How to get insurance if you have a conviction.

November 22nd, 2020

How to get insurance if you have a conviction..

At any stage during your driving lifetime, you can find yourself shut out of the standard motor insurance market. In our experience, people that have had a motoring or non motoring conviction can find it difficult to get affordable insurance when they look to get driving again or look for house insurance when buying a home. Here are our tips for getting insurance after having a conviction:

1. Get the facts: If you are contacting an insurance company, you need to know the details of y our conviction. What was the exact date of your conviction and if you were put off the road, that date did that start? Did you contact your previous company to tell them you were off the road? If so, when did  your last no claim bonus expire? There is not much point contacting an insurer without knowing the facts as we cannot guarantee a quotation until we know your details.
2. Contact a specialist insurer. Contact nonstandardinsurance.ie (well, we would say that wouldn’t we!). We deal with specialist insurers that are comfortable taking on risks that are normally declined on the standard market and do not deal directly with clients. We have over 50 years experience in placing non standard risks and will be able to offer you a solution. We will also move you from specialist insurers to main stream insurers (who are often cheaper) as soon as they will take you on.
3. Know your rights. If you have had motor insurance previously and you are now been refused cover, you may be able to force your previous insurers hand. Follow the companies complaints procedure and if they still do not quote contact Insurance Ireland (formerly the Insurance federation of Ireland) who will help you to obtain a quotation from that company (what the premium will be might be a different story..)
4. Make yourself a better risk If you have obtained a quotation but it is still very expensive, look at ways to make yourself more appealing to insurers. Do you have a provisional licence? Consider sitting the test. Is your vehicle over 10 years old? Consider a newer vehicle. Also adding a partner or spouse to a policy can reduce the cost of your insurance.
5. Take a higher policy excess. A policy excess is the amount you pay yourself in the event of a claim. If you are trying to get back on the road after a conviction, you can take an excess up to €3000 which will help reduce the cost of your policy. This can help keep the cost of your cover down for the first number of years until we can move you to more main stream insurers.

For a limited time only one of our insurers is offering a 15% new business discount on all Non standard cases. So contact us today to see how we can help. 

If you’re still not having any luck getting insurance, contact our motor dept today on 0818919699 or fill in the contact form below and we will do all we can to get you on the road.

Don’t be ashamed if you can’t get motor insurance – get covered..

October 29th, 2020

Don’t be ashamed if you can’t get motor insurance – get covered..

Shame – it isn’t a good feeling to ring up a standard insurance company to be told you are not wanted. Standard insurers want to put people into neat boxes, but what if you are different and don’t fit into a neat box?

At any stage during your driving lifetime, you can find yourself shut out of the standard motor insurance market. It is not just those with driving convictions that can find it difficult to obtain motor insurance. You may have been unlucky to have a number of insurance claims, you may have changed your occupation or had a policy cancelled by an insurer or decided to buy a vehicle that standard insurers do not want.

So what can you do? Here are our top tips for getting motor insurance when you have been declined elsewhere:

1. Start shopping around: If you are insured with an insurance company directly, you are not giving yourself the best opportunity for cover. Use a broker or contact as many insurers as possible for a quotation. One size does not fit all when it comes to motor insurance.
2. Contact a specialist insurer. Contact nonstandard.ie (well, we would say that wouldn’t we!). We deal with specialist insurers that are comfortable taking on risks that are normally declined on the standard market and do not deal directly with clients. We have over 50 years experience in placing non standard risks and will be able to offer you a solution.
3. Know your rights. If you have had motor insurance previously and you are now been refused cover, you may be able to force your previous insurers hand. Follow the companies complaints procedure and if they still do not quote contact Insurance Ireland (formerly the Insurance federation of Ireland) who will help you to obtain a quotation from that company (what the premium will be might be a different story..)
4. Make yourself a better risk If you have obtained a quotation but it is still very expensive, look at ways to make yourself more appealing to insurers. Do you have a provisional licence? Consider sitting the test. Is your vehicle over 20 years old? Consider a newer vehicle. Also adding a partner or spouse to a policy can reduce the cost of your insurance.
5. Take a higher policy excess. A policy excess is the amount you pay yourself in the event of a claim. If you are trying to get on the road and you have an older car, you can take an excess up to €3000 which will help reduce the cost of your policy.

The best part of dealing with Nonstandard is that as you build up an insurance record, we will move you to the standard markets. At that stage, it will be those insurers looking for your business rather than the other way around.

