Policy Wayfinder

This is a demo using a synthetic sample policy — Hearthstone Home Insurance. Your own results will be based on your uploaded policy.

See Policy Wayfinder in action

Five pre-run analyses against a real-style home insurance policy. Select a scenario to see the full result.

Demo Hearthstone Home Insurance · Hearthstone Insurance Services
"A pipe burst under our kitchen floor while we were away for the weekend. The kitchen floor and two units are damaged, and water has come through the ceiling into the room below."
Likely Covered

Analysis

This scenario falls under Escape of Water — Section 4 of the Hearthstone policy. The policy covers sudden and accidental damage caused by water leaking or escaping from a fixed pipe, tank, or domestic appliance.

Buildings damage (kitchen floor structure, ceiling in the room below): Covered under Buildings Cover, Section 2. Damage to the structure of the property caused by an escape of water is a standard insured peril.

Contents damage (kitchen units): Your Hearthstone policy explicitly includes fitted kitchen units under buildings cover — not contents — which means they form part of the same buildings claim and are not subject to a separate contents excess.

Weekend absence: Your Hearthstone policy does not exclude claims that arise while the property is unoccupied for short periods. The unoccupancy limit is 60 consecutive days (Section 12) — a weekend is well within this.

Conditions to be aware of

  • Report the damage to Hearthstone Insurance Services as soon as possible.
  • Take reasonable steps to prevent further damage — turn off the water supply at the stopcock.
  • Do not carry out permanent repairs before the insurer has assessed the damage, unless necessary to prevent further loss.
  • Retain any damaged items and take photographs before any clean-up work begins.

Your excess

£250

What to do next

Contact Hearthstone Insurance Services to notify them of the damage and begin the claims process. Have your policy number (HH-DEMO-001) to hand. Take photographs of all damage — including the ceiling below — before any clean-up begins.

Policy clause references

The specific policy sections that apply to this result are shown on paid accounts. Create a free account and upload your own policy to see clause references in your results.

This analysis is for information only. It is not a claims decision. Your insurer makes the final determination on any claim.

Demo Hearthstone Home Insurance · Hearthstone Insurance Services
"We were rearranging the living room and accidentally knocked our television off its stand. The screen is badly cracked — the repair quote came back at more than the TV is worth. It cost £850 two years ago."
Likely Covered

Analysis

This scenario falls under Accidental Damage to Contents — Section 6 of the Hearthstone policy. Your policy includes accidental damage cover for contents, which covers sudden, unintended physical damage caused by an unexpected and non-deliberate event.

Knocking a television off its stand during furniture rearrangement is a clear example of accidental damage. The damage is immediate and unintentional, which meets the Section 6 definition directly.

Valuation and settlement: The policy covers replacement on a like-for-like basis, subject to fair wear and tear. At two years old, the settlement may account for some depreciation — your insurer will advise on the exact figure. The £850 purchase price is well within the single-item limit of £2,000.

Conditions to be aware of

  • Retain the damaged television until the insurer has assessed it — do not dispose of it.
  • Provide evidence of the original purchase price where possible (receipt, bank statement, online order confirmation).
  • The settlement will be net of the £250 excess.

Your excess

£250

What to do next

Contact Hearthstone Insurance Services to notify them of the accidental damage. The claim will be assessed and settled based on the current replacement cost of a comparable television, less the £250 excess.

Policy clause references

The specific policy sections that apply to this result are shown on paid accounts. Create a free account and upload your own policy to see clause references in your results.

This analysis is for information only. It is not a claims decision. Your insurer makes the final determination on any claim.

Demo Hearthstone Home Insurance · Hearthstone Insurance Services
"A storm last night knocked off several roof tiles and completely destroyed the wooden fence along the back of the garden. What's covered?"
Partially Covered

Analysis

This scenario has two distinct elements, and the coverage position differs between them.

Roof tiles — Covered. Damage to the roof caused by storm is covered under Buildings Cover — Storm, Tempest and Flood (Section 3). The cost of replacing the missing tiles and any resulting internal damage (e.g. ceiling water damage) is claimable, subject to the standard excess of £250.

Garden fence — Not covered. Section 3 of the Hearthstone policy explicitly excludes damage to gates, hedges, and fences caused by storm or wind. This is a standard exclusion across most UK home insurance policies — fences are treated as less permanent structures and are routinely excluded from storm cover.

