If it confirms its decision, the notice must give its reasons, the facts behind them and the same information about review, ombud and time limits.

Time limits matter. Rule 17.6.8 says that a policy taken out on or after 1 January 2011 may not count the 90-day representation period in the calculation of any time limit for legal action, and must give you at least six months after that period ends to start proceedings. Rule 17.6.9 allows a claimant to ask a court to condone late action where good cause exists and the clause is unfair. Do not rely on that; note the dates in the notice and diarise them.

Are there things a policy cannot make me do?

Yes. Rule 7.1 makes void a provision which says that:

• you may be obliged to undergo a polygraph, lie detector or truth verification test in connection with a claim;
• a claim will be repudiated or the policy will be void merely because you did not pass such a test; or
• if a dispute arises, it can only be resolved by arbitration. (Rule 7.2 leaves you free to agree to arbitration voluntarily after a dispute has arisen.)

The same rule makes void a provision allowing an insurer to repudiate a claim because a premium was not paid on the due date if payment was made during the period of grace. Rule 15.1 requires a policy to contain a period of grace for premiums of not less than 15 days after the due date, and for a monthly policy this applies from the second month of the policy.

Can the insurer cancel my policy after a claim?

The Rules limit how an insurer ends a policy. Under Rule 19.2.1, an insurer that intends to terminate an individual policy must give you at least 31 days' written notice, unless the reason is non-payment of premium (subject to the grace period), a material change in the risk covered that under the policy ends it or lets the insurer end it, or a legal requirement for immediate termination. Rule 19.2.2 keeps it liable under the policy for the shorter of 31 days after you are made aware, or until it receives proof that you have taken out another policy for similar risks.

Ask the insurer, in writing, which of these reasons it relies on.

How do I complain?

Start with the insurer. Rule 18 requires every insurer to run a complaints process, and Rule 18.7.2 says that if a complaint is rejected you must be given clear and adequate reasons and be told of any escalation or review process, how to use it and any relevant time limits.

If you are still not satisfied:

• The National Financial Ombud Scheme (NFO) resolves complaints against financial institutions, including non-life insurers. It says its service is free and that it can look at a complaint only after you have first lodged it with your bank, credit provider or insurer. Its telephone number is 0860 800 900.
• The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is the conduct regulator. It says it assists with complaints about how regulated companies conduct themselves and any contravention of the laws that govern them, but "cannot assist with claim disputes and contractual disagreements", for which you would consult the relevant ombud. It also lets you confirm whether a company or individual is licensed.

Write down dates, names and reference numbers as you go, and keep copies of what you send and receive.

Sources

Checked on 31 October 2026. Olvian is not a financial services provider and this guide is information, not advice.

• Policyholder Protection Rules (Short-term Insurance), 2017, Rule 17: claims management, Government Notice 1433, Government Gazette 41329, 15 December 2017, as amended by Notice 996, Government Gazette 41928, 28 September 2018.
• Rule 18: complaints management
• Rule 19: termination of policies
• Rule 15: periods of grace
• Rule 11: disclosure
• Rule 7: void provisions
• National Financial Ombud Scheme
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority: consumer page