If you’re still not having any luck getting insurance, contact our motor dept today on 0818919699 or fill in the contact form below and we will do all we can to get you on the road.

15% discount on Non Standard Motor insurance for November & December.

July 17th, 2020

What to do when you cannot get motor insurance..

At any stage during your driving lifetime, you can find yourself shut out of the standard motor insurance market. It is not just those with driving convictions that can find it difficult to obtain motor insurance. You may have been unlucky to have a number of insurance claims, you may have changed your occupation or had a policy cancelled by an insurer or decided to buy a vehicle that standard insurers do not want.

So what can you do? Here are our top tips for getting motor insurance when you have been declined elsewhere:

1. Start shopping around: If you are insured with an insurance company directly, you are not giving yourself the best opportunity for cover. Use a broker or contact as many insurers as possible for a quotation. One size does not fit all when it comes to motor insurance.
2. Contact a specialist insurer. Contact nonstandardinsurance.ie (well, we would say that wouldn’t we!). We deal with specialist insurers that are comfortable taking on risks that are normally declined on the standard market and do not deal directly with clients. We have over 50 years experience in placing non standard risks and will be able to offer you a solution.
3. Know your rights. If you have had motor insurance previously and you are now been refused cover, you may be able to force your previous insurers hand. Follow the companies complaints procedure and if they still do not quote contact Insurance Ireland (formerly the Insurance federation of Ireland) who will help you to obtain a quotation from that company (what the premium will be might be a different story..)
4. Make yourself a better risk If you have obtained a quotation but it is still very expensive, look at ways to make yourself more appealing to insurers. Do you have a provisional licence? Consider sitting the test. Is your vehicle over 20 years old? Consider a newer vehicle. Also adding a partner or spouse to a policy can reduce the cost of your insurance.
5. Take a higher policy excess. A policy excess is the amount you pay yourself in the event of a claim. If you are trying to get on the road and you have an older car, you can take an excess up to €3000 which will help reduce the cost of your policy.

For a limited time only one of our insurers is offering a 15% new business discount on all Non standard cases. So contact us today to see how we can help. 

If you’re still not having any luck getting insurance, contact our motor dept today on 0818919699 or fill in the contact form below and we will do all we can to get you on the road.

Discounted Non Standard commercial vehicle insurance

June 22nd, 2020

What makes a commercial vehicle non standard and how can I insure it?

Most insurance companies like risks to be straight forward so they can easily rate it. So they are happy to quote a carpenter (for example) with a small van with his own goods inside and who has a lot of claims free driving experience. A lot of commercial vehicle risks, however, fall outside what companies deem to be ‘standard’ and is not just those with van drivers with convictions that can find it difficult to obtain motor insurance. You may have a modified commercial vehicle (left hand drive, having racking systems in the back, having a catering vehicle for example) or you could have a number of insurance claims, or you may have an occupation the insurance companies don’t like (Insurers are very strict on occupations when it comes to commercial vehicles) or had a policy cancelled by an insurer or decided you will be using the vehicle for deliveries etc.

Here are some examples of non standard commercial vehicle clients we have recently helped:

1. Private occupation, but commercial vehicle: Our client had a private occupation (factory worker) but wanted to insure a small commercial vehicle for his own use. The standard insurers did not want to quote, but we successfully organised cover for him.
2. Insuring a second vehicle without a no claim bonus: Our client had a full no claim bonus on his private car, but didn’t have a no claim bonus on his commercial vehicle and did not want to cancel his private car. We were able to get his commercial vehicle insured with a ‘mirrored’ no claim bonus from his private vehicle.
3. Client with previous conviction: This client had a previous drink driving conviction and was unable to secure cover on the standard market. We obtained a quotation and were able to offer him direct debit in order to spread the cost.
4. Catering vehicle: We were able to secure motor insurance for this client who had a mobile coffee van, we also obtained separate liability cover that she needed.
5. Food ingredient delivery van:. This client had a private car but no no claim bonus on a commercial vehicle, the risk was complicated further as he had a previous claim and also was going to use the vehicle  to deliver food ingredients to retail units. We were able to secure comprehensive open driving insurance for him.
6. Waste recovery business: The client is collecting domestic waste and required cover to comply with local council insurance conditions.

We currently are offering a 15% discount on all non standard (as at June 2020) commercial vehicle insurance. So contact us today for a quotation.

