 |
Housing |
| Torbay Council | |
| Pearl Assurance House 101 - 107 Union Street Torquay TQ1 3DW | |
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housing @torbay.gov.uk |
 | 01803 208723 |
 | 01803 208282 |
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Home Insurance
- Do I need to take out my own insurance?
- Does my landlord operate an insurance scheme?
- How do I make a claim?
- Where can I go if I have suffered a fire or flood and I have to leave my home?
Do I need to take out my own insurance?
Many tenants can mistakenly believe that their furniture, personal belongings and decorations are automatically insured against theft, vandalism or damage from fire and burst pipes. Unfortunately this is not the case. Your landlord will have buildings insurance which covers the structure of your home, but this does not cover your personal belongings. We strongly advise all tenants to take out household contents insurance in some form with a reputable insurance company. Some policies will cover the cost of temporary accommodation if you have to leave your property temporarily due to a fire or flood.
Does my landlord operate an insurance scheme?
If you rent your home from a Housing Association, they may operate their own scheme or may be able to advise you about companies who you can go to.
You will need to contact your Association directly about this.
How do I make a claim?
You will need to contact your insurance company directly if you need to make a claim. Some will operate a 24 hour emergency service.
Housing Association tenants may make insurance claims against the Housing Association for any damage that the Housing Association causes to the tenants' possessions, or injury to the tenant or members of their family.
As an example, if a Housing Association tradesman were to hammer a nail into the wall and inadvertently burst a pipe which resulted in the floor being flooded and ruining the tenant's carpet, the Housing Association would be responsible for the cost of replacing the carpet as clearly its action has been negligent.
However, there are a variety of other issues for which the Housing Association may not be negligent. For example, if there is a particularly bad storm which lifts a tile off a roof and as a result water comes through the roof, through the ceiling and damages a bedroom carpet, the Housing Association would claim that it has not been negligent as it could not have prevented that from happening. Under such circumstances the Housing Association would seek to reject any such claim.
If you are unsure about whether or not you could make a claim contact your Housing Association.
Where can I go if I have suffered a fire or flood and I have to leave my home?
If your home is uninhabitable and you have nowhere where you can stay temporarily with family or friends, you should contact our Housing Needs Team for advice.
Our contact details can be found on the right hand side of this page.
See our homeless prevention page for further information.
Related Documents
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