Allianz Unoccupancy

Important update

For business incepted before 20 March 2020, the period before a premises was classed as unoccupied was previously extended to 90 days. This was where your clients premises were temporarily forced to close due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

As lockdown and travel restrictions ease and businesses begin to reopen, it will be easier for your client to comply with our unoccupancy conditions. As such, we’re amending our approach as follows:

Premises still in Government enforced lockdown

If your client is still unable to open for business due to the Government enforced lockdown, the unoccupancy condition on their policy will apply but there’ll be no restriction in cover and we will not charge an additional premium for the unoccupied period. You do not need to notify us that your customer’s premises are unoccupied.

Premises where lockdown has been lifted

If your client is able to open for business under Government guidelines, please inform us if their premises are to remain unoccupied. The unoccupancy condition on their policy will apply for these premises including any cover restrictions; however we will not charge an additional premium for the unoccupied period.

Policyholders who are shielding

If your client is unable to meet the unoccupancy condition on their policy because they’re shielding and no one else from the business is able to attend the premises, they do not need to comply with the condition. You do not need to notify us of any non-compliance with the unoccupancy condition. We will not restrict cover and we will not charge an additional premium for the unoccupied period.

Government or local travel guidance

Where Government or local travel guidance means that travelling to unoccupied premises would breach regulations, we understand that complying with the unoccupancy conditions will not be possible.

Unoccupancy conditions

From 30 June 2020, we expect your clients to take all necessary steps to protect their premises, including complying with their policy’s unoccupancy condition. Where this isn’t possible for any reason (except for shielding and government or local travel guidance), please inform Touchstone Underwriting as soon as possible.

Where it isn’t feasible for your client to comply, we will show flexibility, including:

• we’ll consider ‘immediately’ to mean ‘where practicable’ where the condition stipulates ensuring that any defects in the condition or state of repair of the building or any defects in security, alarm or fire protection installations are rectified, remedied or repaired immediately
• we’ll take a pragmatic approach and agree mutually acceptable timescales for risk improvements, as detailed in COVID-19: Risk Improvements.

For details of our Unoccupancy Conditions per product, please refer to our product pages.

Allianz are continuing to review and monitor the situation and will provide a further update before 31 July.

 

Updated 17 June 2020

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To help your clients whose premises are unoccupied, Allianz extended their unoccupancy period to 90 days. They’ve also updated their guidance on declaring furlough payments for SME and mid-corporate customers as well as premium payment for customers facing financial difficulty as a direct result of COVID-19.

 

Updated 13 May 2020

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In light of Covid-19 restrictions imposed, the defined time frame for a building to be deemed Unoccupied has increased to 60 days with immediate effect.

Up until the 60 Day period, full policy coverage applies (subject to the Policy Terms and Conditions).

We are keeping a close watch on developments and will advise of any further amendments as they arise.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact your underwriter should you have any queries.

 

Published 30 March 2020