So whatever your commercial vehicle scenario, we will be able to help you, contact our motor dept today on 0818919699 or fill in the contact form below and we will do all we can to get you on the road.

Insuring a second vehicle in the family – what are the options?

September 11th, 2019

So you need to insure a second vehicle within the family – what are  your options?

It can often be the case that one person in a family has a vehicle insured for a number of years and built up a no claim bonus in their name. That is fine until a second vehicle is needed by a family member or the main proposer themselves, how does insurance work out then?

One of the issues in the Irish market is that if a no claim bonus/discount is built up, it is built up on one vehicle (leaving more complicated policies such as fleet or motor trade policies to one side) only. So if you suddenly need to insure a second vehicle, a lot of insurers will start the proposer from almost zero and not give any credit for the bonus that was built up on the first vehicle. So under what scenarios could a second vehicle be needed?

1. You may want to own a private car and need a commercial vehicle as well: This is relatively common. A person may be self employed and need a car for family life and a van for business life.
2. Your business starts to take off: When you were a one man show, one vehicle was enough, but now that have taken on employees you need more vehicles on the road. A fleet policy is a solution but fleet policies are expensive. With our help you don’t need to take out a fleet policy.
3. A spouse or partner needs a vehicle: It may work out cheaper for one family member to insure two vehicles in their name, instead of insuring a vehicle in a partners name who may not have any driving experience noted.
4. You need to insure a vehicle in a company name: There may be tax incentives to insuring a vehicle in a company name so you need to have a separate policy for this.
5. You want a car for the weekend or occasional use. Some people like to own a second classic or special vehicle with low mileage.

If any of the above scenario’s ring a bell, than contact us to see how we can help you, We have various options with our non standard insurers including the ability to ‘mirror’ a no claim bonus from a first vehicle to a second. contact our motor dept today on 0818919699 or fill in the contact form below and we will do all we can to get you on the road.

Non standard commercial vehicle insurance

July 4th, 2019

What makes a commercial vehicle non standard and how can I insure it?

Most insurance companies like risks to be straight forward so they can easily rate it. So they are happy to quote a carpenter (for example) with a small van with his own goods inside and who has a lot of claims free driving experience. A lot of commercial vehicle risks, however, fall outside what companies deem to be ‘standard’ and is not just those with driving convictions that can find it difficult to obtain motor insurance. You may have a modified commercial vehicle (left hand drive, having racking systems in the back, having a catering vehicle for example) or you could have a number of insurance claims, or you may have an occupation the insurance companies don’t like (Insurers are very strict on occupations when it comes to commercial vehicles) or had a policy cancelled by an insurer or decided to maybe you will be using the vehicle for deliveries etc.

Here are some examples of non standard commercial vehicle clients we have recently helped:

1. Private occupation, but commercial vehicle: Our client had a private occupation (factory worker) but wanted to insure a small commercial vehicle for his own use. The standard insurers did not want to quote, but we successfully organised cover for him.
2. Insuring a second vehicle without a no claim bonus: Our client had a full no claim bonus on his private car, but didn’t have a no claim bonus on his commercial vehicle and did not want to cancel his private car. We were able to get his commercial vehicle insured with a ‘mirrored’ no claim bonus from his private vehicle.
3. Client with previous conviction: This client had a previous drink driving conviction and was unable to secure cover on the standard market. We obtained a quotation and were able to offer him direct debit in order to spread the cost.
4. Catering vehicle: We were able to secure motor insurance for this client who had a mobile coffee van, we also obtained separate liability cover that she needed.
5. Food ingredient delivery van:. This client had a private car but no no claim bonus on a commercial vehicle, the risk was complicated further as he had a previous claim and also was going to use the vehicle  to deliver food ingredients to retail units. We were able to secure comprehensive open driving insurance for him.

So whatever your commercial vehicle scenario, we will be able to help you, contact our motor dept today on 0818919699 or fill in the contact form below and we will do all we can to get you on the road.

No no claim bonus? No problem!

April 11th, 2019

No no-claim bonus? No problem..

There can be a number of reasons that you can find yourself without a no claim bonus for your motor insurance policy, such as:

• You have been outside of the country for a number of years and don’t have any proof of driving.
• You may have had a recent insurance claim or have a claim that is outstanding.
• You may need a second car in the family and don’t have a no claim bonus built up on it.
• You may have been driving under a company scheme and don’t have your own no claim bonus built up.
• You may have had a driving conviction and are only recently going back on the road.

