Home Insurance
Have you insured your furniture and house contents?
Theft, fire, flood and all sorts of other accidents can prove to be financial disasters if you are not insured. Just spend a few minutes adding up the replacement value of your house contents and you will see the size of the problem. You may believe that insurance is paid as part of the rent and that we cover for such mishaps. This is not true - we insure the structure and fittings but NOT your personal belongings or decorations. If a pipe or water tank bursts due to frost damage, we are not normally responsible for the damage to your belongings. You must make your own arrangements to insure the contents of your home. Some insurance policies only cover fire damage; make sure you obtain cover for all risks including flood, frost damage and other hazards. The cost is not high when you compare it to the cost of replacing your household contents.
Where can I get contents insurance?
You are free to go to any insurance company. However, we offer a comprehensive insurance scheme available to you at a small extra charge. In conjunction with General Accident Insurance, comprehensive coverage can be provided on a "new for old" basis. The Tenants' Contents Insurance Scheme provided by us has proven to be tremendously popular. Whilst the team behind the policy are pleased with the scheme's growth, there is still some concern that not all of you are properly insured. Belongings are not automatically insured by us and we know that many of you do not have a policy. We continue to urge everyone to ensure that they are correctly covered. The policy has been designed to help you insure your belongings as easily as possible. Insurance premiums can be paid weekly along with your rent and the minimum value of possessions that can be insured is only £7,000 or £5,000 if you are over sixty. Premiums start from less than 60 pence a week. The scheme covers belongings against Fire, Explosion, Storm, Flood, Water Damage, Theft and Vandalism. It also covers things like Freezer Contents, Theft of Keys and Money. If you are interested in this special home contents insurance scheme for tenants, please contact the Revenues Officer responsible for insurance at the City Offices and ask for further details and an application form on 01962 840 222. Remember that you are liable for any damage whilst your tenancy is still in existence, e.g. if you leave before your tenancy had legally ended you may be liable for any damage that occurs to your home and others.
Claims against the Council
Please don't leave personal items where they may be removed by the refuse collectors, e.g. in your bin cupboard. We cannot be held responsible for this type of loss. If at any time you feel you have a claim against us you must write, stating why you are making the claim, the damage caused, and the costs involved. This will then be submitted to the Council's insurers for a decision. We will not comment on any claim until the insurers have reached a decision.
Redundancy insurance
You may have taken out loans to install central heating or make other improvements to your home. Recently, more and more people have found it difficult to keep up repayments if they find themselves out of work. It does not cost a lot to insure against the possibility of being made redundant when you take on a loan, so please ask about this type of insurance and give yourself peace of mind. Contact our Finance department on 01962 840 222.
