What cover should landlords provide?

Landlords are responsible for insuring the building, but not any personal belongings of the tenant.  Buildings insurance will cover the cost of any loss or damage to the building’s structure and fittings, including kitchen units and the bathroom suite – the things that can’t be removed.  

Tenants should purchase their own insurance to cover the cost of replacing their personal belongings should they be damaged or stolen.  Personal belongings include televisions, computers, 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 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 a person’s 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             Damage to personal belongings

Theft                 Broken windows                Theft of personal belongings
                        and doors 

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