Insurance Renters Insurance

Guide to Choosing Flat Insurance

When moving into rented accommodation or an apartment it is important to understand what insurance you need to purchase.
Online you can find companies that specialise in flat insurance as, unlike a homeowner, you may need more specialist insurance to adequately cover your situation.
In this article we look at what protection tenants need from their flat insurance.
Landlords of rented flats will usually have insurance that covers the building against damage, however, it is unlikely that this insurance will cover any tenant's belongings within the flat.
Arranging a suitable form of contents insurance will, therefore, be the responsibility of the tenant themselves.
Many tenants presume that their landlord's insurance will cover them and end up finding out once it's too late.
To make sure that their contents are covered, tenants should ensure that their insurance will cover the cost of replacing personal items kept within the flat.
The cover can also be extended to include items that have been stored within communal areas within the building, such as garages or bike sheds.
Many tenants are concerned about whether these areas will be included but with flat insurance this is usually taken into consideration.
Unlike contents, the fixtures and fitting within the flat may be covered by the landlord's insurance, which tenant's pay for within a maintenance charge.
As all legal contracts vary depending on the owner and building, it is a tenant's responsibility to discuss all of these extra charges and insurance cover before the agreement is signed.
Also, depending on the type of flat that they live in, tenants will have varying concerns.
Tenants of small flats with fewer occupants tend to be more concerned about accidental damage rather than theft as they often look out for one another.
In larger flats residents tend not to know one another and may not notice if a burglary is taking place as it could simply be new neighbours moving in.
Another concern with living in a multiple occupancy building is that thieves may target them on the basis that there are likely to be many expensive goods inside rather than under the roof of one household.
This means that it would be beneficial for anyone who lives in a flat to get to know who their neighbours are so that ,should there ever be a problem, someone can be alerted.
Overall, when looking into flat insurance it is worth discussing issues or concerns you may have with a professional and also finding out from you landlord what is covered and what is not.


You might also like on "Insurance"

Leave a reply