Changes you must tell your insurer about mid-policy

If something changes while your policy is running, the short answer is that the insurer usually needs to be told, and often straight away. The duty is ongoing, not a one-off at the point cover is bought. The British Insurance Brokers' Association says the insurance provider needs to be told both when you are obtaining your quote and, just as importantly, during the policy period, if your health status changes¹.

What counts as a change depends on the type of cover. For travel insurance, 91% of policies Which? checked required you to report changes in your health after buying cover². For car insurance, you are usually required to inform your insurer if you make modifications to your car or van³. For life insurance, the position is different again: once a policy is in place, premiums cannot be increased, and there is often no need to tell your life insurer if you develop cancer⁴.

The consequence of staying quiet is the part that matters most. Insurers can cancel a policy and reject claims where a change was not disclosed⁵. The Financial Ombudsman Service, which settles disputes between consumers and insurers, has set out how it approaches these cases, and its decisions show that the outcome often depends on what the insurer would have done had it known.

You must tell your insurer about changes straight away

The duty to report is not limited to the moment you take out a policy. It runs for as long as the cover does. BIBA's guidance on travel insurance for people with mental health conditions puts it plainly: tell your provider when you get your quote and during the policy period if your health status changes¹.

For car insurance, the same principle applies to incidents. You must tell your insurer that you have been in an accident, even if you do not claim⁹. The accident itself is a change in the risk the insurer is carrying, and it will always need to know. The same duty applies in Northern Ireland, where official guidance states you must also report the accident to your insurer even if you are not intending to make a claim¹⁰.

Timing matters. It will be a condition of your policy that you report an accident within a reasonable time, and what counts as reasonable differs between policies⁹. There is no single number of days that applies to every policy, so the practical step is to report as soon as you can rather than waiting to see whether a claim becomes necessary.

The same logic extends beyond insurance. Where the state pays benefits, the duty to report changes is explicit: claimants must tell the Department for Work and Pensions about any change of circumstances that could affect entitlement, as soon as reasonably practicable¹¹. The principle is the same one insurers apply: the organisation paying out needs to know when the facts it priced have moved.

Changes insurers usually need to know about

Different policies care about different changes, but the pattern is consistent: anything that alters the risk the insurer agreed to cover.

Health changes on travel cover. Once you buy travel insurance, you must tell the insurer if there are any changes in your health or condition¹². Which? found that 91% of travel insurance policies require you to report changes in your health after buying cover². Insurers also need to be told about medical conditions even if you have recovered¹³. In one survey, the rationale given by insurers was that they needed to know about any prescribed medication or medication change¹⁴. If your insurer is not informed, a claim could be rejected even if the issue seems unrelated¹⁵.

Car modifications. Many insurers will insure modified cars as long as the details of the changes made are disclosed³. Anything the insurer says is a modification counts, and consumers are usually required to inform their insurer if they make modifications to their car or van³. The insurer will likely find out if the car has been modified when a claim is made¹⁶.

Penalty points. When applying for a new policy or at renewal time, you are legally required to disclose penalty points, whether given to you or to a named driver on the policy⁵.

Moving home and lodgers. A moving home checklist from HSBC lists home, car, life, pet and medical insurers among the companies to notify¹⁷. If you take in a lodger, Shelter says to tell your home insurance provider, as you may need to update your policy¹⁸.

Life cover. The position is more settled. Once a policy is in place, the premiums cannot be increased, and there is often no need to tell your life insurer if you develop cancer⁴. As long as you make full and honest disclosures on your application and continue paying the premiums, the policy cannot be cancelled¹⁹.

What can happen if you do not tell your insurer

The consequences fall into three broad categories: the claim, the policy, and in some settings, the law.

The claim may be rejected. If you do not let your insurer know about a pre-existing condition and then need to make a claim, your policy may be invalid and the company may not pay¹². For car insurance, not telling your insurer about modifications could invalidate your insurance³. The Financial Ombudsman Service has seen complaints about vehicle theft claims where non-disclosure was an issue²⁰.

The policy may be cancelled. Under car insurance disclosure rules, an insurer may cancel your policy and any claims may be rejected if you fail to disclose⁵. The ombudsman has also said an insurer can change or end an insurance contract if circumstances change during the policy which significantly alter the insured risk²¹.

The ombudsman's approach to redress. Where a customer did not tell their insurer about a significant change in health, the ombudsman has set out how it decides what is fair. If the insurer would have covered the condition for an additional premium, it is generally fair for them to pay the claim minus that additional premium²¹. If the insurer would have withdrawn cover entirely, they would usually be asked to pay what the holiday cancellation claim would have been worth if told at the relevant time²¹. The ombudsman has also said it is usually fair for the insurer to pay the amount that would have been charged at the time the customer should have called to tell the insurer about the change in health²¹.

Where the state is involved. Benefit claimants face a firmer set of consequences. A claim might be stopped or reduced if you do not report a change straight away or you give incorrect information¹¹. If you deliberately do not report changes, you are committing benefit fraud¹¹. In some settings, such as going into a care home, you could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances²².

Will my premium go up if I report a change mid-policy?

It can, and the rules require the insurer to tell you before it does. Throughout the term of a policy, a firm must provide a customer with information about any change to the premium, unless it conforms to a previously disclosed formula, and any term of the policy, in writing or another durable medium in good time before the change takes effect⁸.

Insurers can charge you more or apply special conditions if they believe you are at a higher risk of making a claim¹². The Financial Ombudsman Service has seen a case where an insurer sought to increase a customer's premium by 70% during the term of his motor insurance policy⁷. That is at the extreme end, but it shows the scale a mid-term adjustment can reach.

