Old Mutual Insure: Great at Taking Premiums, Missing When You Claim

I moved my house owners insurance to Old Mutual Insure a few years ago from Santam on my broker’s advice and have never missed a payment.

In October, during an attempted burglary next door, part of my boundary wall collapsed when intruders allegedly jumped over it. I reported the claim immediately. Then I waited. And waited. It took weeks for Old Mutual to come back with a decision.

Their own assessor’s report says the wall was built with poor-quality workmanship, a substandard mortar mix, brittle and powdery joints, and that neighbouring sections were already unstable and could collapse under light pressure. They state that the collapse was due to “progressive structural failure from defective construction and moisture” on a shared boundary wall.

Here’s the key point: I bought this house years after that wall was built. I played no role in designing or constructing it. These are historic construction defects that existed long before I became the owner, yet Old Mutual uses them as the reason to decline my claim.

The end result: • Claim declined after weeks of delay • An exposed boundary and increased security risk • I am left to carry the full cost of rebuilding a failed shared wall, despite years of loyal premiums and no role in the original construction.

This is not how a responsible insurer behaves; dont waste your hard earned money insuring with them.