Landlords urged to check they have the right cover

SME-focused Chartered Insurance Broker insure4biz.com is warning property owners of the legal and personal implications of not having the correct Property Owner’s Policy in place should they need to make a claim.

Juliet Marke, Associate Director of insure4biz.com, commented: “A house is one of the biggest investments a person is likely to make, and with an increasing number of people in the UK buying houses to rent or let to tenants, making sure the correct cover is in place is an important factor.

“However, many new landlords will end up finding themselves in sticky situations as they do not realise that a standard household insurance policy will not give them the correct level of cover should they need to make a claim.”

The insure4biz.com team has seen a number of claims particularly aimed at the public liability section of a Property Owner’s Policy, which provides protection for the legal liability for damages and legal costs arising from the ownership of the premises.

“When landlords take out a Property Owner’s Policy some fundamental issues are often overlooked – in particular public liability cover and loss of rent cover. However, we are advising all of our clients that it is essential to include this in their programme.

“We have seen a number of disputes that have derived from accidents or injuries concerning the actual premises – not necessarily the building – such as injuries from loose bricks falling from garden walls. Without the public liability cover, the landlords would have been personally liable and would have had to have paid out huge sums to the claimants.

“Loss of rent cover is great should anything happen to the building that deems it unacceptable to live in or inhabit, for example a fire, as the insurer will cover any rent lost for the duration of the landlords indemnity period. Some policy extensions even cover the cost of rehousing tenants - including kennels for cats and dogs if the temporary accommodation does not allow them.”

insure4biz.com provides a competitive solution for small and medium-sized businesses that want a modern, speedy delivery of insurance advice and cover without compromising on quality.

For more information on insure4biz.com, please visit www.insure4biz.com, call Juliet on 01623 666120, join its Facebook group insure4biz.com or follow @insure4biz on Twitter.