Landlord Insurance for Council Tenants

Ashburnham provide landlord insurance for council tenants. Flexible, comprehensive, and cheap council tenant insurance can be hard to come by, but with Ashburnham you can choose the level of cover you require using our online policy form. Just make sure that you select that your lease agreement is between you (or your agent) and “Council / Housing Authority” in the dropdown under Occupancy Details.

What does Landlord Insurance for Council Tenants cover?

Social housing accounts for approximately 17% of all households in England. Yet, a limited number of insurance brokers in the UK are able to provide landlord insurance for council tenants as it requires a specialist knowledge of landlord insurance.

We can cover HMOs (houses in multiple occupancy) and mixed use properties where a part of the building may be non-residential. We can also provide landlord public liability insurance, which is a requirement for most council properties or properties that are part of a PSL arrangement.

Call us for free and speak to one of our specialist experts who can discuss your council tenant insurance requirements.

Buildings

Covers the financial cost of repairing a property’s structural damage. We cover both accidental and malicious damage as standard, in addition to environmental damage (e.g. flooding, storms, etc).

More about landlord buildings insurance

Contents

Recommended for furnished let properties, this will protect the landlord from the costs of repairing and replacing furnishing that have been stolen or accidentally damaged by tenants.

More about landlord contents insurance

Malicious Damage

Covers the intentional damage caused by the council tenant or any other malicious persons to the landlord’s property.

More about malicious damage by tenant cover

Rent Guarantee

Covers loss of rent by guaranteeing monthly rent payments for a maximum of 6 months in the event that a council tenant is in arrears and temporarily unable to pay due to their financial circumstance.

More about loss of rent insurance

Public Liability

Indemnifies the property owner against liability if a tenant, guest or member of the public is injured on the premises, including cover from the financial costs of any claims made due to negligence.

More about landlord public liability insurance

Legal Expenses

Indemnifies the expenses in pursuit or defense of any disputes connected to a landlord’s property that require legal protection.

More about legal expenses insurance

About Council Tenant Landlord Insurance

Private landlords may have an agreement with the local authority where the council will maintain the property and house tenants. The landlord lease the property to the council for a maximum of 5 years, and the council will professionally manage the property and tenancies, often guaranteeing the rental income for the duration of the lease with no void periods. This is known as a Private Sector Leasing Scheme (PSL).

With council estate and council house buildings that are owned by the council, it is the local authority’s responsibility to insure communal elements and the structure of the building. However, when a private sector landlord is letting their property to the local authority then it is the private landlord who is responsible for the buildings insurance, and any external and structural repairs. In neither case is the landlord or council responsible for insuring the contents or possessions of council tenants.

Many insurance companies will not cover properties that are part of a PSL scheme, as tenants do not have an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST). Another reason why not all landlord insurance policies will cover council tenants is due to the fact that many are in receipt of housing benefit, and are therefore considered by many insurers to be high risk when compared to professional tenants. (At Ashburnham, all of our insurers accept DSS tenants.)

Social housing is allocated by the local authority on the basis of housing need, with reasonable preference being given to those who come from a background of homelessness, substance abuse, or physical and/or mental health issues. This state of financial vulnerability and dependence on government support can make it difficult obtaining landlord insurance for council tenants, despite the fact that not all those who are council-housed are “bad tenants”. Your council tenant may be just as financially responsible, if not more, than any other type of tenant.

Non-specialist, less experienced insurers may charge high premiums for council tenant insurance. Ashburnham are able to provide you with the lowest quotations suitable for your requirements, with specialist insurance designed for landlords housing council tenants in receipt of housing benefit.

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