My old housing association told me that building insurance was included in the service charge, but it wasn't.

I lived in my old house for 3 years. In that time I was under the impression that buildings insurance was included in the service charge I pay every month. I have since found out that I wasn't covered at all! Imagine if something bad happened to my house, I could have been facing financial ruin! I don't want them to get away with this. Can I claim compensation? If so, how much?

I owned the freehold of the house, it was on an estate with both freehold and leasehold properties. I have an e mail from them stating that Building insurance is included, and even a policy document, but it now turns out that it is for leasehold properties only, and I was misinformed.

The following is based on the assumption were/ are the OWNER of a property paying a service charge to a housing association to maintain property grounds/ exterior. Can happen when a few owned properties are part of a block mostly owned by a housing association. If you were not the owner you didnt need building insurance.

You will need to be able to prove that the housing association told you that building insurance was covered.

Or convince whoever you complain to that the housing association told you this. As to what you could claim no idea, but as you have not suffered material loss................

I would have thought that the details of what was covered would be in documentation you would have been given.

Possibly the best thing you can do is send the housing association a strongly worded complaint.

The bottom line here is always get it in writing! If I believed everything I had been told about property over the years---

"Yes I am sure the council will let you lower the pavement for a new entrance"

" The Boundary starts here"

" You will be allowed to put an advertising sign there"

"Thats not dry rot"

Verbal promises are not worth the paper they are written on!

In response to your update.
In order to find out if you have a claim contact the citizens advice bureau, I think you might find it difficult as you have not experienced material loss.

Have you got that in writing?

what contract did you have or sign when you took over, have a good read amongst the small print and (surprise) i think you will find they are in the clear!!!!

I doubt it, I don't think it is their responsibility to see that you have housing insurance, you should have checked your service charge agreement's small print. My experience of housing association responsibility and help is I'm afraid to say one of utter incompetence. You have more chance of getting blood from a stone than getting compensation..what planet are you on

Do you mean buildings insurance as for the structure; or contents insurance for your stuff?
Buildings insurance is the landlords responsibility, you don't pay it. If theres an incident its not your problem, they have to pay to get it fixed.
Contents insurance is your responsibility.
And since nothing happened, what are you claiming for? If your house had been damaged and they tried to make you sleep in the garden in a cardboard box you'd have a case.

The meaning is that the required Insurance for the building where you were to live, is paid for by you through the Service Charge. The House would have been covered but YOU would not as you were only a tenant.

Buildings Insurance is something separate and is something you would have to sort out and pay for yourself, the same as Contents Insurance.
If something catastrophic had happened to the house you were living in then the insurance would have taken care of it. The Insurance is the Housing Association's and not yours. Why pay for building insurance on a property you don't own?
I would however, invest in fairly comprehensive Contents Insurance because you never know if you'll need it.

You are mistaking the fact that although you were a tenant, the house wasn't 'yours'!

You have no case for compensation because no claim had been entered, all you could possibly do is have the Tenancy Agreement reworded so that the meaning of Insurance as it relates to the house is clearer.

What damages have you incurred? Impressions don't hold up in court, what do you have in writing that states they would supply insurance? I think you need to look at this as a lesson learned, obtain insurance and go on.