Buildings Insurance
As stated under the terms of your lease, “Johnnie” Johnson Housing Trust is responsible for insuring your property and any common parts within your scheme. You are responsible for paying the insurance premium through your service charge.
What does the buildings insurance cover?
Exclusions from buildings insurance cover
Temporary accommodation
Public liability insurance
Contents insurance
Other insurance conditions
Insurance value
Property improvements
Making a claim
What does the buildings insurance cover?
The insurance policy covers all buildings in your scheme and, in addition, it provides cover for:
- Drains, pipes and cables
- Drives and footpaths
- Garden walls and gates
- Communal fixtures and fittings (including aerials and fitted furnishings)
The policy covers you against a range of perils causing damage to property, including fire, malicious damage by vandals, bursting or overflowing from water tanks and apparatus pipes, accidental damage and theft or attempted theft.
Exclusions from buildings insurance cover
You should be aware that there is an excess of £100 on each claim. The excess is payable either through your service charge or may be your personal responsibility, depending on the nature of the claim.
You are not insured for:
- Losses resulting from malicious damage, water damage or theft, which occur while the building is unoccupied for a period of over 30 consecutive days
- Loss or damage involving landslip and the movement of foundations due to subsidence in specific circumstances as detailed in the policy
There are a number of items inside your property which are covered by your buildings insurance, but for which you as a leaseholder are responsible, e.g. electrical wiring, pipes, toilets, baths and wash hand basins. If damage occurs to these fittings, through one of the perils covered by the policy, you can claim on the buildings insurance by contacting your Housing Manager. You will be required to obtain quotations for the costs of remedial work and for having the necessary works undertaken. In addition, you will be responsible for the excess on any claims.
If your property becomes inhabitable due to loss or damage, the insurance policy will cover the reasonable additional cost of comparable temporary accommodation, exclusive of the usual living expenses. You will have cover for up to 10% of the insured value of your property to pay for any claim for temporary alternative accommodation.
The policy also covers in respect of rebuilding requirements, including architects’ fees and clearance costs. It also covers extra costs to reinstate or repair a damaged property it this is needed to comply with the law.
As we own the freehold on your home, we may be liable for injury to you and other people within or near the property, or for damage caused by something like a fallen tree. The buildings insurance policy insures for these risks for up to £5 million for such an event.
Our Buildings Insurance policy does not provide cover for your personal possessions and these should be insured under your own Contents Insurance policy.
You are responsible for taking all reasonable steps to prevent loss, damage or injury which may result in a claim, for example, ensuring your property is secure.
The insurance value of properties at your scheme is reviewed each year and adjusted to take account of any changes in the House Rebuilding Cost Index.
If you wish to know the present insured value of your scheme, please contact your Housing Manager. We can also provide a figure for the insured value of your own home.
We negotiate your insurance policy as part of a block policy covering all our stock—over 4000 homes. Therefore, you benefit from very competitive premiums because of our bulk purchasing power.
The buildings insurance policy will include any improvements to your property, provided you obtain permission to undertake improvements, in accordance with your lease. It is, therefore, essential that you apply for permission before carrying out improvements so that we can ensure that the work is undertaken to a satisfactory standard, as unsatisfactory works may invalidate our insurance conditions.
All claims must be made by the Trust as Policyholder.
If you think you may be able to make a claim, please advise your Scheme Manager or Housing Manager as soon as possible.
Please note: The policy details are too detailed to be covered in full in this document. You can obtain a complete copy of the policy from your Housing Manager
