# Unable to insure maisonette



## Toto (2 Mar 2008)

I own a ground floor maisonette, where the property above is owned by others. The problem is (and this is apparently very unusual in Ireland) that the properties are divided by timber joists (no concrete slab). No insurance company will entertain insuring it and I have got brokers to try also. It is a mid terace property, but this is irrelevant. I presume the insurance companies are concerned with risk of fire from above as well as from my own.

Has anyone come across a situation like this? 

I have asked a few neighbours, and although they are all insured, I do not think they have informed their insurance companies of the exact nature of their properties.


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## John Rambo (2 Mar 2008)

I presume it's because your maisonette could be destroyed by a fire in one of the other units...and non disclosure on the part of the other owners will most likely make any claim void if anything did happen.


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## mercman (2 Mar 2008)

if you have a mortgage, try asking your lender if they offer Insurance as well


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## John Rambo (2 Mar 2008)

mercman said:


> if you have a mortgage, try asking your lender if they offer Insurance as well


 
And if you do is insurance not a prerequisite?


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## Toto (3 Mar 2008)

Yes, but I neglected to mention initially the nature of the compartment floor - or I thought that fullfilled the standard assumptions below as follows:
 -  'The premises is built of brick stone or concrete and roofed with slates tiles or other incombustible materials' 
 -  'No more than 20% of the roof is flat' 

It seems I don't, and I suspect that my neighbours are making the same mistake and would not be covered in the event of a claim. I did say this to them and they assured me that all their affairs were in order (mind you own business in other words!!).

When I went to switch insurance after year one, I did mention it and that's when I hit problems. I am now uninsured, but afaik policy cancellations do not flag up with the lenders.





My lender is AIB, but AIB home insurance won't touch it.


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