UK Act of Parliament 2015 United Kingdom

Insurance Act 2015

What this means for your business

2 obligations
3 guides
Enforced by
FCA
Applies to
United Kingdom
On this page
2 compliance obligations, 3 practical guides across 2 topics
Read full text on legislation.gov.uk

What you must do

2 compliance obligations under this legislation.

Management duties 1

Disclose any disadvantageous term clearly before contract signing

If you sell insurance, you must make sure any term that could put the policyholder at a disadvantage is brought to their attention before the contract is signed or varied, and that the term is written in plain, unambiguous language. You also need to consider the type of customer and the transaction when deciding how to disclose it. If the policyholder already knows the term, they cannot later claim you failed to highlight it.

Trader/Business s.17 FCA When a contract or variation contains a disadvantageous term (as defined in …

Payments and fees 1

Pay insurance claims promptly

When a policyholder lodges a claim, your insurance business must pay any amount that is due within a reasonable time, allowing a sensible period to investigate and assess the claim. You can withhold payment only if you have reasonable grounds to dispute the amount or the existence of a liability, and even then you must handle the claim fairly and promptly.

Trader/Business s.13A FCA When an insured person makes a claim under an insurance contract

Practical guidance

Our guides explain how to comply with the requirements above.

Sections and provisions

27 classified provisions from this legislation.

Duties 2

  • s.13A Implied term about payment of claims right
  • s.17 The transparency requirements

Powers 1

  • s.19 Power to change meaning of “relevant person” for purposes of 2010 Act

Definitions 8

  • s.1 Insurance contracts: main definitions non-consumer insurance contract insured insurer
  • s.2 Application and interpretation
  • s.3 The duty of fair presentation
  • s.4 Knowledge of insured
  • s.6 Knowledge: general
  • s.7 Supplementary
  • s.8 Remedies for breach
  • Schedule 2 Rights of third parties against insurers: relevant insured persons enactment

Exemptions 6

  • Schedule 1 Insurers' remedies for qualifying breaches
  • s.10 Breach of warranty
  • s.15 Contracting out: consumer insurance contracts
  • s.16A Contracting out of the implied term about payment of claims: consumer and non-consumer insurance contracts
  • s.16 Contracting out: non-consumer insurance contracts
  • s.18 Contracting out: group insurance contracts