Kensington Mortgages
For most people the purchase of a home is the biggest financial decision of their life and the taking out of a mortgage the biggest financial commitment. Some people, though, have discovered this financial tie has been significantly and sometimes unnecessarily increased by the addition of a loan protection insurance policy.
Payment Protection Insurance has been sold in the past by Kensington Mortgages and many other mortgage providers. It is designed to cover a borrower who temporarily cannot work and make mortgage repayments due to accident, involuntary employment or sickness. The cover is designed to step in and cover repayments to prevent the policy holder falling behind with repayments and potentially risking their home. The issue with this type of cover, sold by Kensington Mortgages and other providers is it doesn’t always deliver the degree of protection customers expect.
A 2008 survey by The Competition Commission found that just 28% of people who try and use their mortgage payment protection policies are successful in doing so. This is a worryingly low figure that means as much as 72% of all claims for help may be rejected.
In addition to the high rate of claim rejections many mortgage payment protection policies are very expensive and can cost up to 25% of the base mortgage amount. On a £100,000 mortgage you may, therefore, pay an addition £25,000 for mortgage PPI. The cover will also attract interest at the same rate as your mortgage mean it can considerable increase your overall debts.
One of the reasons why many customers are unable to use mortgage payment protection policies sold by Kensington Mortgages and other lenders is that most have a high number of exemptions. Many common medical conditions such as back pain, stress and depression are not covered by the insurance.
Many people also have claims rejected because their policy was mis-sold and they are ineligible to use the cover. Common examples include people over the age of 65. Many people with pre-existing medical conditions also discover, when their condition worsens, that they cannot make a claim against their policy.
Customers were also sold policies that could only be of limited use to them. Some examples here are customers who are unemployed, retired or in full time education. Given the primary purpose of Payment protection insurance is to cover repayments if the policyholder is temporarily out of work it is, clearly, not suitable for a customer who was not in employment in the first place. Another example may be customers who already had cover in place elsewhere or were entitled to full sick pay from their employer. As part of your assessment the sales person should have evaluated your suitability for the mortgage payment protection insurance if this did not happen your policy may be considered mis-sold.
If you believe you were mis-sold a mortgage loan insurance policy by Kensington Mortgages or another lender, bank or building society contact our team on 0207 471 2000.
If you are still unsure whether your policy was mis-sold take a look at our recap list below.
- Were you sold the cover even though your circumstances made you unsuitable? E.g. you were over 65; suffering from a pre-existing medical condition or retired, unemployed or in full time education.
- Were you incorrectly told you had to have the cover or it would improve your chances of being given the loan?
- Were you pressured into taking out the policy?
- Were you sold the policy even though it could only be of limited use to you? E.g. because you had cover in place elsewhere or were entitled to full sick pay from your employer.
- Were you sold a single-premium policy that lasted for less time them your mortgage, but were not told you would not be covered for the whole life of your loan?
- Was the cover added to your mortgage without your knowledge?
- Were you sold the cover without the full terms, conditions and/or costs being explained?
If you were affected by one of the above circumstances, you could start your claim today. Simply complete the quick claim form above or call our claims team on 0207 471 2000. We have already assisted 60,000 customers to make a complaint and could resolve your claim in just 8 weeks.