Landlord Insurance If You Live Abroad

cazranks

Hi,


My landlord who is also a personal friend lives in Australia and we are having problems getting her landlord insurance renewed due to her not now being an EU resident. Can I insure the buildings in my name as the tenant ? I've seen mixed advice on the internet and some sites will let me get a quote then others don't so am unsure as to the legality of insuring in my name when I don't own the property - I would have to deal with any claims on her behalf anyway.


Any advice would be great.


Thanks

davidmcn

You can't get valid insurance as you wouldn't be the one suffering the loss. No problem in you acting as her agent in dealing with claims but the insurance would have to be in her name.

There are plenty of landlords domiciled outside the EU so it can't be that difficult?

G_M

No idea why your LL can't get insurance. There are thousands of overseas LLs! Speak to a broker.

As above, the insurance must be in the LL's name, not the tenant's, but an agent could buy it on her behalf.

Does you LL employ an agent? Or does she self-manage?


That's a leading question, though off-topic! If your LL has no UK agent, then there are some legal issues she, and you, are hopefully already aware of:

1) by law, she must give you a postal address in Eng/Wales "for serving notices" on her. This can be anywhere in eng/Wales(eg her agent, her parent's home, even my home if she wants!), but by law, if you write to her at that address she is deemed to have received your letter.

Without such an address, rent is not payable. See
Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 Section 48

2) if you pay her rent direct (ie into her bank acount rather than to a UK-based agent), then either
- you need to deduct 20% tax and hold it back for HMRC or
- she needs to show you confirmaton from HMRC that they will permit her to receive the rent in full (and they will tax her subsequently. See
HMRC (Non Resident [= overseas] Landlord Scheme)

cazranks

That's fab thank you - hadn't thought of a broker but seems like the logical step, I'll give that a try tomorrow - UK address is fine (her parents) and tax is fine (all goes via her accountant at tax year end) I tell him what I've paid her and anything that I've paid out and give him the receipts (I deduct from the rent - usually it's hardly anything).

bland

Have a look at https://www.ashburnham-insurance.co.uk/landlord-insurance/ who came up on a Google search (says oversea owners at the bottom of the page).