Top 5 tenant insurance claims and how to avoid them

Tenants often mistakenly believe that if their possessions are damaged or stolen while they’re in the property, their landlord is responsible for compensating them and will be able to claim on their own landlord insurance policy.

However, that’s not the case – a landlord’s policy only extends to their own property and contents, which is why all tenants should consider taking out tenant insurance.

To give you an idea of the importance of taking out insurance, here are the five most common tenant claims we processed for the 2022/3 year, together with the potential cost of repair or replacement:

1. Portable electronic devices and TVs. Accidents can and do happen, and if you accidentally damage your own electrical items while living in the property, a contents insurance policy should cover you for repair or a ‘like for like’ replacement. Considering that a new laptop could cost into the thousands of pounds, it’s worth having financial protection.
2. Tenants’ liability. This a claim made for accidental damage to the landlord’s property. Smaller furnishings may not be too expensive to replace, but if you damage a sofa or a kitchen countertop, for example, the landlord could pursue you for many hundreds of pounds.
3. Carpets. This is another potentially significant cost – and it’s all-too easy to damage carpets, through things like spillages that aren’t dealt with and burns from matches and candles. If a portion of the carpet can be replaced, it may only cost up to a couple of hundred pounds, but if that’s not possible and a whole room needs to be recarpeted, it could easily cost well over £1,000.
4. Personal belongings. Consider the cost of replacing all your belongings if the worst happened and the property suffered severe damage, such as a fire or flood. In addition to clothing and jewellery, you might have things like cameras and musical instruments – all of which together could be valued at thousands of pounds. (Note: business or professional use of musical instruments and photographic equipment is not covered.) If the items you want to insure do go into the £1000s then each item needs to be listed separately and there are limits as to how much it can be.
5. Break in and burglary. Rented properties are around two-thirds more likely to be burgled than owner-occupied properties, so it’s wise to have cover in case your home is targeted – and of course, to make an extra effort to keep the property secure. The most common items taken include cash, jewellery, electronics and high-end accessories, so think about what you have that could appeal to a burglar and consider whether you could afford to replace it all yourself.

The tenant insurance policy we offer can cover you for:

• Personal valuables – such as jewellery, watches, pictures and other works of art
• Personal furniture and soft furnishings
• Electrical items
• Theft from garages and other outbuildings
• Insured contents temporarily removed from the home

Importantly, the insurance also protects you financially in case you accidentally damage your landlord’s furniture, fixtures and fittings.

As with any insurance, there are limits to the amount that will be paid out, there may be an excess to pay and there are exclusions – i.e. things and circumstances in which you won’t be covered – so it’s important to check these with your insurer. You should always make sure you read the policy terms and conditions for more details about the levels of cover. The cost of a tenant insurance policy will depend on the property itself, the location and the level of cover you choose. Our policies are £11.45 per month and £15 per month for the basic cover.

When taking out an insurance policy, it’s important to understand the policy limits and take out additional cover for more expensive single items if necessary, to make sure you will get the right level of financial compensation if you need to make a claim.

You can easily get a tenant insurance quote online via our website or by calling our team of insurance specialists on 01903 890044.