What must I tell my insurer? Disclosure and the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act
The duty of disclosure is your obligation to answer an insurer’s questions honestly and with reasonable care, and to tell them about changes that affect the risk.
Quick answer
- At the start
- Answer every question accurately. The insurer decides what it needs to know by asking.
- During the policy
- Tell the insurer about changes that matter, such as a different build method, a change of builder or work stopping.
- If something is wrong
- The Act sets remedies proportionate to whether the mistake was innocent, negligent or fraudulent.
- Who the Act covers
- Consumer insurance. Ask your broker whether your policy is treated as consumer cover.
How it works in Ireland
The Consumer Insurance Contracts Act 2019 sets duties for the person buying cover and for the insurer. Section 8 covers what each must do before the contract is made, and section 15 covers duties after it starts. Section 9 sets out remedies for a misrepresentation that are proportionate to whether it was innocent, negligent or fraudulent.
Insurer policy wordings reflect this. One published self-build wording tells you to take care that information is accurate and complete. For fraud, it says the insurer may treat the policy as never having existed, decline all claims and keep the premium. For negligence, the remedies differ: avoid the policy if it would not have provided cover, apply different terms if it would have, or reduce a claim in proportion to the premium you paid compared to the premium it would have charged.
For a self-build the questions that matter are the build method, who is building, the value of the works, and any previous losses and claims. If your answers change after you buy, for example you swap a main contractor for direct labour, tell the insurer. The same wording asks you to notify the insurer of material facts and changes in the risk, citing the Act.
Keep a copy of the quote and the answers you gave. Check that the proposal form matches what you told your broker.
A common mistake
Giving a rough answer on the quote because the details are not settled, then never updating it. “A builder runs it all” on a quote does not stay true if you later hire the trades yourself. Tell the broker when the plan changes, and get the change confirmed in writing.
The full guide
This page defines the term. The guide below covers what to do about it.
Self-build insurance in Ireland: what you need and when
What self-build insurance covers in Ireland, how to get a project-specific price, and what to check before accepting a quote.
Sources
Last reviewed 23 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so confirm anything important with the source before you rely on it.