'My home insurance went up 900%'

My home insurance used to cost £300, but when I came to renew I was quoted more than £3,000! 

I hadn’t made any claims and couldn’t understand why there was such a huge increase in the premium. 

When I called my insurer, it told me that it was due to my age (91) and the fact that I now lived on my own, as sadly my wife had passed away during the year. 

I tried a comparison website, but this didn’t come up with any quotes at all. What should I do?

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'You might have received a "go away quote"'

Samm Galloway, Which? Money expert, says...

You aren’t the only one baffled by this price hike. 

Although home insurers may factor age into pricing, it shouldn’t have nearly as much of an impact as it would on travel insurance or car insurance. 

Living alone in the house could be perceived as riskier (as there are fewer people to keep an eye on the place), but it doesn’t explain a tenfold increase.

You might have received what’s been described as a ‘go away quote’. We reported on these last year, talking to someone who’d suffered a similar hike. 

The reason was their insurer had shaken up the way it judges risk and decided it would be better off without their custom. The insurer in that story said it was committed to always offering a quote to existing customers, so ended up producing one it seemed to hope the customer wouldn’t take. 

We don’t know for sure, but this may have been what happened to you. At least your insurer didn’t refuse to give you a quote, as having this on your record can make it tougher to get cover in the future.

I suggested that you contact the British Insurers Brokers’ Association to speak to a broker. Fortunately, this was fruitful and you were able to find another insurance policy for under £500.

• Find out more: How to find cheap home insurance 

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