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Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance FAQs

Please note: This content does not apply if you have a MortgageProtector Solo policy. If you have a query about your MortgageProtect Solo policy, please Contact Us.

Cover Levels & Options

What’s the maximum amount that I can cover?

Answer: You can choose a monthly benefit amount of up to £3,000, subject to it being no more than 75% of your monthly earned income.

If your monthly mortgage repayment amount is less than £3,000 you can increase the amount insured (provided the lower of the above limits is not exceeded in total) to include either or both of the following;

  • premium for this policy plus any buildings and contents insurance on the property, associated life assurance policies and shared ownership rental payment
  • up to 33% additional cover of the total of your monthly mortgage repayment and related insurance premiums

Can I cover an additional amount on top of my mortgage?

Answer: Yes! With MortgageProtector you can cover your additional insurance premiums such as your life cover and buildings & contents insurance, as well as take 33% additional cover of the total of their monthly mortgage repayment and related insurance premiums as long as the total benefit does not exceed £3,000 or 75% of their monthly earned income.

Please note: Any additional cover you have selected on top of your monthly mortgage repayment plus related insurance costs will remain at the fixed amount selected by you at your start date or any mid term adjustment. However if a reduction in your monthly mortgage repayment means your level of additional cover then exceeds 33% of the combined total of your monthly mortgage repayment and related insurance costs, your additional cover amount will be reduced back inline to 33%

Can I just take out Unemployment cover?

Answer: Yes! You can choose from the following cover options:

  • Accident or Sickness & Unemployment cover
  • Unemployment only cover
  • Accident or Sickness only cover

Furthermore our Unemployment cover automatically includes Carer Cover and Back to Work Support.

What additional benefits are available with Mortgage Payment Protection?

Answer: Our MPPI policy also provides the following additional benefits

  • Free Legal Expenses cover for employment and bodily injury disputes.
  • 24 hour Health & Medical, Counselling and Legal Advice help lines.
  • If you have chosen unemployment cover, Free Back to Work Assistance including help with CV writing and interview techniques.

I can’t find my policy wording, and the online version has changed since I took out my policy, can I request one?

Answer: Yes! You can request a copy of previous policy wordings by phone, post or e-mail by contacting us

Eligibility

I’m self employed...can I still take out a policy?

Answer: Yes! We offer full Accident or Sickness and Unemployment cover, Accident or Sickness only cover or Unemployment only cover for people who are self employed.

Please note: In order to be eligible to claim for unemployment you must have declared to the HMRC that you have ceased trading and be registered as unemployed.

For more information on how your employment circumstances affect your entitlement to benefit please refer to the ‘Employment Circumstances’ and ‘Your Claim - Things To Keep In Mind When Claiming’ sections in the Policy Document.

Do you cover contract workers?

Answer: Yes! We offer full Accident or Sickness and Unemployment cover, Accident or Sickness only cover or Unemployment only cover for people who are contract workers.

Please note: If you have chosen Unemployment cover and work on a fixed term contract, you will not be covered for non-renewal of your contract unless you have worked continuously for the same employer for at least 12 months. Furthermore, if you have not worked for the same employer for at least the last 12 months, entitlement to monthly benefit will end on the date that your fixed term contract was originally intended to terminate.

For more information on how your employment circumstances affect your entitlement to benefit please refer to the ‘Employment Circumstances’ and ‘Your Claim - Things To Keep In Mind When Claiming’ sections in the Policy Document.

What about if I have a chronic condition?

Answer: As long as your condition does not fall within the policy's pre-existing condition exclusion then you will be covered. Please see our Glossary for a definition of a pre-existing medical condition. Before being eligible to claim, you must be 12 months symptom free of a pre-existing condition, prior to making your claim. You also need to have not consulted a doctor about the condition, or received treatment for it in the last 12 months immediately prior to making a claim for the same condition.

Please note: There are certain conditions that are excluded and you are unable to make a claim for (Please see the question "Are there any excluded conditions for Accident or Sickness Cover?" below)

Are there any excluded conditions for Accident or Sickness cover?

Answer: We will not pay for any accident or sickness due to;

  • Any pre-existing medical condition unless you have been symptom free, have not received treatment or consulted a doctor about the condition in the 12 months before the start of your accident or sickness claim. Please see our Glossary for a definition of a pre-existing medical condition.
  • Back conditions, unless you supply radiological evidence of medical abnormality from a doctor or specialist
  • Mental or nervous disorders such as stress and related conditions, unless a condition is diagnosed by a specialist and needs a continued course of treatment.
  • Pregnancy and childbirth unless resulting from a medical complication as diagnosed by a specialist.
  • Cosmetic surgery or other treatment which is not medically necessary, and any resulting from drug or alcohol abuse, or your own deliberate actions.

