Buildings Insurance - Landlord or Tenant

dragonflanker

Who is responsible for the buildings insurance on a rented house?
We have been living in a rented property for over 2 years but our landlord has just sent us a bill for buildings insurance that we have never had from them before.
When we were landlords previously we paid the buildings insurance and it was the tenants responsibility to pay any contents insurance.
I'm going to give them a call and let them know that we have never paid this before but wondered if there was a legal position on this.
Thanks.

all_change

Please double check this, but I am pretty sure you are right and the buildings insurance is the responsibility of the landlord.

From experience speaking to several different insurers about similer issues, the phrase "you can't insure something that doesn't belong to you" was used often when talking about whether tenants needed to insure the building.

HTH

ginvzt

I am sure it is landlord's responsibility! If the house went down, then you just lost the contets and move somewhere else, but it is the landlord who lost the house! All the maintenance and repairs are landlord's responsibilities, so why insurance should be yours?

In my opinion - walls and roof and any fittings provided are landlord's responsibility. In other words- if it was there before you moved in, it is for the landlord to take care of! It doesn't mean you can start damaging things, but you are not responsible if the roof decides to fall off!

poppysarah

You can ring shelter for advice but if it's not in your tenancy to pay it (and on a residential lease it almost certainly won't be) then you shouldn't be paying it.

I assume your landlord is feeling the pinch and is trying it on.

Pont

Defo landlord's responsibility buildings insurance, contents insurance your's. As already mentioned you don't insure something that doesn't belong to you. If the house burnt down would you get the insurance payout? - nope, the landlord would.

sarah_elton

Landlord's responsibility, absolutely. You don't own the building and thus have no insurable interest in it. You can't insure something you don't own. Your only responsibility is for your own contents.

If the landlord wants to pass on costs like that through a higher rent then that's up to him, but he'd have to go through the usual process for raising the rent.

ginvzt

Just remembered - we just got our content's insurance (we are renting). As soon as you select that you are a tenant, most insurers won't even let you buy building's insurance, suggesting that you can't insurance a building that is not yours.

Besides, why would you pay the price of what landlord decided - maybe he thinks his house is worth £1mil and got the insurance appropriately. If he insists you pay up, say that you are going to shop around for the best price and then go back to his saying that insurance companies won't let you to insure his building, so he will have to get it himself!

concisethinker

Hi.
LL "chancing his/her arm" building insurance is their responsibility. If flat is furnished ,contents insurance also LL responsibility. If it is tenants furniture then tenant obviously responsible.

frugallass

what a cheek - send the LL the bill for the contents insurance and see what their response is

yeah, the building belongs to the LL and it is his responsibility to insure it - the contents belong to you and are therefore your responsibility - although he may wish to insure his carpets / white goods if necessary

dragonflanker

Thanks to all of you for the responses.
I'll let you know the outcome of an interesting phonecall I'm about to make !! :-)

Soot2006

So if your rented house burns down but you have paid the buildings insurance ... does that mean you own the new house?

Kidding