Home Insurance with a Lodger
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- Protects your belongings even when you have lodgers.
- Cover with short-term or long-term lodgers.
- Underwritten by AXA Insurance.
Home insurance for live-in landlords
Letting your spare room makes good financial sense but it’s essential to be fully aware of the terms of your home insurance, as taking on a lodger could invalidate your cover and leave you significantly out of pocket should the worst happen. Live-in landlords must tell their home insurance provider that they are letting rooms in their property as there may be increased risks that could affect your premium.
You should also think about the impact that new lodgers can have on your cover. For instance, what is their credit history? Do they have a guarantor? Do they have any unspent criminal convictions? It’s useful to have this information to hand when adjusting your cover, as failure to contact your insurer could invalidate your policy and leave you with a hefty bill in the event of a claim.
When taking out home insurance with lodgers as a live-in landlord, you should double check the policy terms and exclusions. Generally, each party is responsible for their personal belongings, so lodgers should seek their own contents insurance. Landlords are responsible for the building as well as their own contents.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LODGER AND A TENANT?
Although both lodgers and tenants rent rather than own, the difference is that a lodger lives with their landlord but a tenant doesn’t.
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What’s covered by landlords home insurance?
Landlords insurance provides financial protection if you need to repair the property you let or replace your belongings after they’ve been stolen, damaged or destroyed.
It comes in two parts: buildings insurance (cover against damage to the property itself) and contents insurance (for damaged or stolen items within the home). These can be combined or bought separately, so the first step is deciding which option is better for you.
What we offer
Quick home emergency response times
Have a home emergency, such as electricity failure, faulty locks or vermin infestation? With the 24/7 Home Emergency cover, which we provide as standard, you can typically get an engineer at your home within four hours. And if you’re worried about an uncontrollable leak in your home, we aim to have an emergency plumber to you within two hours.
Extreme weather conditions may extend response time. Policy terms and claim limits apply.
5 star rated buildings cover
Our building insurance has been given the highest rating by independent financial research companies, Defaqto and Moneyfacts.
Repair guarantee
Any buildings work we undertake is guaranteed for 24 months following a claim and any contents repair work we undertake is guaranteed for 12 months.
New for old
Where we replace an item, we will do our best to meet the original specification on a ‘new for old’ basis. If we can’t find an exact replacement, we’ll offer you a suitable alternative, or a full cash settlement.
Legal advice
We provide Legal Protection cover as standard, giving you access to telephone legal advice on any personal legal issue, under the laws of the UK, any European Union country, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Switzerland and Norway.
What isn’t included?
Damage cause gradually, or by wear and tear, or by failure to fix a known issue.
Faulty design or poor workmanship.
Theft, vandalism or malicious damage caused by a tenant.
The cost of repairing or replacing items following a mechanical or electrical fault.
Lost items.
Landlord Insurance Cover Levels
Our landlord insurance is designed to protect your property against insured events such as fire, storm, flood, escape of water, theft, malicious damage, subsidence, landslip or heave.
Buildings cover
Covers the main structure of your home if you need to rebuild or repair it.
up to £1 million
(eligibility criteria applies)
Contents cover
Covering the value of all your possessions in the home, on a new for old basis. As standard, our buildings insurance provides up to £7,500 of cover for your landlord contents. If you choose to add contents insurance, we provide up to £30,000 as standard.
up to £30,000
Loss of rent
We’ll cover lost rent if your tenants can’t live in the home due to an insured event.
up to £30,000
Home emergency
Covers emergencies that occur in your home like uncontrollable water leaks, electricity failure, faulty locks and vermin infestation. Two levels of cover are available.
up to £500
Family legal protection
Provides a 24/7 legal advice helpline and up to £25,000 cover for claims involving contract disputes and property damage. For a claim to be successful, there must be reasonable prospects (more than a 50% chance) of winning the legal case. Two levels of cover are available.
up to £25,000
Trace and access
Covers the cost of detecting the source of a water or oil leak and repairing any damage caused in the process.
up to £10,000
Outbuildings cover
Covers rebuild or repair of your outbuildings (such as detached garages, greenhouses, sheds and summerhouses).
from £20,000
Liability cover
Liability cover involving accidental death, bodily injury or illness or property damage that you are legally liable to pay.
up to £5 million
Landlord Legal Protection with Rent Guarantee
This is optional cover, tailored for landlords, which replaces the Family Legal Protection which is included as standard. It provides a 24/7 legal advice helpline and up to £50,000 cover for claims relating to the letting of your property including repossession, property damage, recovery of overdue rent and payment of rent arrears during an eviction process. Protection provided only when more than a 50% chance of recovery.
Optional
Accidental damage
Covers situations when unexpected accidents happen, such as spillages on the carpet, breakages around the house or drilling through hidden pipes. Two levels of cover are available.
Optional
New Customer?
If you’re deciding on whether to buy home insurance with us, you can use our latest policy booklets as a guide.
Existing Customer?
Find answers to some of your questions here. Your latest policy documents are also available to view and download.
Your Questions Answered
Letting rooms in your home without informing your insurer could invalidate your policy. This means that any claim you make may be rejected. You should therefore take out insurance for homeowners with lodgers so that your lodger is factored into your cover.
Homeprotect can tailor its home insurance for live-in landlords, protecting your belongings even when you have lodgers.
No, there are legalities in place to protect landlords and lodgers. A new member of your household, who isn’t related to you, brings new risks. For this reason you must inform your mortgage lender and home insurance provider, and in some cases the local council, of your change in living circumstances.
It is generally recommended that all live in landlords have a contract with their lodger. This is to lay out the terms and conditions of the lease, similar to a tenancy agreement. It is also recommended that an inventory documenting personal belongings as well as the current condition of the property is drawn up at the beginning of a new lease.
As the landlord you are responsible for the building insurance and your own contents insurance. This does not extend to your lodger’s belongings, so they should seek their own contents cover.
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