Full details of the exclusions which apply are provided in our Policy Document.

Do you cover people with stress and back related claims?

Answer: We exclude back conditions unless you supply radiological evidence of medical abnormality from a doctor or specialist. We also exclude mental or nervous disorders including stress and related conditions, unless your condition is diagnosed by a specialist and needs a continued course of treatment. (Please see the question "Are there any excluded conditions for Accident or Sickness cover?").

I don’t have a mortgage, I rent. Can I have a policy?

Answer: No. Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance only covers mortgage payments for the main residence. The only aspect of 'rent' we will cover on our MortgageProtector product is where we can cover the rental part of a shared ownership scheme under the associated premiums section as long as the mortgage repayments are also covered and the total benefit does not exceed £3,000 or 75% of your monthly earned income.

If you require rental protection then you should apply for our Income Insurance policy, IncomeShield. IncomeShield is our 5 star Defaqto rated, standalone Income Insurance product, which is not tied to any mortgage, loan or other credit agreement. It simply protects your income and pays out a monthly benefit to help cover your essentials and outgoings, if you are unable to work due to accident sickness or unemployment.

Can I have a Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance (MPPI) policy and an Income Insurance policy at the same time?

Answer: Yes! You can have a Mortgage Payment Protection policy and an Income Insurance policy at the same time as these policies insure different risks.

MPPI specifically protects your mortgage payments, in the event that you were unable to work due to an accident, sickness or unemployment.

An Income Insurance policy protects your income in the event that you become unable to work due to an accident, sickness or unemployment and there is no stipulation over what you should use this money for in the event of a claim.

However, you need to ensure that you do not accidentally over-insure for your mortgage amount under both MPPI and an Income Insurance policy. If you held both policies with Paymentshield, and covered your mortgage payments under both, then your MPPI policy would not pay out when you came to make a claim.

If you have a policy with another provider, you should also check your individual Policy Documents to ensure that no reduction is made in your benefit, due to having more than one policy.

My spouse/partner is also named on the mortgage agreement. Can we both get cover for our mortgage repayments?

Answer: Yes! If you are joint mortgage holders and would like joint cover, when taking out the policy, you can select for both of you to be covered. You can select the proportion of the benefit each person would receive in the event of a claim. For example, it can be split 50/50, 70/30 etc, in proportion to your salaries, provided that the amount of each person's monthly benefit does not exceed 75% of that person's monthly earned income.

If you are joint mortgage holders and want to cover 100% of your monthly mortgage repayment each you will both need to take out a seperate policy.

My spouse/partner is also named on the mortgage agreement. We have selected a joint policy, what would happen if we both needed to claim at the same time?

Answer: The monthly benefit will be split between you in the proportion selected when you took out the policy.

Should you both have a separate policy that covers 100% of your monthly mortgage repayments each, then in the event you both make a claim, you will each receive the monthly benefit amount selected on your policy.

Monthly Benefit and Premiums

If my mortgage payments increase or decrease do I need to let you know?

Answer: Yes! It is very important that you make us aware of any change in your mortgage payments so that we can ensure you are fully protected should you need to make a claim. We also need to ensure that you are paying the correct premium to cover the selected monthly benefit.

If you increase your cover, the start date of the change will be 90 days from the date we accept your notification. Therefore if you need to claim within this 90 day period we would not include this additional amount in your claim benefit. This 90 day period is not applied if the increase is due to an interest rate increase and you advise us of this change within 30 days of notification from your lender.

Our Policy Document explains that the monthly benefit insured is the total amount of cover you have selected to protect your monthly mortgage repayments, plus related insurance premiums and additional cover, if selected. Therefore your total monthly benefit entitlement at point of claim will reduce if your mortgage payments have reduced, or reduce during your claim.

What do I do if I need to amend my policy?

Answer: Should your circumstances change, or you need to change the amount of your monthly benefit or your type of cover, please Contact Us.

Will there be an amendment fee?

Answer: There is no additional charge to make an amendment to your policy, you will only pay the difference in premium that your requested change has incurred.

I have an offset mortgage. How do I ensure I'm covering the correct amount?

