Tenants and leaseholders offered bargain priced insurance
Published 9 February 2010
Southwark Council tenants and leaseholders can insure their possessions for as little as 15 pence a day.
The council teamed up with Jardine Lloyd Thompson, specialist brokers in insurance for council tenants, to offer flexible, pay-as-you-go payment options with no excess. The policies cover theft, water damage, fire and other household risks.
While the council is responsible for damage to the structure of council buildings, it is up to tenants to take out insurance for their personal property.
Sadly, the need for contents insurance was demonstrated after a fire at a building site, which wasn't owned by the council, but damaged council properties.
Resident of one of the flats permanently damaged by the fire, Ruth Griffiths, said, "I did have contents insurance for my things and I'm very thankful for that as I would have lost the cost for all my possessions. Other tenants were not so lucky and have lost so many of their personal effects; some thought that the council is responsible for insuring their things but this isn't the case."
The council can't help if property is stolen or damaged at home, even if you are a tenant. And for leaseholders, the council has very limited responsibilities. If, for example, a water pipe burst at a council block, the council would repair the pipe but without contents insurance, block residents would have to pay for replacement personal possessions if they were damaged or spoiled.
All postcodes are included at the same rate and special locks on doors or windows are not needed for cover. Tenants can now pay as little as £6.97 a month for basic insurance of £9,000.
Special rates are additionally offered for people aged over 60. Basic cover of £6,000 in this instance could be just £2.44 a fortnight. This can be extended to cover wheelchairs, hearing aids and some garden items.
Cllr Kim Humphreys, executive member for housing at Southwark Council said: "Home insurance provides valuable peace of mind and with around 55,000 households living in Southwark properties we've been able to negotiate a very competitive price on their behalf. We can't fix everything, but this scheme will help our residents to help themselves."
Residents can arrange insurance by calling Crystal Insurance Scheme on 0845 601 7007. To find out more about help with costs in council housing, visit www.southwark.gov.uk/moneyworries
