You're right, in fact they go further than others and ask that no one in your household does either

Insurance is risk-based.  If your claim is large enough and they suspect something, it may trigger a check and then invalidate the policy - there was a case a few months back in the press.
Like most things (including the tick boxes on travel forms), if you decide not to disclose it is a very low probability that it will bite you. However, if your house burns down and the value of the claim triggers a check, would you really want to run that risk? 

and have you ever heard of anyone having to provide a disclosure check to an insurance company in order to make a claim? I've made plenty of insurance claims and never been asked to provide such a thing.

Unfortunately yet another example of an online insurer not being explicit with their T&C's.  You are right that they do not bother asking the question when you complete the online quote form.  However, if you read their conditions, you will see that they do not cover convictions (see below)

You have never been convicted, cautioned or charged (but not yet tried) for any offence other than motoring.

Given their sales pitch is about being straightforward and using every day language, this is pretty poor as it makes no differentiation between spent and unspent etc.

I've noticed new startup insurer kinsu.co.uk don't even ask so should be OK to use for home insurance

Hi east72

There are very few mainstream insurance companies that provide home and contents insurance to people with unspent convictions. As Yankee mentioned, Unlock do have a list of insurance brokers who should be able to help and as you can see, Home Protect have been mentioned a couple of times. 

I know there's been some discussion about LV and I believe that they may have recently changed the question around criminal records on their application form recently. For house insurance, they now ask "Do you or anyone living with you have any unspent convictions?" However, for car insurance it seems that they're still asking “Have you had any motoring convictions or fixed penalty endorsements in the past 5 years?”.

Hope you manage to get a policy through one of the brokers. Let us know how you get on.

Debs 


Need Unlocks advice? Visit our self-help information site or contact our helpline

I think you will be ok as renewal will be based on what you first filled in when you took policy as nothing has changed since that day, no new convictions and the old ones are still over 5 years old..

Hi thats most peculiar Im sorry to hear that they asked. In my case Ive been with them for a few years so I can only conclude that they have changed their policy (for the worse).  

who are people using who gives the best prices from the ones who will insure now ? 

Hi i just done a quote it asks for all convictions not just over 5 years   I contacted more than as thats who i was with they told me they don't want any criminals on their books anymore but if i contact their sister company Brightside they will insure but she did say it will be at least four times more depending on conviction .