Why does not having a no claim bonus make it so difficult to get insurance cover?

Most standard insurers will require you to have a minimum of 2 years no claim bonus before quoting, if you don’t have this it can be very difficult to obtain a quotation in the Irish motor insurance market.

This can be even more difficult for someone that has been off the road for a motoring conviction. The issue most people have when looking for insurance following a motor insurance conviction is that most insurers will only allow a no claim bonus for up to 2 years after expiry, after that you are back to square one. This is where our unique motor scheme comes in to play. We can allow a no claim bonus up to four years after expiry, which will make a massive difference to the premium.

Will the premium be very expensive if I don’t have a no claim bonus?

Obviously those looking for insurance following a drink driving conviction or similar can expect to pay elevated premiums initially as will those without a no claim bonus, but we can help to eventually ‘normalise’ your premium in due course, some of the ways we can help those without a no claim bonus include:

• Some of our non standard insurers will quote without a no claim bonus and help you build your bonus in the years ahead.
• Options such as a higher policy excess and direct debit can help reduce and spread the cost.
• At every renewal date we will shop around (both standard and non standard insurers) for you to help secure the best deal on the available market.
• We can help reinstate a no claim bonus if you have had one in the past, but have been off the road for more than 2 years (subject to company acceptance)

So if you don’t have a no claim bonus and need insurance cover, don’t waste your time with other insurers. Contact the experts on 0818919699 for a quotation today or visit our motor insurance page  for more details

What to do if you cannot get motor insurance..

March 14th, 2019

What to do when you cannot get motor insurance..

At any stage during your driving lifetime, you can find yourself shut out of the standard motor insurance market. It is not just those with driving convictions that can find it difficult to obtain motor insurance. You may have been unlucky to have a number of insurance claims, you may have changed your occupation or had a policy cancelled by an insurer or decided to buy a vehicle that standard insurers do not want.

So what can you do? Here are our top tips for getting motor insurance when you have been declined elsewhere:

1. Start shopping around: If you are insured with an insurance company directly, you are not giving yourself the best opportunity for cover. Use a broker or contact as many insurers as possible for a quotation. One size does not fit all when it comes to motor insurance.
2. Contact a specialist insurer. Contact nonstandard.ie (well, we would say that wouldn’t we!). We deal with specialist insurers that are comfortable taking on risks that are normally declined on the standard market and do not deal directly with clients. We have over 50 years experience in placing non standard risks and will be able to offer you a solution.
3. Know your rights. If you have had motor insurance previously and you are now been refused cover, you may be able to force your previous insurers hand. Follow the companies complaints procedure and if they still do not quote contact Insurance Ireland (formerly the Insurance federation of Ireland) who will help you to obtain a quotation from that company (what the premium will be might be a different story..)
4. Make yourself a better risk If you have obtained a quotation but it is still very expensive, look at ways to make yourself more appealing to insurers. Do you have a provisional licence? Consider sitting the test. Is your vehicle over 20 years old? Consider a newer vehicle. Also adding a partner or spouse to a policy can reduce the cost of your insurance.
5. Take a higher policy excess. A policy excess is the amount you pay yourself in the event of a claim. If you are trying to get on the road and you have an older car, you can take an excess up to €3000 which will help reduce the cost of your policy.

If you’re still not having any luck getting insurance, contact our motor dept today on 0818919699 or fill in the contact form below and we will do all we can to get you on the road.

Having trouble insuring your home or property? We can help..

October 23rd, 2018

Been refused insurance cover for your property? You’re not alone..

We at Nonstandardinsurance.ie have noticed a marked increase in those contacting us that have been refused property and home insurance cover. Some of the common reasons we see people been refused insurance cover for their home include:

• An insurer may have revised their acceptance area and have now decided that your property is now outside the area that they want to cover.
• You may have been unlucky enough to have a number of claims within a number of years and your insurer has decided that they no longer want to take the risk of insuring you.
• Your circumstances may have changed and your insurer may not now want to offer you cover (a common example of this would be where someone has started a business from home and their home insurer will now not offer cover).
• When a client (either intentionally or inadvertently) has been deemed by the insurer as not disclosing a material fact and as a result their policy has been cancelled.
• You have found that your insurer has deemed the area you live in as a flood area.
• You or someone you live with has a conviction or past history the insurance company do not like.
• Your home or property has been deemed ‘non standard’.

