Insurance companies not recognising postcodes?

[WildGoose]

TL;DR = go to the arrow

Just moved into a new place this weekend, it's a brand new build on a huge development that was once just fields. There are to be thousands of houses here eventually, but at the moment only a few dozen are up and being lived in.

Nobody seems to be able to recognise the postcode, though it is officially the correct one, four other houses on this road exist on Royal Mail postcode finder. Mail gets here fine etc. But online forms don't like it, and nobody on the end of the phone can cope with it either.

I rang my car insurance company to change my current address, they weren't able to adjust it, but also because they can't recognise the address they have cancelled the policy, and given me only 7 days cover

Pissed off now, because if I had just neglected to tell them (which is precisely what I now intend to do with any other insurance policies, until they are due for renewal), then I at least would have had insurance until it expired in August.

Just whacked the details into the compare sites, and only managed to get four quotes out of all the companies on there, and they are all coming back at £600+ when I paid £340 last August, 2 miles down the road. I know these are just "computer says no" quotes, so chances are if I tried to buy them (not that I am paying £600) they would no doubt get confused also with the postcode.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice or experience with getting insurance specifically when your postcode is very new and not recognised?

Thanks in advance.
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[Skudd]

No advice, but in theory as it is a new post code there will be no history and so should be really cheap. In theory of course.
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[Rogerborg]

[Frost]

Surely they only go by the first few digits? like AB1 23C, only the AB1 bit defines the insurance area and new areas are rarely if ever created. A friend had this with her new build place, the exact post code can't ever be found but she uses an address without it.
Same goes for getting broadband or telecoms stuff usually there's a new build option and they will work off the address not phone number and post code.

[JP7]

So because it's not on their computer, it doesn't exist? Riiiiiiight...

Despite the fact that computer says no, most insurers should be able to manually overtype. Unfortunately new houses are built all the time and organisations don't buy in or update records often enough. I had this problem for a couple of years after buying a new build house, but after to'ing and fro'ing for a bit everyone eventually managed to work out that my house actually existed.

It happens with all sorts of things... if I ever get a car insurance quote from Direct Line, when I type my reg number in they insist that I still drive a car that I sold 7 years ago. The pleasant surprise of a really cheap quote soon fades when I realise they've based it on a 2001 Astra.

[Suntan Sid]

You'll be fcuked until the postcodes maps are updated, IME this happens at regular intervals, not necessarily when a new code is added.
The last house I lived in, in the UK, didn't have a postcode according to a few organisations.

It does have its advantages, next time some chugger or store card salesperson tries to sign you up, they can't, so win!
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[bikertomm]

Hmmm, I know it's a bit wank but any chance of finding the closest possible postcode to you?

Just put that down if it saves them cancelling your policy. Then change it a bit later on if they update their system, not exactly ideal though.. Especially if you have fire & theft.


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[sickpup]

I think I would be threatening them with the Insurance Ombudsman as it cannot be your fault if they have failed to update their PAF (Post office Address File) in a timely manner.

[chris-red]

https://www.fundraisingdetective.com/.a/6a011570955d69970b0120a5873537970c-800wi
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[WildGoose]

Chris, that seems to be about the size of it.

Cheers for the pointers peeps , i've been ringing around independents all morning, and none of them are prepared to insure on that postcode even by putting the address in manually.

Given the amount of this island that has new houses built upon fields every day, I can't believe the system for implementing new postcodes isn't more streamlined than this farce. Somebody somewhere isn't doing their job properly

There are four houses on this road that technically "exist" on most peoples system, but not this one, and none of the systems like the postcode, even on the ones that do.

In the end I used my work postcode which is three miles down the road, and in answer to "where is the car stored overnight" told them that. Which in my case, because I work nights, it isn't actually a lie, but that wasn't the case, i'd be fucked pretty much.

[WildGoose]

As an interesting side point, I came across a company that specialise in car insurance for HGV drivers. They don't quote directly, they just tell you to give them the cheapest quote you've got so far, and they promise to beat it if you have any of the categories C, C+E, D or D+E on your licence. So any bus/lorry drivers out there bear them in mind.

They beat my last years renewal by £60 and the best of the compare sites this time round by £30.

https://www.adelaideinsurance.com/

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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976

[JP7]