I'm hoping someone can give me advice before we take this any further. We are members of the Holiday Property Bond (HPB) where you buy points that you then use to book holidays at their own properties and pay a user charge that covers maintenance and cleaning etc.
The HPB also provide some tenancy properties that they don't own but can be booked through them at a slightly discounted charge using no points. We paid over £1000 for two weeks in Crete at two of the tenancies, one near Chania (first week) and one in Panormos (second week). This cost was accommodation only, the flights and car hire were booked separately
We were due to go on 9th September but I was taken into hospital on 4th Sept and eventually diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism which I am still having treatment for.
We sent away our insurance claim confidant that everything would be straight forward but have just had a phone call to say that because the accommodation cost was a maintenance charge then the insurers would not pay out for it. We tried to explain that it was a rental charge through HPB for accommodation they did not own, but they would not listen to what we were trying to explain
We are hoping to speak to someone from HPB on Monday but were just wondering if anyone else had come across a similar situation or if anyone had any advice.
The rental charges are significantly higher than the maintenance (user) charge at other similar properties that ARE owned by HPB.
If this is the case and we are not insured for any of our holidays with HPB, then we will probably not be able to use any of their overseas properties whether bond owned or owned by others but booked through the bond. Surely this can't be right
Welcome to the murky world of travel insurance.
It ought to be simple enough to sort this out if HPB send you a proper letter confirming what the money was for. A copy of a brochure containing the condtions might help as well. I suspect that the insurers are thinking time-share and have stopped reading any further.
However, this scheme sounds a bit like Airmiles and some insurers do state that they won't pay for lost flights paid for with those. As usual, if there's anything slightly more complicated than flight+hotel you need to make sure the policy covers you before you take it out.
It ought to be simple enough to sort this out if HPB send you a proper letter confirming what the money was for. A copy of a brochure containing the condtions might help as well. I suspect that the insurers are thinking time-share and have stopped reading any further.
However, this scheme sounds a bit like Airmiles and some insurers do state that they won't pay for lost flights paid for with those. As usual, if there's anything slightly more complicated than flight+hotel you need to make sure the policy covers you before you take it out.
For the future, maybe HPB offer their own travel insurance which wouldcover you?
Thanks for your replies. The guy on the phone from the insurance company said he had spoken to HPB, he just kept going on and on about maintenance charge and wouldn't let us get a word in to explain, just wouldn't listen.
We will speak to someone from HPB tomorrow and hope to get a satisfactory result.
We used to use HPB's own insurance which was good because it covered any points lost as well as money, but in 2004 they wouldn't cover us for a medical problem which had happened in 2003 (it was probably too soon after) so we had to look elsewhere to someone who would cover it. We never went back to HPB's insurance after that but it maybe worth looking at it again for next year. We are booked to go to Portugal next year in one of their own properties so we definitely need to sort it out before then.
I'll keep you informed as to how we get on with this
Thanks again
We will speak to someone from HPB tomorrow and hope to get a satisfactory result.
We used to use HPB's own insurance which was good because it covered any points lost as well as money, but in 2004 they wouldn't cover us for a medical problem which had happened in 2003 (it was probably too soon after) so we had to look elsewhere to someone who would cover it. We never went back to HPB's insurance after that but it maybe worth looking at it again for next year. We are booked to go to Portugal next year in one of their own properties so we definitely need to sort it out before then.
I'll keep you informed as to how we get on with this
Thanks again
insurance ombudsman is a way to go and they will decide if you are covered or not, you insurance company will be bound by their decision. Get all your evidence together to put your case forward.
Thanks for your input. We have spoken to HPB who were helpful and suggested we try to get the insurance company to phone them again and speak to a named person who knows about the problem.
The guy dealing with the claim is away until tomorrow but the girl we spoke to (who seemed much more reasonable) said she would try to get him to phone them tomorrow. We will wait and see.
The guy dealing with the claim is away until tomorrow but the girl we spoke to (who seemed much more reasonable) said she would try to get him to phone them tomorrow. We will wait and see.
Well we are nearly there. The insurance person spoke to HPB and we then had to send them further proof that we had paid for the balance of the accommodation which we did. They have now repaid 2/3rds of the accommodation cost. It seems they think that only 2 out of the 3 people missed the holiday even though we sent them 3 unused flight tickets 
(myself, husband and son who has Downs Syndrome) We now have to send them further proof that there were 3 people booked into the apartments, which we have just done, and hopefully we will then get the remaining 1/3rd of the accommodation cost. Why does it have to be so hard to get what we are due to??!!
(myself, husband and son who has Downs Syndrome) We now have to send them further proof that there were 3 people booked into the apartments, which we have just done, and hopefully we will then get the remaining 1/3rd of the accommodation cost. Why does it have to be so hard to get what we are due to??!!
Final update - we got the remaining money owed to us this morning, it really is worth persisting and not just accepting what they first offer. We need to find insurance which will cover our HPB holidays for next year but we have learnt something which we didn't know from this and that can only be good. Thank you for taking the time to read this thread and for your input. 
Glad you got the rest of your money, and thankyou for letting us know.... 
Linda.
Linda.
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