What can I do if I have been refused home or property insurance?

First of all, it is helpful to find out exactly why your insurer is not offering you cover (this is not often obvious when you receive a letter saying they are not offering cover). Under section 4.39 of the Central Banks consumer protection code, you can ask your insurer to state why in writing that they are not offering cover.

Once you have that information, you can start contacting specialist brokers (such as nonstandardinsurance.ie) for an alternative. But beware, most Irish based insurers are still quite conservative with their risk acceptance. We at Nonstandard insurance specialise in providing home and property insurance for those that are having difficulty in obtaining it elsewhere. We deal with specialist insurers who will quote in the majority of cases. The below are some tips on how you can make your home more insurable.

Is there anything I can do to make my property more insurable?

We have found that we can obtain terms in the vast majority of cases. Rarely cover will not be offered and that may not be in your control (if your house has had a previous flood for example, you may be able to obtain cover but excluding flood cover), but there are some areas that may help you obtain cover if you have previously been refused:

• If you have been declined for being in a flood or subsidence area,do some research (www.floods.ie can be helpful for this) and see if your house is in fact in a flood or subsidence area (sometimes insurers flood area’s are too broad and you can argue that your house is in fact not a flood risk). Even if your home is in a flood area, they’re may be factors that will prevent your home from flooding (if your home is on higher ground for example), so this should be all noted to your existing or new insurer.
• If your policy has been cancelled due to a non disclosure, write a note as to the circumstance of this. Was it inadvertent and an honest mistake that some info was not disclosed? If so, note this to the company. Insurance companies have a complaints procedure which should be followed.
• If your circumstances has changed (you’ve began working from home for example), contact the company early about this. Explain how this will not increase their risk of covering you if this is the  case. They may try harder to cover you if you volunteer the information, rather than them finding out about it afterwards.

We are specialists in helping those that have been refused property cover and
in the majority of cases we can obtain terms. Contact the experts on 0818919699 for a quotation today or visit our property insurance page for further details or to complete a submission form.

Insurance for people moving/returning to Ireland – a survival guide!

October 9th, 2018

Insurance for people moving/returning to Ireland. A survival guide!

Depending on where you are coming from, insuring yourself/your vehicle/your property can be difficult when either coming to Ireland for the first time, or returning to Ireland after being away for a number of years. Some of the common issues we see include:

• Unable to obtain motor insurance, due to lack of driving experience or length of time resident in Ireland.
• Difficulty in obtaining motor cover, due to a vehicle being in an employer name or leased.
• High cost of health insurance. People finding it hard to work out the health insurance market, including waiting periods and commercial plans.
• Clients unaware of the process of insuring property (either contents or physical buildings). Clients unsure of how to access the wider market.
• Finding equivalent life and income protection insurance.

Why does being out of Ireland for a period cause so many insurance issues ?

Most standard insurers will require you to have a minimum of 2 years no claim bonus before quoting, if you don’t have this it can be very difficult to obtain a quotation in the Irish motor insurance market.

For people that have been insured in the Irish market previously, but then have moved away for a number of years, they may find that a lot of insurers will not accept the no claims that they have built up before leaving (Most insurers will only allow a no claim bonus for 2 years. There is also a number of insurers that will not quote if there has been a gap of more than 30 days since expiry of the last policy).

Other factors such as age of a vehicle and occupation have a big bearing on the cost of insurance in Ireland (that may not be the case in the country the client has left from).

The main factor we find is lack of knowledge of the Irish insurance market. For example, did you know that those entering the health insurance market from abroad, do not have to pay a loading for not been in the market as long as they take out cover within the first 9 months of coming to Ireland?

How can nonstandard insurance help those coming to/back to Ireland?

The main thing we can help with is advice. The Irish insurance market can be bewildering for new entrants, so we will help to explain the market and how to get the best deals available. Here are some of the ways we can help:

• Organise car insurance for you, even if it is the first time driving in Ireland.
• For those that have previously been insured in Ireland, we can often get their no claims bonus reinstated and so dramatically reducing the cost of cover.
• Help with organising life and income protection cover.
• We deal with over 30 insurers and underwriters and will help you through the maze that is the Irish insurance market.

If you have found obtaining cover in Ireland frustrating, don’t waste your time with other insurers. Contact the experts on 0818919699 for a quotation today or visit our motor insurance page  for more details