Why tenants should consider insurance for their rental home

As a tenant living in a rental property, you might assume that your landlord will have insurance for accidental damage and also that they would be responsible for replacing any of your possessions if they were damaged or stolen through burglary, fire, flooding, etc.

However, the reality is that if your landlord has contents insurance, that will only cover their own contents, not yours. And although a landlord’s insurance policy can cover the cost of alternative accommodation if the property becomes uninhabitable, it may not – in addition to which, there’s no guarantee your landlord’s insurance will be valid. What’s more, while your landlord may have insurance to cover any damage to the property or its contents, if they can prove it was caused by you, either accidentally or deliberately, they could pursue you for the cost of repairs.

So, to make sure you’re not left out of pocket during your tenancy, you should consider taking out your own insurance policy.

What kind of insurance cover can tenants access?

This should include: damage caused by the elements, such as a storm, fire or flood; water leaks within the property; flying or falling debris; theft and malicious acts.

• Accidental damage to contents within the home

Accidents can and do happen, so it’s wise to have insurance that covers the cost of repairing any damage you might cause unintentionally to things like the landlord’s furniture, kitchen appliances, bathroom fittings and any audio, video or computer equipment.

• Accidental damage to cables and pipes that supply services

Although it’s reasonably rare for tenants to cause damage to cables or underground pipes that supply services to the property, if something does happen it can be expensive to repair. So it’s worth having insurance to cover you for accidental damage to cables, pipes, septic tanks and drain covers.

This is something that tenants often don’t think about, but if there is a rise or fall in the temperature of the freezer or contamination by freezing agents that means all your frozen food is spoilt, it can be costly to replace. Therefore it’s wise to ensure you have insurance that will cover the cost of restocking the contents.

• Replacement locks

It’s all too easy to misplace keys, so make sure your insurance covers the cost of replacing locks in case your keys to the property are lost or stolen.

• Personal belongings

This is cover for your own possessions, in case they are damaged as a result of an insured event, and includes clothing, jewellery and some (not all) sports equipment.

• Loss of rent and the cost of alternative accommodation

If the property is damaged as the result of a specified, insured cause and you can no longer live in it, insurance can cover either your lost rent or any reasonable extra accommodation expenses for you, your family and any pets.

Note: if your landlord has valid buildings insurance for these costs and is liable, then this cover does not apply.

Losses for damage to a rental property and its contents can run to thousands of pounds, so paying for insurance should give you peace of mind that you are protected financially if your or your landlord’s property is damaged during your tenancy.

To get a quote and read our full tenant policy, visit our website or you can call the team on 01903 890044 to discuss your requirements.

Note that all policies will have exclusions and limits to the amount that will be paid for any one incident. Damage caused by domestic pets is not covered under our standard tenant insurance policy.