Tenant default insurance

£100,000 of missed rent

What does this include?

• up to £50,000 in rental arrears, with no limit on your monthly rental amounts
• tenant still in the property? We can pay your claim while they’re there, if necessary

We don’t put any limits on the amount of rent you’ve agreed with your tenant. Rental default insurance is designed to cover it, up to a total value of £100,000 across your policy’s term.

When would I need this?

• your tenant is made redundant and contacts you to discuss their options. You set up a payment plan with them, but don’t receive any rent for two months.
• after contacting your insurer, you decide to serve an eviction notice and recover the £4,200 you’re owed in rent, using your landlord insurance (tenant default was added to this when you set it up).

12 months of rent

What’s covered?

• up to £50,000 in rental arrears, across a 12 month period

When would I need to make a claim?

• your tenants are late on their rent and have only paid part of last month’s agreed amount. They’ve stopped returning your calls so you contact your insurer – you’ll need to serve an eviction notice before your tenant default insurance can kick in
• one of your tenants runs a shop and has had a poor financial year. You’ve tried to set up a payment plan to help them keep on top of the rent, but after five missed or partial payments you decide to serve an eviction notice and claim the rent you’re owed

Cover during repairs

What’s typically covered?

• 50% of your monthly rental amount for three months, if your tenant causes intentional damage and the property is assessed as being uninhabitable
• soiled carpets, walls, and fittings
• severe damp and access issues, following malicious damage

When would I need to make a claim?

• tenants at your property have caused severe, intentional damage to your property, after you serve an eviction notice due to six missed payments. They’ve torn up the carpets, smashed three windows, and kicked holes in each door.
• you’re quoted a month’s work by a contractor to fix the damage, and decide to use your rental default insurance to claim 50% of the rent you’ll miss.

Legal advice helpline

What does this include?

Access to a panel of solicitors, ready to offer legal advice on a wide range of services, including:

• contractual disputes
• employment issues and concerns/disputes
• tax, furlough, and employee contract queries

When would I need this?

• during a routine inspection, your tenant lets you know they’ve decided to quit their job and become self-employed. You decide to get some very initial legal advice, in case they experience financial problems and have trouble paying the rent

No excess

How does this work?

There’s no excess on our tenant default insurance – we don’t ask you to cover any part of the rental arrears before we step in. There’s also no need to wait for a certain number of missed payments before contacting us, you can claim from the first time it happens.

We’ll consider all tenant types

How does this work?

This type of rent guarantee depends on your tenants and how likely they are to manage their rent payments. When deciding on your claim, we’ll consider all tenants who pass certain credit checks, but may exclude others.

Who might not be covered?

Typically, unemployed tenants, students, or people on state benefits are more likely to fail a credit check, as they’re more at risk of defaulting on their rent.

We’ll look at each case individually though, and some higher-risk tenants who’ve paid rent upfront or who have good references from a previous landlord may be covered.