LANDLORDS INSURANCE FAQ’s

Why can’t I buy normal home insurance for a buy to let property?

Can I insure my tenant’s contents on my landlord insurance policy?

How do I accurately calculate the amount of buildings cover required?

Can you insure my property even though it is let to students or DSS tenants?

Can I make a claim for losses resulting from tenants not paying their rent or causing damage to the property?

What can I do to protect my property?

You will have certain legal responsibilities in areas such as fire safety, installing working smoke alarms, electrical and gas inspections that all improve the protection of your property. You should also consider other protections for your property such as

• Installing security lighting to deter would-be vandals/intruders.

• Conducting regular maintenance checks paying particular attention to the roof and surrounds (gutters, fascias, soffit boards, cladding etc).

• Making sure external wooden surfaces (doors, window frames, fences, sheds, other outbuildings) are regularly treated with preservatives or paint to maintain weatherproofing.

• Ensuring any trees that are growing close to the property are pruned or felled (use a qualified tree surgeon for this and check their public liability cover in case any damage is caused to your property).

• Taking out adequate insurance cover for your property.

What should I insure my contents for?

This will depend on whether you let your property out as furnished or unfurnished. Obviously if you let it out unfurnished you will not need to insure your own contents (though landlords fixtures and fittings - carpets, fitted kitchens, bathrooms, air conditioning units etc - will need to be included).

If you let your property out as furnished you should consider the cost of replacing all of the contents with comparable items at today's values and insure for this amount (plus, say 10% as a contingency).

It would certainly be advisable to keep a full inventory of the contents you leave for your tenants including make, model and serial number of electrical items, date & place of purchase and cost when new as a minimum.

In terms of the perils that you insure against, most policies will cover your contents for damage caused by fire, theft, lightning, earthquake, storm, flood, escape of water from domestic tanks as well as other named perils. You may also be able to cover accidental damage to your contents in certain circumstances.

When is a landlord liable for an injury to a tenant or visitor to the rental property?