Landlords have more to worry about than homeowners. As well as the building, they need to protect their tenants as well as themselves. With these things in mind, looking for the right landlord insurance can be tricky at best. It needn’t be a hassle, though, so keep these tips in mind when you’re shopping around to find the best cover for you.
Covered inside and out
Stripping it down to basics, landlord home insurance is split into two types: buildings and contents. Buildings insurance is a given (and compulsory if you have a mortgage). If the building itself is damaged by fire, flood or similar events then you’ll need to be covered to repair and rebuild. Depending on the insurer, this might also cover you for earthquakes and subsidence. Be sure to check if you live in a high-risk flood area, as you may need a more specialised flood-based cover for your property.
Contents insurance will cover the contents that you own in the property, not your tenants. This includes white goods and furniture. If you are letting a furnished property, this is a good idea in case anything damages your items. Everything that your tenants move in with or buy themselves, they will have to get separate home contents insurance of their own. Typically, contents insurance protects you against fire, theft and water damage.
Get specialist
Do you need specialist landlord insurance? Well, it’s not legally compulsory, but it’s a very good idea. The specifics vary between insurance companies, but buy to let insurance gives you some kind of public liability cover as part of the policy. So for example, if your tenant trips over your carpet and takes legal action, you won’t have to pay the expensive legal fees. You can also get covered for loss of rent, if for whatever reason the property becomes inhabitable or if your tenants are unable to pay. Your standard contents insurance cover may not cover accidental damage, so if you’re letting out a furnished property then it might be worth taking out additional accidental damage cover for your items.
Stay sharp
Be sure to check the ins and outs of the policy details to make sure that you know what is and isn’t covered. As a general rule, landlord insurance policies don’t cover any malicious damage or theft by your tenants. This is why it’s important to make sure that you’ve either got an appropriate tenancy deposit or are satisfied with their character.
Also, low-premium landlord insurance might come with a hefty excess attached. Check that you’re happy with the amount of excess against the premium and the benefits of the policy before you accept, otherwise any claim that you make could leave you in the lurch.
Make sure that you take a look around and find the best policies that are right for you – there’s nothing worse than paying through the nose for cover that you don’t need in the first place.
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