Buildings insurance

I only bought my house for £50,000 why do I have to insure for a higher amount?
You need to insure your property for the amount it would cost to rebuild otherwise, if you make a claim, you may not get paid in full. The value of a property will vary enormously depending on where it is located, but the rebuild cost will be the virtually the same e.g. a property in London may cost £1million to buy and an identical property in the North of England may cost only £80,000 but the rebuild cost of both properties will be virtually the same. You can calculate the cost of rebuilding your property using our ‘Rebuilding cost calculator’ (insert link) or, if you have a mortgage on the property, you can ask your mortgage company
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Why do the bank / mortgage company want to be noted on the policy?
When a bank / mortgage company lend you the money to purchase a property they may ask for their interest to be noted on the policy in order to protect their loan. This means that we have to notify them if the premiums are in arrears or we cancel the insurance cover or the building burns to the ground

Who will my insurance be with?
In most cases you will be insured by plumbs

I will be completing the purchase of my property within a few days. I will not have sufficient time to obtain, complete and return a proposal form. Will it be possible to obtain immediate cover?
You can take out immediate cover online there is no need to complete a proposal form.

Contents insurance

What is the difference between contents cover for fully furnished properties and contents cover for partially furnished properties?
Both policies cover all the items the landlord leaves in the property for the tenant to use. The only difference is that for fully furnished properties the landlord can select their own sum insured (subject to a minimum of £10,000) whereas for partially furnished properties we offer a fixed level of cover of £10,000 at a fixed cost.

I let my property furnished are there any regulations relating to this?
Any furniture and furnishings provided by you must meet the fire resistance requirements of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1993

All furniture provided must meet these regulations unless it was manufactured prior to 1950

The regulations cover all upholstery and upholstered furniture supplied in a rented property. Typical items of furniture would include settees, armchairs, loose cushions, futons sofa beds, mattresses, headboards, pillows etc. (garden furniture that is also suitable for use inside the home must also comply)

The regulations do not apply to duvets, loose mattress covers and carpets.

Any furniture sold since 1990 will have regulatory display labels, which should not be removed as the label indicated that the items comply with the regulations.

I will be completing the purchase of my property within a few days. I will not have sufficient time to obtain, complete and return a proposal form. Will it be possible to obtain immediate cover?
You can take out immediate cover online there is no need to complete a proposal form.

Cancellations

What happens if I cancel my policy half way through the cover?
Any return of premium will be calculated by insurers in accordance with their scale of cancellation charges (see Charges).

Claims

How do i notify a claim?
You can notify a claim by logging in to our web site and suppling the details of your claim. One of our advisors will then contact you.

Damage to the property

Is accidental damage covered under the landlord's policy?
Buildings Insurance – yes, but only for breakage of fixed sanitary fixtures & fittings & ceramic hobs

Contents Insurance – yes but only for breakage of ceramic hobs, mirrors and glass in furniture only

You can extend your buildings and/or contents cover to include ‘full’ accidental damage by paying an additional premium

The Landlord is leaving some his personal possessions locked in the loft will the items be covered?
No. We will not cover ANY personal possessions belonging to the landlord.

How do you define if damage is malicious or accidental?
A Malicious act is intentional, an accident is not intentional.

Documents

When wil i receive my policy documents?
Documents can be downloaded instantly from our site but you will also receive the by post within 30 days.

Excess

What is an excess?
Excess is the amount that the insurance company will not pay when you make a claim

How much excess do i have to pay?
buildings £250 (£1000 regarding subsidence claims)
Contents £100

Home care service plan

With Home Care Service Plans, what is classed as an emergency?
A situation that will render the property unsafe or insecure, damage or cause further damage to the property or cause risk or difficulties for or to the tenant.

Can my tenant ring the Home Care Service Plans help line number?
Yes but we will contact the landlord for authorisation before any works are started. The number is printed on the information sheet contained within your policy documents.

Is the Home Care Service Plan help line number available anytime?
Yes. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Can letcare arrange for my property to be checked?
Yes we can arrange for all of your safety checks
With our Home Care Service Plan plus policy you get a free gas safety check & certificate

Why do I need a Gas Safety Check?
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use Regulations) 1998 place a duty of care on Landlords to ensure that all gas fittings, appliances and flues supplied with accommodation are maintained in a safe condition.

The regulations require that an annual safety check must be carried out by a CORGI registered gas installer and that a record of the check must be made available to the tenants (by issue of a safety certificate)

An annual service alone will not be adequate for compliance with the regulations.