The ombudsman also scrutinises increases that follow a reported incident. If a customer's premiums have increased after they have reported an incident, the ombudsman will ask the insurer to explain why²³. An incident may suggest someone is statistically more likely to make future claims, but the insurer still has to justify the increase²³.

There are limits to what can be changed. Where a customer has a second vehicle insured with a different insurer, the ombudsman would only expect the premium on the first vehicle to increase if the no-claims bonus is transferred to the second vehicle²³. And for life insurance, once a policy is in place, the premiums cannot be increased after a cancer diagnosis⁴.

If a change is reported and the insurer gets it wrong, the ombudsman can order redress. Where an insurer unfairly accepted liability for an accident, it can be told to change the way the claim was recorded so the customer's current premium can be recalculated, refund extra money paid, and may pay compensation for distress or inconvenience for poor customer service²³.

Can my insurer charge a fee for changing my policy?

Yes. Car insurers may charge a fee even if you decide you no longer want your policy within the 14-day cooling-off period⁶. That is worth knowing before assuming a change of mind is free.

Where a declared medical condition is not covered, the insurer tells you whether the conditions you have declared are covered in the policy, and if they are not covered, you may be able to pay an additional premium to have them included²⁴. That is a fee in substance, even if it is not labelled as one.

The ombudsman has set out how it approaches charges that arise when a change should have been reported earlier. It has said it is usually fair for the insurer to pay the amount that would have been charged at the time the customer should have called to tell the insurer about the change in health²¹. It has also said the insurer may only be liable to cover payments made towards the trip prior to the change in health²¹.

For life cover, the position is more protective. Once a policy is in place, the premiums cannot be increased, and as long as you make full and honest disclosures on your application and continue paying the premiums, the policy cannot be cancelled¹⁹.

Do I have to tell my insurer about a change if it happens near renewal?

This is where the rules diverge most sharply by type of cover, and it is worth being precise.

For general insurance, the Financial Ombudsman Service says that if something changes after the policy has started, the customer will not usually have to tell the insurer about it until they renew the policy²¹. That is a general position, not a universal rule, and it does not override a specific term in your policy that requires earlier notification.

Travel insurance is the clearest exception. Which? found that 91% of travel insurance policies require you to report changes in your health after buying cover². So for travel, the answer is that you report during the policy period, not at renewal.

Car insurance sits somewhere in between. You are legally required to disclose penalty points when applying for a new policy or at renewal time, for you or a named driver on the policy⁵. But an accident must be reported when it happens, not saved for renewal⁹.

At renewal itself, there is a rule designed to prompt you to check the market. Where the proposed renewal will be the fourth or subsequent renewal, the firm must include the statement: "You have been with us a number of years. You may be able to get the insurance cover you want at a better price if you shop around."⁸

What if I only find out later that I gave the wrong information?

Tell your insurer as soon as you realise. The Financial Ombudsman Service has set out what information a customer is not expected to disclose: something the customer does not know or could not reasonably have been expected to know, something the insurer should reasonably be expected to know, waived information, information that reduces the risk, and information covered under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974²⁵.

That list matters because it draws a line between an honest mistake and a failure to disclose. If the information was something you genuinely did not know, the ombudsman's approach is more forgiving than if you knew and stayed quiet.

Where a customer did not tell their insurer about a significant change in health, the ombudsman has said that if the insurer would have covered the condition for an additional premium, it is generally fair for them to pay the claim minus that additional premium²¹. If the insurer would have withdrawn cover entirely, they would usually be asked to pay what the value of the holiday cancellation claim would have been if told at the relevant time²¹.

For state benefits, the position is firmer. You may have to repay the money if you did not report a change straight away, gave wrong information, or were overpaid by mistake²⁶. The practical step is the same: report the correction as soon as you become aware of it.

How to tell your insurer about a change

The mechanics are usually straightforward, but the order matters.

1. Check what your policy requires. When you make a claim you will be told which changes must be reported and how long you have to report the change²⁷. If you are unsure, the policy document sets out the notification terms.
2. Contact your insurer directly. For most changes, this is a phone call or an online form. Have your policy number and the details of the change to hand.
3. Report incidents even if you are not claiming. You must tell your insurance company about an accident, even if you do not intend making a claim, as you will always need to report it²⁸. The same applies in Northern Ireland¹⁰.
4. Report health changes on travel cover during the policy period. BIBA's guidance is to tell your provider both at quote stage and during the policy period if your health status changes¹.
5. Keep a record. Note the date you reported the change and who you spoke to. If a dispute arises later, the ombudsman will look at what was said and when²¹.
6. If you are unhappy with how a change was handled, complain. The Financial Ombudsman Service can look at complaints about insurance pricing and renewals⁷ and about travel insurance changes in health²¹.

Where to get free help

If a dispute with your insurer cannot be resolved, the Financial Ombudsman Service is free to consumers and can look at complaints about insurance pricing and renewals⁷, travel insurance changes in health²¹, and misrepresentation and non-disclosure²⁵. Complaining to your insurer first is usually required before the ombudsman will take the case.

For benefit changes, the reporting routes differ by benefit. You can tell your local council about changes if you get Housing Benefit¹¹. You will need to report your change to more than one organisation if you get more than one benefit¹¹. For most other benefits, you call Jobcentre Plus, and you need to have your National Insurance number when you call¹¹. For Carer's Allowance, you report a change online or call the Carer's Allowance Unit¹¹.

If you receive Housing Benefit and Rate Relief and your personal or household circumstances change, you must tell the right organisation²⁹. If you receive Discretionary Housing Payments, you are required to notify your local council of any changes of circumstances which may be relevant to you continuing to receive them³⁰. If anything in your life changes, such as your income, who you live with, or your housing situation, tell the relevant benefits office as soon as you can²⁶.