Household insurance duplication

I bought a house in Pretoria in early 1989. To get a bond, Standard bank insisted that I insure it (with them of course). Quite right. I paid off the bond (A/c No ***) and the monthly insurance payments quite quickly but by about a decade later I was keeping a small amount open against the bond. This was so that the insurance would still be paid monthly and added to the bond amount. Also, there was a scheme until recently whereby you could electronically transfer amounts from the bond account to your current account in times of difficulty – re-mortgaging without paperwork! Happily, I never had to use that facility. The cost of the insurance policy continued to increase the outstanding loan and occasionally I would pay the bond down to a small amount. By now I have paid Standard Bank Homeloan Insurance, over 38 years, more than I ever borrowed on the house and, to the best of my knowledge, claimed only once, several decades ago. In recent months I decided to consider how I would dispose of my assets in case of death and decided to arrange for my children to have the house in RSA. I would put the house in the name of my children to avoid complications with a will. To do this proactively, I engaged a property lawyer to deal with the bank (I am presently outside the country). They subcontracted a “transfer lawyer” who dealt with the Bank to make it happen. The deed, I am told is in the post to the lawyers. I paid off the token amount on the bond. I also made telephonic contact with the homeloans department of Standard Bank to have the monthly insurance payment come off my current account (Standard Bank, Lyttelton) Luckily I spoke long distance to a young lady who showed admirable competence and this deduction has happened every month since. However, Standard Bank Homeloans decided to add the cost of a YEAR’S INSURANCE PAYMENTS to what was owing on the bond. (I guess they routinely do it to cover the house whilst in transfer) Good idea. Now I sit with a problem – I have paid the insurance TWICE ! Now comes the tricky bit! A fortnight ago, the company in Pretoria that collects the rent on the house and is employed to administer things, got a call from the tenant that the geyser had burst. They sent out a plumber who seems to have replaced a lot of items and fixed the problem. The plumber sent the (significant) bill to the rental agent. At his own urging, I passed the rental agent the details of the insurance so that he could submit a claim to Standard Bank Homeloan Insurance. I was not aware that he could do this – or I would not have been paying out of my own pocket for the past few years for minor disasters! When the rental agent approached Standard Bank Home Insurance he was told that the rental agent had no mandate to act on my behalf. I duly wrote to the agent a statement that he had my full permission. He again approached the bank to be told that the policy had been closed (Due to the interaction with the transfer lawyer) The insurance people gave the agent an email contact address for Homeloans Claims (***) who I duly wrote to (much of the content above). They responded that it is not their problem and that I must approach Home Loans administration........ So I feel myself weakening and, despite paying TWICE for a policy that is cancelled, I should just knuckle down and pay the plumber out of pocket. But THIS IS JUST NOT RIGHT! I am confronted with Standard Bank Homeloans Insurance, two lawyers and my rental agent all pointing fingers at each other, hoping I will go somewhere else! There appears no way to sort this out by email from Europe (where I am trapped by the virus) enjoying my retirement with family. Will they ever learn that you cannot call an 0860 number from outside the country and every time you go near a help line you get a different voice and have to explain the whole story yet again at international telephone call rates. So, in desperation, I turn to Hellopeter, who have helped me in the past. Help, please Sean P. Morgan ***