Failure to comply with the regulations could result in fines of up to £5,000 BUT where death or injury occur as a result of the non-compliance an unlimited fine and custodial sentence can be imposed.

Do I need to check Electrical Equipment in my property?
The electrical equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 states that all mains electrical equipment new or second-hand supplied with accommodation must be safe.

The plugs and sockets (Safety) regulations 1994 state that electrical appliances must be correctly fitted with an approved plug with sleeved pins

Landlords must take all reasonable precautions to ensure electrical equipment is safe.

It is advisable to have equipment tested, and to obtain a report detailing the equipment tested and the rest results.

If an incident occurs and the electrical equipment does not comply with the regulations, fines up to £5,000 and custodial sentences up to 6 months can be imposed.

Some of our insurers insist that a NICEIC-registered contractor must inspect and service all electrical appliances when the property is let for the first time and then at least every 5 years. A NICEIC-registered contractor must inspect all wiring at least every 10 years. You should refer to your policy wording for full details.

Index linking

What is index linking?
Buildings and Contents sums insured will be adjusted at renewal by a % rate to reflect the cost of inflation -this is to ensure that the original sum insured does not become inadequate.

IPT

What is IPT?
Insurance premium tax set at 5%

Logging in

How do i log in?
you can log in by using your email address and passord that you supplid when you recieved a quote or took out a policy.

Why do you ask for an email address - I don't want to be receiving nuisance emails from you?
This will enable you to administer your own policies over the Internet, we will also be able to advise you when your policy is due to renew. We will not send you any unnecessary emails.

Payment

Who do I make cheques payable to?
letcare ltd

How can I pay the premiums?
On-line payment is by credit or debit card (cheques are only acceptable for postal applications)

Property owner's liability

What is property owner's liability?
Landlords have a responsibility to everyone including the tenant to make sure that their property is free from defect e.g. if a tenant breaks their leg as a result of falling down the stairs and it is proven the landlord was legally liable for the defect they can sue. We give landlords cover up to £1,000,000 for their liability as owner of the property as part of their buildings insurance cover.

Rent

Does the Landlords policy cover loss of Rent?
The policy will pay loss of rent following the occurrence of an insured event. For example, if the building were to be damaged following a fire and the property became uninhabitable, the policy would pay up to a maximum of 20% of the chosen sum insured as loss of rent

Rent Guarantee

If the tenant moves out at the end of the tenancy agreement will my rent guarantee policy pay the rent while I'm trying to find a new tenant?
No, we will only pay for loss of rent if the tenant is still living in the property & refuses to pay. We will, however, pay 50% of the rent for up to 3 months following the successful eviction of a tenant.

I didn't know that my tenants needed to be referenced for Rent Guarantee/Legal Expenses?
It does clearly state on all our literature and on the declaration questions that tenants MUST have references submitted to us for approval. We will not pay claims if we have not had acceptable references

 

Tenants

Will letcare cover my property if I let it to Asylum Seekers?
Yes

Will letcare cover my property if I let it to Students?
Yes

Will letcare cover my property if I let it to Tenants receiving Housing
benefits?
Yes

Will letcare cover my property if I let it to a Local Authority?
Yes

Will letcare cover my property if I let it to a Housing Association?
Yes

Will letcare cover my property if I let it to a Letting Agent?
Yes

Will letcare cover my property if I let it to a Company?
Yes

Will letcare cover my property if it is used for holiday lets?
Yes

Unoccupied property

My property is not being lived in but I am visiting daily so why is it still classed as unoccupied?
A property will still be classed as unoccupied if you or a tenant are not living there as a main place of residence.

Is cover restricted when my property is unoccupied?
In most cases when your property has unoccupied for more than 30 days there is no cover for loss or damage caused by Riot, Civil Commotion, Labour or Political Disturbances, Theft or Attempted Theft, Malicious Acts, Frost, Escape of Water & Oil. You should refer to your policy conditions for full details.

Why do insurers apply restrictions to properties that have been unoccupied for more than 30 days?
A property is seen as more of a risk when it has been unoccupied for a long period of time.

Do I have to notify you when my property becomes unoccupied?
Not unless it has been unoccupied for more than 30 days. We do, however, suggest that you turn of the water supply at the mains and drain the water system as soon as you become aware that the property is unoccupied during the months of October to April inclusive. You should refer to your policy conditions for full details.