This page is sorted in alphabetical -order.
Landlords
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 Landlords Property for the amount it would cost to rebuild
otherwise, if you make a claim, you may not get paid in full. The
value will vary enormously depending on where it is located, but the
rebuild cost will be the virtually the same e.g. a Landlords Property in London
may cost £1million to buy and an identical Landlords 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 Landlords Property using our ‘Rebuilding cost calculator’
(insert link) or, if you have a mortgage on the Landlords Property, you can
ask your mortgage company
.
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 Landlords 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 AVIVA
I will be completing the purchase of my Landlords 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.
Landlords
Contents insurance
What is the difference between contents insurance for fully furnished
properties and contents insurance for partially furnished properties?
Both policies cover all the items the landlords leaves in the building
for the tenant to use. The only difference is that for a fully furnished
let the landlord can select their own sum insured (subject to a minimum
of £10,000) whereas for partially furnished let properties we
offer a fixed level of cover of £10,000 at a fixed cost.
I let my Landlords 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 Landlords 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
Landlords 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 Landlords Property
Is accidental damage covered under the landlords 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 landlords buildings and/or contents cover to include
‘full’ accidental damage by paying an additional premium
The Landlord is leaving some of 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
With Home
Emergency cover Plans, what is classed as an emergency?
A situation that will render the Landlords Property unsafe or insecure, damage
or cause further damage to the Landlords Property or cause risk or difficulties
for or to the tenant.
Can my tenant ring the Home Emergency cover 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 Emergency cover help line number
available anytime?
Yes. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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?
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 Landlords 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?
Landlords 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 landlords 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)
Landlords Property owner's liability
What is Landlords Property owner's liability?
Landlords have a responsibility to everyone including the tenant to
make sure that their Landlords 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 Landlords Property as part of their buildings insurance cover.
Rent
Does the Landlords insurance 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 Landlords 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 Landlords 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
We can insure properties let to working tenants, tenants receiving benefits, students, asylum seekers, local authorities, housing associations, letting agents or to a Company or used for holiday lets.
Unoccupied
Landlords Property
My Landlords Property is not being lived in but I am visiting daily so why
is it still classed as unoccupied?
A Landlords 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 Landlords Property is unoccupied?
In most cases when your Landlords Property is 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 Landlords 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 Landlords 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 Landlords Property is unoccupied
during the months of October to April inclusive. You should refer
to your policy conditions for full details.
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control of your Policies![]()
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