UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi, sorry if this has already been discussed I couldn't find it.

I have a leashold flat which I rent out and I was under the impression that the tennant takes care of the contents insurance and the maintenance fee I pay includes the buildings insurance. But recently I've been hearing whisper of this landlord insurance, do I need that aswell?

Also how often do I need to carry out electrical and gas checks on the property?

Thanks for you help.

you need to check if the policy you pay for under maintenance fee covers what is effectively sub letting. iwould only guess it doesnt and you may need a seperate policy for buildings cover. presumably any claims made have to be made by the leaseholder (you) and you know what insurers are like (wriggly little b****ds).

gas checks are a legal annual requirement for all appliances ie cooker hob and boiler and gas fire if any. thats why alot of lanlords put electric ovens in not gas. annual gas check is sometimes included in any boiler warranty but doesnt always include a landlord certificate which you do need.  homeserve have just started to offer this service. pay about £50 to £65 for these

if you supply any electrical apparatus then these are supposed to be PAT tested. generally its better to let the tennat get his own gear.
the main electrics are supposed to be checked every 5 years and this is not cheap (up to £350 ) but if you have had works done recently on the electrics then they shopuld have been checked and you can ask the electrician for a copy of the certificate they sent to building control.

on this i may be wrong but i dont think there is a legal requirement for the electric checks, i think, and someone please correct me if i'm wrong, that it is only the gas checks that are statuted. my local council have asked me for electric certs but, oddly even though i havent given them any, have not enforced this request only the gas ones??

hope this helps

Landlord insurance is basically what it says on the tin. It is for the landlords benefit to get it. I believe you can get building, contents, loss of rent and liability insurance especially for landlords. You may not want all of these so work out which ones you do and then look to get a variety of quotes ( dont just go for comparison sites as they are not always the cheapest!) If you don't tell your insurance company you are renting your property out and anything happens then you will not be covered. You do need specialist cover.

  Oh Boy do you.............yes! I have just endured the worst few months - and I mean the worst - with tenants who defaulted, trashed the place, ran away etc etc, and I cannot imagine what I would have done if not insured BECAUSE these tenants were the last people you would expect to turn bad, and I could so easily have thought nah, it'll be alright .PG

hi im in a living hell at the moment with again another tenant being evicted he would of owed us over a grand by the time hes out and its not over yet ! he was by all good intensions a good tenant this time last year ,lost his job and got on benifits. then didnt qualify and we are stuck with him and its so frustrating ! i have said to my husband about this landlord insurance! as a house share this could potentially happen all over again ! any advise as who to use  and the cost ?for ths insurance which particallly covers rent arrears and court fees ?? suzie