In a previous blog I wrote about a fire which happened in a restaurant which spread to 14 housing association flats above said restaurant. I will now explain why it is essential that you have a tenants contents insurance policy in place, especially if you live in a block of flats or above commercial premises.
Let’s take the scenario which I wrote about, a fire in a branch of Prezzo, the Italian food restaurant chain. Say for example we take two of the flats above which were damaged, one of which had tenants contents insurance and one which didn’t. Here’s the scenario…
Flat number ‘I got my tenants contents insurance through Comparecrazy.com’ makes a simple call to the insurance company and explains the situation. The insurance company pays out. The end.
Flat number ‘I don’t need tenants contents insurance because I’m very responsible, don’t smoke or use a chip pan so the likelihood of me starting a fire is minimal’ doesn’t take into account the fact that fires travel through walls and the people around him may not be quite as responsible, or at least are at greater risk of starting a fire. He loses all his belongings. He asks the restaurant downstairs for their insurance details as technically he’s covered under their public liability insurance but the restaurant is not legally obliged (which they would be if it were a motor or employer’s liability claim) to disclose their insurers. Blah blah blah, the long and short of it is he could have to pursue a claim through the civil courts to recoup his losses which could take months and an awful lot of dithering about. Say it wasn’t a restaurant in a chain and the fire had put it out of business completely, he gets nothing. The end.
So the upshot is this, my fairy story telling clearly isn’t that good. Having said that, if you live in rented accommodation come to Comparecrazy for a competitive quote on your tenants contents insurance and we can all live happily ever after! (Sorry, couldn’t help it!) Comparecrazy.com. The business insurance comparison site!
