Lodger Building & Contents Insurance

The odds are you already have some form of building insurance policy, so it’s important you take the appropriate steps to keep your policy valid. Many insurance policies are invalidated if you take in a lodger. However, most providers are OK with it as long as you let them know in advance.

Before you take in a lodger, you should contact your insurance provider and in form them in advance you plan on taking on a lodger. In many cases, your insurer will update their records or put you onto a new “landlord” specific policy, and this will usually affect your premium because, for example, of the increase in risk for accidental damage.

Some insurers may refuse to cover lodgers all together, most likely because they don’t provide landlord policies. In that case, you can find a provider which specifically offers landlord insurance- there are plenty around. A good starting point is a comparison website, like confused.com.

If you fail to inform your insurance provider of your lodger, your policy could become avoid, which would make you illegible to make any claims. That could be an extremely expensive mistake.

What your insurance company will want to know

When you notify your insurance company of your lodger, they may want to know more details about them, specifically if they have a criminal record. In order to know that, you will need to ask your lodger, but it’s a question best asked while they’re applying to be your lodger, so during the lodger referencing process.

This can be a particularly difficult question to ask, but you can say it’s a question required by insurance companies, and most people do understand.

The best way to deal with it is to get all applicants to complete a “lodger application” form during the viewing, which requires the applicant’s name, employment details, DOB, and declaration of any criminal records etc, along with a date and signature for confirmation (more details can be found on the lodger referencing page).

Some insurance companies will void any claims if your lodger has a criminal record and you don’t declare it. However, if your lodger denies any criminal records, but then it turns out it the lodger does have one, you should be ok provided that you have written proof that you asked the question and the lodger gave a false answer.

Contents insurance

Typically, your lodger’s possessions won’t be covered by your contents insurance (if you have contents insurance, that is). This is something you should find out from your insurer when notifying them about your incoming lodger. Some insurers will offer you extra protection to cover your lodger’s possessions, but they may charge a premium for the extra cover.

If your policy does not cover your lodger’s possessions, you should notify your lodger while you’re discussing the house rules. The lodger can then take it upon them self to arrange any suitable insurance to cover their own belongings.