Contents Insurance for a rented property

Little_Miss_Scrimper

Hi, wonder if someone can help. I have been renting my flat for 3 years and I am moving tomorrow into a new rented property. It's with a different estate agent so I've already had to fork out for new credit searches (grrr) now they are pressurising me to take out their contents insurance via AXA. They said if I don't take out the insurance at 'their special rates' I will have to prove I have contents insurance

Now I've never had contents insurance! I live in a flat in a sleepy village where crime is at zero so never felt I needed it. Plus I don't own much anyway!! I am moving into an even safer area and the house even has an alarm, bit over the top but added bonus. I can't really afford the extra £12 a month on top of the huge rent I'll be paying.

Is there some kind of law/rule that I am missing here that renters have to take out contents insurance. I'd appreciate anyones wisdom, as you can see I am lacking in this area!!!

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Little_Miss_Scrimper

I should add my new landlady informed me in private the other day she will be ditching the estate agent after the 6mths lease is up and rent the house to me privately. She basically used them to set up a rental agreement & find an appropriate tennant (ME lol) but doesn't want to pay them every month for doing nothing. So you can see I am hesitant to take out something I don't want/need/can't afford and they'll only be managing the property for 6mths anyway. x

zar

Hi, I think its quite common but iirc the last time we were in this situation we just had to sign to say we would take out the insurance or basically it was all our fault if anything happened and we couldn't claim anything. We didn't actually get round to getting insurance until months after we moved in. So maybe you will be able to do that.

Otherwise, you ought to be able to get really cheap insurance from what you've said? Ours is £12 a month, we are in a rural area as well but that includes up to £12k possesions I think, and also special cover for our camera and expensive telescope etc we take outside the house. Maybe you could have get a few more quotes at places where you can only cover maybe a couple of thousand pounds worth of stuff e.g. endsleigh http://www.endsleigh.co.uk/web/policies/youngpersons/index.html - check out the terms and conditions to see if you can cancel after 6 months if that's what you want to do.

Enjoy your new home. :j

dander

I can't see how contents insurance is any of their business. And I can't see why you should have to show them any information about your personal business. I would have thought the data protection act might be worth mentioning - I don't think they have any right to see something like that. Even if you're not sure it's probably worth saying "No I dont' want your insurance, and according to the data protection act I do not have to show you any of my personal documents." If they're trying to pull a fast one, they'll probably back off if you look confidently like you know what you're talking about!

Little_Miss_Scrimper

Thanks Zar that's really helpful. :T I think I'll just put them off for as long as I can saying I am arranging my own insurance
Thanks for the link and replying so quickly. I can't wait to move, it's taken me forever of MSE-ing just to save up for the rent/bond!!
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Little_Miss_Scrimper

Thanks Dander, it took me and my OH by surprise as not heard of before and he has rented with more EA in our area than me and not come across it. I wasn't sure if they were pulling a fast one by pushing their products onto me. Their letter did say 'We would be grateful if you could let us have a copy of your policy as proof of insurance' so it kind of sounded like I could tell them to do one (in a professional way of course!) Thanks for the advice, think that's the key if I act confident they aren't going to push their products onto me.

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