Eddie Ryan manages the majority of our individual private landlords at County. In this article he assesses insurer changes in questions and information needed and what information landlords need to be aware of.
2022 would appear to be the first ‘normal’ year for landlords in some time. With government restrictions relaxed on evictions and with many tenants returning to work or re-occupying premises, many can look at the next year as a return to routine. However, recent necessary legislation and amendments to insurer information could mean the opposite.
We wrote about the Electrical Inspection Condition Report (EICR) regulations and requirements which have now come into effect earlier in December 2020. You can have a refresher on this here. While many landlords have now caught up on the tests, we urge all of our clients to ensure they have up to date EICRs prior to properties becoming occupied.
In addition, this year insurers now need extra information when it comes to the renewal or application of insurance policies. These include:
- Information on cladding, including what it’s made of, who installed it, when it was installed and if it’s regularly inspected
- If tenants are:
o Working, Benefits supported
o Working, Non Benefits supported
o Non-working, either benefits or non benefits supported
o And more variants - When EICs were carried out
- If a set of flats, were they purpose built or converted?
Many of the questions have come about as a result of the Grenfell enquiry and insurers needing to re-assess both the construction of the properties and the tenants housed therein. These features have always been part of the basic information needed to underwrite property policies. NNow they are under enhanced scrutiny, particularly for construction, something previously deemed ‘standard construction’ can no longer be considered that if its clad for heat efficiency or aesthetics.
Having this information to hand pre or at renewal will help us achieve the best possible terms from insurers. We’re starting to get in touch with clients earlier than normal in order to do this and would welcome the chance to obtain this information even if it’s mid term or during your policy year.
To find out more, or if you’ve got any queries, please get in touch with me on 01865 290929.