Shared student house - compulsary contents insurance

pimento

It gets better and better.

Son is renting a four bed student house from September and has been told that he has to provide proof of contents insurance when he moves in.
Not for his own belongings, but for the landlords.

Is this usual? When I questioned the LA (as guarantor) he said it was part of their standard letting agreement.

Sounds a bit iffy to me. I'd have bought contents insurance for him anyway, but to cover his own stuff., not to cover the el cheapo bed and desk the landlord will be providing.

Do I just have to suck it up?

Judith_W

I had insurance through Endsleigh (sic?) when I was a student as you have so many others coming through and it covered theft without break in. I very much doubt it would cost any extra to have the standard pieces of furniture covered in addition to your personal contents. The insurance won't have to be exclusively for LL possessions - although I would have thought this would be covered by LL insurance??

I wouldn't worry too much, your son would have to replace el cheapo stuff if it got nicked or it would come out of the deposit anyway.

J

shop-to-drop

Agree with above. Don't think it's unusual or a new idea. Go to Endsleigh they specialise in student insurance and I remember getting contents insurance though them as a student 20 years ago and it covered your contents and the landlords. Better to be covered than to lose deposit due to damage.

pimento

Funnily enough I'm on the Endsleigh site now and it doesn't mention furniture anywhere just laptop and phone type of stuff.

He had Endsleigh this last year but the landlord had his own contents insurance.

So, if I do take the LA insurance or arrange my own, does that mean if the carpet is stained (for example) at the end of the tenancy, we can claim for the cleaning/replacement on the insurance rather than the LL taking it out of their deposit?

pimento

Ha! From their own web site it states (and I quote)..

"Insurance The tenant should insure his personal items. The landlord is responsible for insuring anything that belongs to him including the property but cannot accept any responsibility for tenant's personal possessions."

shop-to-drop

If you look on the Endsleigh site on the contents insurance section and look at terms and conditions it has a bit on landlords cover. May be worth printing that out and asking the landlord if this is what he wants covered. I don't think you would be able to insure his specific belongings only the owner could do that. Might also be worth phoning Endsleigh and asking them for examples of what is and isn't covered but I do think Endsleigh will be your best bet. The landlord can't ask you to by an insurance product that doesn't exist.

pimento

Am waiting for a call back from the young man at the LA with a quote for cover. This all smells very fishy to me.

shop-to-drop

Isn't it just to cover fixtures and fittings rather than furniture? I think the landlord will still need his own cover too.

pimento

The LA said the LL will have his own buildings insurance but that it was down to my son to insure the landlords furniture etc.

G_M

THE LANDLORD SHOULD BE INSURING HIS OWN PROPERTY, AND POSSESSIONS.

This is a letting agent scam (quite likeky the LL does not even know). The agent gets a commission for every insurance they sell.

If tenant wishes to insure their own belongings, that is their choice.

If the agent is 'blackmailing' the prospective tenants by threatening not to grant the tenany unless the policy is taken out, my advice is to take out a policy online, show it to the agent, get the tenancy agreement signed, then cancel the policy during the 14 day cooling off period and get a refund.

However, try to find an insurer who does not charge an admin fee for this...

pimento

Thanks G_M. I will be taking out contents insurance for my son's stuff anyway but I don't see why I should be insuring the landlord's stuff.

The LL wants to meet all the tenants on Saturday (in London, miles away from where we live and where the flat is, it will be costing my son ££ to get there and back as he has no other reason to go but that's another story) so I will tell him to ask, although I doubt he will, he'll be intimidated I expect.

This whole letting business has right got my goat. I'm going to make sure that nothing gets past me on the inventory.

Oh and another thing, my son hasn't even seen his room. He tried to make several appointments to see it but was never able to. So when he moves in on Sept 1st, it will be the first time he's seen it. All he knows is that it's the smallest bedroom. I've primed him to expect a broom cupboard.