Answer: If you arrange an offset mortgage then you will have an amount confirmed each month that you will need to pay in order to repay the mortgage in the required timescale. This is the figure you should take for cover under your MPPI policy. Should your monthly repayment change, you must inform us so that your monthly benefit sum is correct. We ask that you do this within 30 days of your lender notifying you of any change. For further information, please refer to your Policy Document.

Can I delay paying my monthly premiums at the start of my policy?

Answer: Yes! You can choose to delay your first 3 or 6 months premium payments at the policy start date, or pay your premiums from the start of the policy for a cheaper monthly cost.

Claims

How long do I have to wait before I receive my monthly benefit when making a claim?

Answer: The length of time you must wait to receive your monthly benefit will depend on which qualification period you have chosen on your policy. The qualification period is the length of time you must remain off work before you become entitled to receive your monthly benefit. Different qualification periods allow you to choose cover to suit your own individual needs and can be an effective way to tailor your premium so that it’s affordable for you. You can also select different qualifications periods for Accident or Sickness cover and Unemployment cover.

For example: If you receive 2 months sick pay from your employer, you may wish to choose a 60 Day Excess period for Accident or Sickness cover but choose a 30 Day Back to Day One period for Unemployment cover, so that you’re covered from day one.

Qualification Options

  • 30 Day Back to Day One
    Your first payment is made on the 31st day of your claim and payments are backdated to the first day of your claim. Your first payment is therefore for day 1 to day 30. Monthly payments will continue for the period that your claim remains valid or the maximum benefit period is reached.
  • 60 Day Back to Day One
    Your first payment is made on the 61st day of your claim and payments are backdated to the first day of your claim. Your first payment is therefore for day 1 to day 60. Monthly payments will continue for the period that your claim remains valid or the maximum benefit period is reached.
  • 30 Day Excess
    No payment is made for the first 30 days of a claim. Your first payment is made on the 61st day of your claim and payments are backdated to day 31. Your first payment is therefore for day 31 to day 60 and monthly payments will continue for the period that your claim remains valid or the maximum benefit period is reached.
  • 60 Day Excess
    No payment is made for the first 60 days of a claim. Your first payment is made on the 91st day of your claim and payments are backdated to day 61. Your first payment is therefore for day 61 to day 90 and monthly payments will continue for the period that your claim remains valid or the maximum benefit period is reached.
  • 180 Day Excess
    No payment is made for the first 180 days of a claim. Your first payment is made on the 211th day of your claim and payments are backdated to day 181. Your first payment is therefore for day 181 to day 210 and monthly payments will continue for the period that your claim remains valid or the maximum benefit period is reached.

How long will you pay out on a claim for?

Answer: There are different maximum benefit periods available for Accident or Sickness cover and Unemployment cover.

  • A choice of 12 or 24 months maximum benefit period for Accident or Sickness cover
  • A 12 month maximum benefit period is available for Unemployment cover

Does my claim start the day I stop working?

Answer: When assessing your Accident or Sickness claim, we will consider the first day of the claim to be the day a doctor certifies that you are unfit for work.

For Unemployment cover, the first day of the claim is the day you are registered as unemployed with the Department for Work and Pensions Job Centre Plus (or equivalent)

How is the payment made when the claim has been accepted?

Answer: The benefit is paid direct to your bank account for you to pay your mortgage lender directly.

What happens if I receive sick pay from my employer?

Answer: Any sick pay that you receive from your employer does not affect your entitlement to make a claim on your policy. Your mortgage payment protection policy will pay out alongside your sick pay or you can choose a longer qualification period for Accident or Sickness cover, so that your payments start when your sick pay finishes. This helps to tailor your premium to your own individual circumstances.

For example: If you receive 2 months sick pay from your employer, you may wish to choose a 60 Day Excess period for Accident or Sickness cover.

Can I claim if I have to stop work to care for a family member?

Answer: If you have selected Unemployment cover, and voluntarily stop work unexpectedly to care for an immediate family member, you can claim for up to 12 months if you are registered as a carer and are in receipt of Carer's Allowance. This means you can continue to meet your mortgage payments if you unexpectedly become a carer.

Please note: Immediate family refers to your spouse, civil partner, live-in partner, children and parents.

Can my policy continue after I have made a claim?

Answer: Yes! As long as you keep paying your monthly premium, the policy can continue. You must return to work for at least 3 consecutive months before you can register a new claim. If the second period of claim commences less than 3 months after the first claim ended, your claim will be considered as a continuation of the previous claim.

MortgageProtector is underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited