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Let property insurance explained

Recent years have seen various restrictions tightening around the private rented sector – steadily increasing the overhead costs of many a landlord. As a result, the search for appropriate or even the best let property insurance quote becomes ever more important.

That immediately begs the question, of course, as to what exactly makes the best landlord’s insurance? A simple, knee-jerk response might lie in saying that the best insurance is the cheapest insurance you can find. If you are tempted into thinking along those lines, you might want to think again.

Just put yourself in the position where you need to claim on your landlord’s insurance policy. In those circumstances, you are unlikely to be questioning how much you are paying in premiums but, rather, the extent to which your policy effectively covers the loss or damage you have suffered. It might have been the cheapest option you could find but, unless it provided the cover you now need, the money you spent on the premiums would have provided little value.

Another landlord’s preference for the cheapest insurance quote is unlikely to have been of much use or relevance to you if it doesn’t meet your particular needs and circumstances as a landlord. It is not the cheapest you might prize the most but the insurance that offers the best value for money.

Comparing let property insurance quotes

There is no doubt that the internet opens the door to an incredibly wide choice in the range of landlord insurance policies on offer. By all means, make full use of the internet in your search for the cover you need – while avoiding the temptation of restricting your choice to the cheapest possible options.

An internet search for effective and reliable insurance – not only landlord insurance – involves a careful consideration of the full details of any cover in which you might be interested. You will then be making an informed choice about those features and elements of the policy that are relevant and important to you.

If your cheap let property insurance quote does not provide you with the cover that you want then its price is largely irrelevant and the policy may be of no interest to you, no matter how cheap it is.

It’s worth saying it again – every landlord is different and what you consider to be a cheap let property insurance quote may not appear so cheap to someone else with a very different set of buy to let property insurance requirements.

Using the internet to compare let property insurance quotes

Thanks to the internet, of course, it is considerably easier these days than in the past to access the information you need for choosing suitable insurance cover for your particular needs and requirements. But your internet searches still need to be made with a prudent approach and all due care.

That way, you are likely to reap the benefits of buying your buy to let or landlord insurance online:

Reassurance

  • practically any goods and services can be bought online these days, though none carry the reassurance given by the code of good practice for online sales that is managed by the leading body for insurance brokers, the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA);
  • the code insists that customers buying online are given access to information about any policy and are able to review this before buying;
  • any excess charges on claims also need to be explained;
  • customers need to be advised clearly about the standard features of any policy and any elements of cover that are available as options or add-ons;
  • if the customer’s requirements are likely to be met only by a specialist provider, they need to be directed to the relevant websites;
  • here at Cover4LetProperty we are just such specialist providers of all kinds of insurance for landlords – and we also maintain a website that conforms to BIBA’s code of good practice, ensuring absolute transparency with respect to any policy you may ask us to arrange;

Convenience

  • the next reason for buying online is the same as for any other service or product – it is simply more convenient;
  • instead of getting out the car or waiting for a bus to take you to town, you may research and review the insurance cover you need from the comfort of your own sitting room;
  • you can break off at any time – to reflect on your options maybe – and return to the online process at any stage of the day or night;

Speed

  • not only might you save time by staying at home rather than making your way to the high street, but you are also likely to find the entire process of buying online so streamlined and simple that it rarely takes more than a few minutes to complete the purchase of the insurance cover you need;

Economy

  • online business tends to be good business for companies too – there is no shop front to maintain, no expensive signage, or other physical overheads;
  • this is frequently reflected in online sales being made at a discount – just as they may be when you buy landlords’ insurance online;

Service

  • your purchase may be online – where the anonymity of the internet might be off-putting to some – but this does not necessarily mean that the service you receive is any less personal;
  • here at Cover4LetProperty we pride ourselves on the personal service we offer – a service made more personal still if you decide to use our dedicated UK-based telephone line to discuss your needs more fully before making your purchase;
  • so, if you would rather speak to someone about your policy, one of our team will be more than happy to help and arrange the insurance for you, if you require – you still get a personal service but with internet prices;

Experience and expertise

  • shopping online does not mean that you are left all alone to fend for yourself;
  • specialist providers are just that – experienced experts who are familiar with the needs and circumstances of landlords and who also have a keen knowledge of the entire range of products in this niche of the insurance market;
  • specialist providers like us, therefore, are adept at matching the needs of landlords such as yourself with the appropriate selection of available products to meet those needs.

A reminder about that landlord and tenant relationship

The relationship between you and your tenants is clearly the foundation of a satisfactory tenancy – and the success of your buy to let business. But you might also want to reflect on the ways in which your landlord insurance policy provides further reassurance and security in that relationship:

  • a policy typically covers you against third party liability – broadly speaking, that includes a number of circumstances where your tenants, their visitors, your neighbours, or even members of the public hold you responsible as the landlord for injuries or property damage they have sustained through contact with your let property;
  • some policies might offer a degree of cover for the legal costs involved in pursuing tenants to recover unpaid rent arrears – but you are unlikely to secure cover for situations involving legal or eviction disputes with your tenants;
  • your tenants need to understand that your landlord’s insurance typically will not cover them for any personal accidents or illness they may suffer, or events such as the theft or destruction of their property following a burglary or natural disaster;
  • some policies might contain a provision for your compensation of any loss of rental income following an insured event that temporarily leaves your let property uninhabitable and unlettable pending repairs and reinstatement – but compensation of that kind does not extend to normal voids between tenancies;
  • some policies – but by no means all – may offer cover for malicious or accidental damage caused by your tenants or their visitors.

Unoccupied property insurance

It might also be worth making a final point about a further element of insurance for your buy to let property – the unoccupied property insurance you may need from time to time.

Unoccupied property insurance protects properties that are standing unoccupied for longer than a typical 30-45 consecutive days (with the exact interval varying from one insurance policy to another).

You let property might be left in that empty and unoccupied state for any number of reasons – some of which might appear almost beyond your control, such as:

  • tenants who were due to move in and begin a new tenancy suddenly change their mind – leaving you a longer than usual void;
  • you are having work done to decorate or convert the property and you are unable to let the premises while work is in progress; or
  • you decide to hold off a letting until you return from an overseas business trip, only to find that your time away unexpectedly runs on longer than you anticipated.

In all these situations, once the 30-45 consecutive days have expired, you may find that your standard landlord’s insurance policy becomes null and void – and you may need unoccupied property cover to restore the protection your property continues to need.

Next steps

Getting the most cost-effective and appropriate let property insurance is something we can help you with. Simply get a free, no-obligation let property insurance quote online from our panel of specialist providers or give us a call on 01702 606 301 – we’d be delighted to help!

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