Homeowners
Installsure for homeowners
We’re a leading provider of insurance backed guarantees (IBGs) and other insurance products to installation companies around the UK, including a large number of FENSA Approved Installers.
If your window installer is a member of a Competent Person Scheme, such as FENSA, they will have purchased an Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) policy in your name. (Or a GGFi IBG policy – before becoming Installsure we were known as GGFi.)
Some helpful links for homeowners:
Find an Installsure installer
Installsure offers a simple search facility for homeowners to check or find their local Installsure member.
Make a claim on an Installsure policy
- Make sure that an IBG policy was taken out by the Contractor company on your behalf for the Insured Works.
- Please be aware that cover for Faulty Materials and/or Defective Workmanship only applies when the Contractor is no longer trading in line with the Ceased To Trade policy definition, meaning the Contractor's business is insolvent and has been brought to an end by legal process.
- Please be aware that cover for breaches of Building Regulations only applies in respect of windows and doors.
- Please ensure that you have a copy of your Contractor's Written Guarantee and that it has not expired.
How to make a claim
**We are currently experiencing a high volume of contact into our Claims team, which means we may take longer than usual to respond to your query. We thank you for your patience. **
Check the status of your claim
If you've already completed a claim application and wish to check the status of your claim, you can also do this by entering your policy number and postcode on the claims application page.
We'll keep you up to date at each step of the claims process
All claims will be handled fairly and decisions made promptly
We'll respond to all queries within 10-14 working days
An IBG, or insurance backed guarantee, is an insurance policy that provides cover for a guarantee in the event the company that issued the guarantee ceases to trade, meaning when it is legally brought to an end because it cannot pay its debts.
IBGs are not guarantees themselves but insurance products that back guarantees. For this reason it can be more useful to refer to them as guarantee insurance policies or warranty insurance policies.
A guarantee insurance policy provides cover in the event that a company that has given a guarantee to a customer ceases to trade, meaning when it is legally brought to an end because it cannot pay its debts. If there is subsequently a problem with the installation that would otherwise have been resolved by the installer’s guarantee, a claim can be submitted to the IBG provider (assuming the homeowner in question has a policy).
A guarantee insurance policy is taken out on a replacement window or door installation by the installer on behalf of the property owner.
While the installer pays for the policy, the property owner becomes the policyholder.
The installer provides the policy documentation to the policyholder.
Policy documents are sent out to homeowners following the registration of works with the policy provider by the installation company.
If you’ve misplaced these you can contact the insurance provider for replacement documents.
If you are unsure if you actually have an IBG policy, you can contact the insurance administrator in question to check if there is one in place. If you’re unsure who the insurance provider is, you can contact your installation company to confirm who should have provided you with these documents.
To check if you have an Installsure IBG policy contact our team at info@installsure.co.uk.
Find local Installsure backed installers using our Locate an Installer search.
Verify an installer is backed by Installsure using our Check an Installer search.
If you’re having windows or doors replaced in England or Wales, any installer that is part of a Competent Person Scheme (such as FENSA) is obliged by law to provide you with an IBG policy.
If you are having work carried out on your property that doesn’t require the mandatory provision of an IBG policy, it is still possible to request one. Guarantee insurance is a sensible precaution for any home improvement work.
Since an IBG provides cover on the installer’s guarantee, we’ll need to assess the installation company in question. Please speak to your installer and ask them to contact us so they can arrange one on your behalf.
If you have an IBG policy with us and need to make a claim, we would first advise reading the ‘how to make a claim’ section of your policy to gain a full understanding as to the documentation you will need to supply for a claim.
It is then a simple case of completed our online claim submission form and ensuring this is submitted to us. Our claims handling team can then assess the claim and keep you informed of any relevant questions or updates.
The claim submission form can be found HERE.
Every claim is different, so it is difficult to give a realistic estimate of how long it will take to settle your claim. A straightforward claim can be settled within 6-8 weeks from the date we receive all the necessary documents, but others may take a lot longer.
Your claim journey will depend on a number of factors including the complexity of the claim, the evidence required, and whether the fault/s in question are covered . We are unable to predict exactly what your claim journey might look like until have established all the facts and obtained the required evidence.
As Installsure is an insurance administrator and not a standards body or regulator, we are unable to assist directly in disputes between homeowners and installers.
As long as the installation business in question is still trading, it is responsible for resolving any defects or other issues that would be recoverable through its guarantee.
If you continue to be unsatisfied with your installer’s response to your issues, we recommend seeking legal advice to assist with the next steps of resolution.
Alternatively, if your installer is a member of a trade federation (such as the Glass and Glazing Federation) you may have access to conciliation that can help with resolving disputes.
- Administration: This is when an Administrator is appointed to determine whether the Contractor’s business has any way of paying its debts.
- Involuntary Liquidation: This is when a Liquidator is appointed to bring the Contractor’s business to an end because it is not able to pay its debts.
- Receivership: This is when a Receiver is appointed by the Contractor’s creditor to sell any assets owned by the Contractor’s business to repay its outstanding debt.
When the Contractor is a Sole Trader:
- Closure of the Contractor’s business due to bankruptcy or death and where that sole trader’s estate is insolvent.
When the Contractor’s Business is a Partnership:
- Closure of the Contractor’s business due to bankruptcy or death of each Partner and where each Partner’s estate is insolvent.
Key Documents
Your installation company has purchased an Installsure Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) policy on your behalf for the work they recently completed on your property. The insurance is protection against the insolvency of a business.
As a result, the installer has provided you with extra protection and peace of mind. We would recommend you familiarise yourself with the terms of your IBG policy.
For more information on IBGs and the cover it provides you can download our Homeowner Policy Leaflet, Policy Certificate Sample, and the Insurance Policy Information Documents (IPID) of the Redsands or Hadron Scheme your contractor has been approved on.
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