Tenants - Don't Expect Landlords to Cover Home Insurance

Recent research has shown that one in ten consumers fail to invest in home insurance (http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/jump1?mediaId=19300229&catId=19300223) , leaving assets such as furniture, gadgets and valuables vulnerable to theft and damage. As the average home contents value was recently estimated at more than GBP50,000 , neglecting home insurance (http://www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/jump1?mediaId=19300229&catId=19300223) could prove to be an expensive mistake - especially considering the number of domestic burglaries on the rise as a result of the recession .

Post Office home insurance is advising tenants to be aware of the two different types of home insurance - contents insurance and buildings insurance - to ensure that their possessions are fully protected. While most landlords take responsibility for investing in home insurance to cover the structure of the house and built-in appliances, tenants are often expected to have their own contents insurance policies.

Students should also be aware that while living away from their parent's home at university, their possessions may be covered by their parents' home contents insurance policy. Post Office Home Insurance will protect the belongings of sons or daughters away from the parental abode for up to GBP3,000, so students at university may not need additional contents insurance for their residence while away from home.

Contents insurance should cover everything that the tenant brings into the house, but everything else should be covered by the landlord. Landlords are advised to consult their provider and establish exactly what is covered in their home insurance policy, and encourage tenants to take action to cover anything outstanding.

It is crucial that both tenants and landlords are aware of their responsibilities when it comes to home insurance, and that each party invests in the appropriate buildings or contents insurance to protect their assets.