Conditions to be aware of

  • Arrange temporary protection for the roof if it is safe to do so — for example, a tarpaulin — to prevent further water ingress.
  • Report the roof damage to Hearthstone Insurance Services before arranging permanent repairs.
  • Keep any quotes or receipts for temporary and permanent repair work.
  • The fence is excluded — you may proceed with fence repairs at your own cost without notifying the insurer.

Your excess

£250 (applies to the roof tiles claim only)

What to do next

Contact Hearthstone Insurance Services to begin your claim for the roof tile damage. The fence is not covered under this policy — you will need to meet that cost yourself, or consider whether a separate structure policy is worth adding.

Policy clause references

The specific policy sections that apply to this result are shown on paid accounts. Create a free account and upload your own policy to see clause references in your results.

This analysis is for information only. It is not a claims decision. Your insurer makes the final determination on any claim.

Demo Hearthstone Home Insurance · Hearthstone Insurance Services
"We've noticed diagonal cracks appearing around a ground-floor window frame and the front door has started to stick. We're worried it might be subsidence — how would our policy handle this?"
Partially Covered

Analysis

Subsidence is covered under Buildings Cover in your Hearthstone policy — but the process is more involved than a standard claim, and there are important financial and procedural points to understand before you proceed.

Is it covered? Yes — Section 2 of your Hearthstone policy includes subsidence, heave, and landslip as insured perils. Your policy is not one that excludes subsidence entirely.

Subsidence excess: The excess for subsidence claims under your Hearthstone policy is £1,000 — significantly higher than the standard £250. This applies to the whole claim, regardless of the number of events.

Investigation process: The insurer will first arrange a structural survey to confirm whether the movement is subsidence, and if so, to identify the cause. Common causes include tree roots drawing moisture from clay soil, leaking drains, or inadequate original foundations. The survey typically takes several weeks to arrange. No remedial work should begin before the survey is complete.

Monitoring period: If subsidence is confirmed, a monitoring period is usually required — typically 12 to 24 months — before any major structural work such as underpinning is authorised. During this period, only temporary repairs are permitted.

Conditions to be aware of

  • Do not carry out any repairs or alterations to the affected areas before the insurer has assessed and approved them.
  • Report to Hearthstone Insurance Services as soon as possible — delay can complicate the claim.
  • Note that if the cause is found to be settlement (a different, non-covered movement) rather than subsidence, the position will be different.
  • Tree root causes may require the removal of the tree — discuss with your insurer before acting.

Your excess

£1,000 (subsidence-specific excess)

What to do next

Contact Hearthstone Insurance Services to report the suspected subsidence. They will arrange for a structural engineer to visit and assess. Do not attempt any repairs in the meantime. Be prepared for a lengthy process — subsidence claims typically take many months to fully resolve.

Policy clause references

The specific policy sections that apply to this result are shown on paid accounts. Create a free account and upload your own policy to see clause references in your results.

This analysis is for information only. It is not a claims decision. Your insurer makes the final determination on any claim.

Demo Hearthstone Home Insurance · Hearthstone Insurance Services
"My laptop (worth around £1,200) was stolen from my car while I was at the gym. The car was locked but the laptop was left visible on the back seat. Can I claim on my home insurance?"
Not Covered

Analysis

Your Hearthstone policy does not cover this scenario.

Theft from vehicles — excluded. Section 7 (Contents Away From Home) covers theft of specified personal belongings away from the home — but it does not apply to property left in a motor vehicle. The policy explicitly excludes theft of contents from unattended motor vehicles, regardless of whether the vehicle was locked.

The 'visible' factor: Even policies that do offer some form of vehicle contents cover typically exclude items left in view. In this case, the laptop was visible on the back seat — but the exclusion in your Hearthstone policy applies to all theft from vehicles, not just visible items.

What would be covered: If the same laptop had been stolen in a burglary at your home, it would have been covered under Contents Cover (Section 5), subject to the single-item limit of £2,000 and the standard excess of £250.

Your excess

Not applicable — this claim is excluded.

What to do next

Report the theft to the police and obtain a crime reference number. Check whether your car insurance policy includes any contents cover — some comprehensive policies offer limited in-vehicle contents cover. If you regularly carry high-value equipment, a specialist gadget insurance policy or portable contents extension may be worth considering for the future.

Policy clause references

The specific policy sections that apply to this result are shown on paid accounts. Create a free account and upload your own policy to see clause references in your results.

This analysis is for information only. It is not a claims decision. Your insurer makes the final determination on any claim.

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Policy Wayfinder provides information only. It does not provide regulated financial advice. Coverage assessments are always subject to your insurer's final determination.