What cover does my landlord provide?

Your landlord is responsible for insuring the building you live in, but not your belongings.  Your landlord’s insurance will cover the cost of any loss or damage to the structure and fittings of your home, including kitchen units, the bathroom suit and interior decor – the things that can’t be removed.  

As a tenant, you should purchase your own insurance to cover the cost of replacing your personal belongings should they be damaged or stolen.  Personal belongings include your television, computer, white goods (such as fridge or washing machine), clothes, DVD and CD collections.  

If you have arranged your own improvements to the property it is important to check that your contents insurance policy covers them.  For example, if you have fitted laminate flooring they usually need to be covered under buildings insurance.  Your landlord’s buildings insurance policy will normally exclude ‘tenant improvements’ they have not paid for, but some tenant contents insurance policies offer extended cover for these fixtures and fittings.  Speak to your landlord and insurer for more details.  

The table below sets out a number of possible scenarios that might affect your home, and what each type of insurance will cover.  

Scenario             Landlord  (buildings                   Tenant (home
                          insurance)                                  contents insurance)
 
Fire/Storm            Damage to the building               Damage to personal belongings

Leaks                   Damage to flooring and walls.       Damage to personal belongings.

Theft                   Broken windows and doors          Theft of personal belongings.

Flooding               Damage to the building,               Damage to personal belongings.
                          and walls.