The tragic situation in Afghanistan is hitting the headlines daily and the UK Government has recently announced a new resettlement scheme for Afghans known as the Afghan Citizen’s Resettlement Scheme, welcoming 5,000 to the UK who have been sadly forced to flee their country and totalling up to 20,000 refugees long-term.
With an increase in asylum seekers and a lack of available property to host them, local authorities across the UK have been working with hotels to offer accommodation, ensuring refugees have somewhere safe and comfortable to stay.
In many cases this will be a short-term solution but may extend to longer term, both situations will impact a hotels insurance cover and insurers must be informed.
What you need to do
If your hotel is considering housing refugees or asylum seekers, we recommend using the appropriate approved agencies or local authorities and not to arrange directly with asylum guests.
You must inform us immediately if you are considering or are already accommodating asylum seekers/and or refugees.
Find out more
Insurers may see this as an increased risk and exposure and could impact your insurance cover. This is a known as ‘material fact’.
"Material facts are used to determine the amount of coverage and the cost of the premium that will be charged. The information is used to determine the level of risk or class of insurance that the insurer is willing to offer. If it is deemed that a material fact was withheld, it may be grounds to terminate the policy or invalidate the contract."
Some policies exclude this type of occupation and can possibly invalidate any claims that are made.
What we need to know
Notify us of any changes to occupancy and guests as soon as possible. We will then work with insurers to ensure the correct changes have been made to your policy, allowing you to continue to offer help and assistance to asylum seekers but with the peace of mind that you are covered.
For further information and insurance guidance please speak to your usual insurance contact or get in touch.
17.09.2021