"Homebox reaches renters at the point they move, which is exactly the prompt the FCA says this market is missing."
- Kiruba Eswaran - Eleos
Digital provider of life insurance and income protection Eleos has partnered with Homebox, a platform that manages household bills for renters and home movers across the UK.
The partnership aims to give Eleos access to renters, a group that it says the protection market has historically struggled to reach, and the means to convert them once reached. It also follows the launch of Eleos' personalised protection advice arm.
The FCA's Pure Protection Market Study interim report, published in January 2026, found that 80% of new policies in 2024 were sold through intermediaries, with mortgage advisers accounting for 36% of intermediated sales. This means that consumers who never take out a mortgage are often never prompted to take out protection.
The FCA's consumer research found that 58% of adults aged 18 and over with online access do not hold a pure protection product and that 59% of these people have not considered their needs.
Across approximately 50 million protection needs identified in the study, research commissioned by the FCA estimated that around 72 per cent are not covered. The first cohort the report identifies as making up the protection gap is "those that haven't considered whether they have a need or have not been prompted to do so."
Eleos says that Homebox aims to provide this prompt, and its own latest advice launch aims to address what happens after the prompt.
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"Homebox reaches renters at the point they move, which is exactly the prompt the FCA says this market is missing," Kiruba Eswaran, founder and CEO of Eleos, said.
"That fits how we already work, embedding protection into journeys people are completing anyway, and thousands of customers now come to us every month through our partners. Putting an expert adviser alongside that extends what we do rather than replaces it. Most will still buy digitally in minutes.
"But the option to talk to someone is now there whenever they want it, whether that is a health condition, an unusual occupation, or simply working out the right level and type of cover, and we can place that case with the right insurer instead of losing it."
Jack Ray, CEO of Homebox, added: "Homebox works with home movers across the UK to help them set up their household bills and insurance. Moving home is a highly stressful moment but also an opportunity for consumers to reflect on whether they have got the right level of cover to help them as their life evolves.
"That's why we're delighted to be working with Eleos to be able to offer income protection and life insurance products to our base of home movers to give them that extra level of comfort and peace of mind."
