Rent Insurance for tenants
B. Portwood & Co announce their new bespoke rent insurance to protect tenants against accident, sickness and unemployment.
Keep your landlord happy!
Imagine the scenario: your monthly rent on your house is due and you have an accident at work - or you become unemployed. How will you keep your landlord happy - especially once the advance rent has been taken?
Traditional accident, sickness and unemployment insurance (despite having a bad press due to being mis-sold) would provide you with a benefit which you would then use, perhaps, to pay the rent however it has one problem. It counts as income so that after six months when your jobseekers allowance ends, any possible means-tested benefit e.g. income support, would be reduced. In effect although you pay for 12 months benefits the second six months may provide you with no benefit whatsoever! (Provided you would have qualified for income support - many people won't qualify if, for instance, there is another earner in the family.)
Our solution
A specially designed rent insurance product. At the point of claim you can ask us to pay the rental amount to you or to your landlord direct! As you also have other monthly expenses we can extend the cover to include Rent, Life Assurance, Home Insurance, Council Tax, Gas Water, Heating Oil and Electricity.
How does it work?
If you are off work for more than 30 days due to accident or sickness or you become unemployed, the insurance company will pay the sum insured. You decide how much you want to be paid direct to the landlord or the landlord's agent. (One month + 1/30th of the amount for each day over 30 payable monthly in arrears).
Example:
- You are injured on the 1st of the month and go back to work on the 30th - nothing is paid as you have not been 30 days out of work.
- You are injured on the 1st of the month and go back on the 31st - The sum insured is paid - you decide how much the landlord gets.
- You (having previously been employed for at least six months) lose your job and can claim benefit on the 1st of April and find employment on the 16th of July. The sum insured is paid 1st May, 1st June, 1st July and half the sum insured on 1st August.
Please note that, for unemployment, if you receive a 'cash in lieu' benefit then the starting date for qualification would be at the expiry of the notice period - you must be able to claim Jobseekers allowance.
You would not be covered for unemployment announced during the first 90 days of the policy unless you take out the policy at the start or renewal of a lease (in which case the initial exclusion period is only 30 days).
If you receive full salary whilst being off work if sick the benefit starts once this period ends so, for instance, if you receive full pay for 6 months then months 7 - 18 would be covered - even if you were then on half pay. If you do not have a period when you would receive full salary then the benefit starts immediately (subject to a minimum of 30 days being off work)
Because the benefit is paid for rent, utility bills and council tax only, we can keep the premiums low.
Maximum Benefits
The lower of:
- £1,500 per month
- 50% of gross salary (employed) or Net Profit (Self employed)
- (Rent, Life Assurance, Home Insurance, Council Tax, Gas Water, Heating Oil and Electricity.) x 1.25
Please note that you must be a tenant in the UK, be over 18 and been employed / self employed for at least six months. There is a general exclusion on pre-existing medical conditions (as always). If you decide to buy your own house, we can convert the scheme into a standard mortgage payment protection scheme.
If you want cover for yourself and your partner then we can arrange for cover either on a split basis i.e. the sum insured is split between the two of you in proportion to your respective salaries or you can each have full cover (at twice the premium).
Rates
- Accident, Sickness and Unemployment insurance: £4.50%
- Accident and Sickness : £3.25%
- Unemployment Only: £3.50%
So if your rent was £800 per month and you wanted £1,000 a month cover then the monthly premiums would be £45.00, £32.50 and £35.00 respectively.
There is no loading for age, gender, occupation or hobbies.
The policy covers employed, self employed and controlling directors but there is a difference in definitions
- Employed: Involuntary Redundancy
- Self Employed: Cessation of business or bankruptcy
- Controlling Director: Bankruptcy or involuntary Liquidation.
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Obtain quote and apply for cover.
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(All underwriting is done at point of application NOT point of claim)
Landlords wanting landlord insurance should click here or for buy to let insurance click here and get a quote.