Our expert advisers will take you through the application process

• They will ask questions about your lifestyle (e.g. your hobbies, your smoking and alcohol consumption), your occupation, your medical history, such as whether you have been hospitalised or been to see your GP recently and the outcome, your family’s medical history, your doctor’s contact details.

With your consent, your doctor may be contacted to provide a report on your health depending on your health, age, type and amount of policy you want to take out.

These details are required by the insurance company to assess the appropriate premium. It is extremely important that you fill out this form truthfully and in full, as these details are fundamental to your contract. If you have any doubts as to whether something is relevant or not you should include it. This will mean that if you or you family do need to claim in the future, you can be confident that the claim will run smoothly.

Yes, you can use an existing life insurance policy as long as:

• it is not in place to cover another loan or mortgage;
• the amount you are insured for is at least equal to the term and amount of your mortgage.

How to use an eligible existing protection policy to cover a mortgage:

You would have to ‘assign' the policy to your lender. This means you would agree to give your lender, the life insurance benefit to pay off your mortgage if you died during the term.

If you are employed:

• Does your employer provide sick pay?
• If so, how much do you get?
• How long do you get paid?
• Do you have an existing specified illness policy or an Income Protection policy and if so, what level of cover do you have?

If you are self employed:

• What existing cover you have, whether through an existing specified illness policy or an Income Protection policy?
• How comprehensive is this cover? Could it provide you with an income and cover the full medical costs and rehabilitation costs if you were diagnosed with a serious illness?

If you increase the amount of your mortgage or extend the term we will look to amend the existing policy. Any amendment to an existing policy would be subject to underwriting and policy limits.

Yes, premiums are guaranteed under a Mortgage Protection policy, which means once you don’t alter the benefits under the policy, the premium will remain the same for the term.

Your Mortgage Protection policy pays out on the death of the person(s) named on the policy.

You can either cover:

A single life i.e. if the mortgage is in one name.

2 lives i.e. if the mortgage is in two names. If the policy is covering 2 lives, the policy will pay out when the first of the 2 lives named die and the policy will then end (Joint policy) or when both of the 2 lives named die and the policy will then end (Dual policy).

• The illnesses covered are severe ones, ones that will most likely have you out of work for a period of time.
• Specified Illness Cover pays a benefit if you suffer one of the illnesses specified in the terms and conditions of the policy.
• You can review the illnesses covered in the terms and conditions of the policy. Your illness must also meet the severity specified otherwise they may not be covered.

Most of the claims paid are as a result of cancer, heart attack or stroke.

If the Mortgage Protection policy is required by your lender to repay your mortgage, the benefit will be paid directly to your lender.

If the amount of cover is greater than the balance due on the mortgage, the remainder will be paid to your estate.

If the amount of cover is less than the balance due on the mortgage, the remainder will be owed to the lender by your estate.

1. If you have had an illness in the past that the insurance company needs to know more about, or
2. If the amount of cover you require is very large, you may be asked to attend a doctor for examination and/or tests (this review process is known as underwriting).

Click here to download the I&I PDF.