Malicious damage by tenants 'a common problem', says insurer

Tuesday 28th August 2012

Malicious damage to their property is among the top three most common insurance claims by landlords. Most malicious damage is caused by tenants.

A report by Total Landlord Insurance which analyses claims made over the past two years has revealed that those made for malicious damage amount to £700,000.

Yet many landlords are not protected against malicious damage, which is not automatically included in their cover.
 
Eddie Hooker, CEO of Total Landlord Insurance, said: “Malicious damage is not always covered on standard landlord policies, and those that do, often only protect against malicious damage caused by a third party such as someone putting a brick through the window, not damage caused by the tenant.”
 
Surprisingly, claims for malicious damage are consistently much greater than claims for accidental damage, which amounted to £50,000 in comparison.

Malicious damage claims range from a broken window, a trashed property, or the deliberate theft or fire of the building’s fixtures.
 
Hooker said: “Where student properties are concerned, protecting against malicious damage is even more important, and not just because the perception of students is not always positive, but because their leases are often shorter term and their properties tend to remain empty over holiday periods, putting them at greater risk.”

In light of these results, which will come as a surprise to many landlords, Total Landlord Insurance has drafted in top industry experts, including Paul Shamplina from tenant eviction specialists Landlord Action, and Simon Thompson from Accommodationforstudents.com, to appear on their next live web TV show.

It will discuss nightmare tenants including student lets, and advise on how to find the best tenants, protect a property with preventative measures and what to do if your property has been damaged.
 
The show is scheduled for  August 30 at 7pm and experts will be answering landlord questions and tweets live on the show.

http://www.letyourproperty.tv