Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question which has not been answered in our FAQ's section, you can contact us by e-mail or phone and we will promptly reply.

How much do I insure my property for?
When it comes to insuring your property you need to know how much to insure it for. This amount should be the re-instatement cost and not the current market value. The Association of British Insurers provide a handy calculator tool that will tell you the re-instatement value for any property, anywhere in the UK. Use these figures for homeowners, let property, holiday homes etc. to get your immediate online quotation from Brokers Direct. Association Of British Insurers Calculator Tool.

Is it secure to buy online?
The options are to pay by credit card, debit card, cheque or by direct debit. The only one that imposes any charges is the Direct Debit payment which adds 10% to the annual premium and this is payable over 9 months, not 12. All other methods do not incur any other charges at all. You can pay by credit / debit card securely online. The proposal forms are processed on a secure server with 128 bit encryption. This will be confirmed to you by the locked padlock on the bottom right hand side of your screen. Barclaycard Merchant Services process all our credit card payments. If you want to pay by cheque then please make your cheque payable to Rent Guard Limited, write the insured address on the back of the cheque and send to RGA Brokers Direct, Rent Guard Limited, Grove House, 551 London Road, Isleworth Middlesex TW7 4DS.

How can I pay for this policy? Can I pay by Direct Debit?
The options are to pay by credit card, debit card, cheque or by direct debit. The only one that imposes any charges is the Direct Debit payment which adds 10% to the annual premium and this is payable over 9 months, not 12. All other methods do not incur any other charges at all. You can pay by credit / debit card securely online. The proposal forms are processed on a secure server with 128 bit encryption. This will be confirmed to you by the locked padlock on the bottom right hand side of your screen. Barclaycard Merchant Services process all our credit card payments. If you want to pay by cheque then please make your cheque payable to Rent Guard Limited, write the insured address on the back of the cheque and send to RGA Brokers Direct, Rent Guard Limited, Grove House, 551 London Road, Isleworth Middlesex TW7 4DS.

What are the payment options for placing policies?
You can pay for your policy by Credit/Debit Card, Cheque, or Direct Debit.

How do I make a claim?
A step by step guide on making a claim can be found on our Claims Advice page.

I have two (or more) properties insured with you, do I receive a discount?
No, we can offer a block scheme if you place five or more policies with us at one time, but not on two policies.

What does this policy cover?
Landlords InsuranceTenants InsuranceHome Owners InsuranceVacant Property InsuranceCommercial Property InsuranceStudents Insurance

Can I reduce the annual premium?
Almost all insurance policies carry an excess. The excess is the amount you pay in the event that you have to make a claim. The standard excess on this policy is £100.00, however you can significantly reduce the annual premium that you have been quoted, by increasing the excess. We offer excesses of £100.00 (standard), £250.00, £500.00, £750.00 and £1,000.00. To get a quotation with an increased excess please telephone 0800 311 2023 Monday - Friday, 9.00 am to 5.30 pm and Saturdays 9.00 am to 1.00 pm. Our team of Front Line Advisors are waiting to help. you.

How much is the policy excess?
Almost all insurance policies carry an excess. The excess is the amount you pay in the event that you have to make a claim. The standard excess on this policy is £100.00, however you can significantly reduce the annual premium that you have been quoted, by increasing the excess. We offer excesses of £100.00 (standard), £250.00, £500.00, £750.00 and £1,000.00. To get a quotation with an increased excess please telephone 0800 311 2023 Monday - Friday, 9am to 6pm. Our team of Front Line Advisors are waiting to help you.

What is a policy excess?
Almost all insurance policies carry an excess. The excess is the amount you pay in the event that you have to make a claim. The standard excess on this policy is £100.00, however you can significantly reduce the annual premium that you have been quoted, by increasing the excess. We offer excesses of £100.00 (standard), £250.00, £500.00, £750.00 and £1,000.00. To get a quotation with an increased excess please telephone 0800 311 2023 Monday - Friday, 9am to 6pm. Our team of Front Line Advisors are waiting to help you.

What if I want to cancel this policy?
This policy is issued by Rent Guard Limited, Grove House, 551 London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 4DS and is underwritten by leading UK insurers. Once you purchase this policy you will receive your policy documents within 7 days. Once received you have a further 14 days to read through the policy wording and also to check that the cover provided meets your requirements. If for any reason you are not happy with the cover provided, please telephone us on 0800 311 2023 Monday - Friday 9.00 am to 5.30 pm and Saturday 9.00 am 12 noon and they will assist you in providing alternative cover, or instruct you how to cancel the policy and get a full refund. If you want to cancel this policy after the 14 day 'cooling off' period you must phone the insurers direct on 0800 311 2023. You must also provide one month's notice of your intention to cancel, otherwise penalties will be chargeable.

Is accidental damage included?
If you have taken out buildings insurance then accidental damage is covered for breakage of fixed glass, solar panels, sanitary fixtures and fittings and ceramic hobs. Also covered is the cost of repairing accidental damage to oil pipes, underground water supply pipes, sewers, drains, underground gas pipes and electricity cables. If you have taken out contents insurance then accidental damage is not included, however we would recommend that you make it a condition of your tenancy agreement that your tenants arrange contents insurance to cover their personal possessions. We provide a policy from Rent Guard that would also give your tenants legal liability cover up to £2million and legal liability cover to the landlord. This means that if they damaged any of the landlord's possessions they can make an insurance claim for the cost of the damage. This could also protect the tenant's deposit.

What is Landlord's Liability?
This policy provides £2 million of landlord's liability cover. As a landlord it is essential that your policy includes this type of cover. Take the scenario where your tenant is seriously injured because of a defect in the buildings or contents. It is most likely that he would hold you responsible for his injuries, and possibly want to sue you for damages. Without landlord's liability cover you could face substantial losses.

Is Landlord's Liability included?
This policy provides £2 million of landlord's liability cover. As a landlord it is essential that your policy includes this type of cover. Take the scenario where your tenant is seriously injured because of a defect in the buildings or contents. It is most likely that he would hold you responsible for his injuries, and possibly want to sue you for damages. Without landlord's liability cover you could face substantial losses.

What is the minimum sum insured?
The minimum sum insured for this policy is £35,000. You cannot insure your property for less than that amount even though it may cost less than that to rebuild. The maximum sum insured on this policy is £500,000 however we have other insurance companies that can give competitive quotes for properties up to £5million. Please telephone 0800 311 2023 Monday - Friday 9.00 am to 5.30 pm for a quote. Our Front Line Advisors are waiting to help you.

Who issues this policy?
This policy is issued by Rent Guard Limited, Grove House, 551 London Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 4DS and is underwritten by leading UK insurers. Once you purchase this policy you will receive your policy documents within 7 days. You then have a further 14 days to read through the policy wording and also to check that the cover provided meets your requirements. If for any reason you are not happy with the cover provided, please telephone our Front Line Advisors on 0800 311 2023 Monday - Friday 9am to 6pm and they will assist you in providing alternative cover, or instruct you how to cancel the policy and get a full refund.

Who are the underwriters?
Rentguard policies are underwritten by leading UK insurance companies such as AXA, Zurich Insurance and various underwriters at Lloyds.

Does the Premium include IPT?
Yes. The premium is calculated including Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) at 5%.

What is loss of rent cover?
This policy covers loss of rent up to 20% of the sum insured. If you take out this policy and the building or contents become so badly damaged because of an insured peril, and the tenants have to be moved out because of this, then the insurance company will pay you the rent that the tenants would have paid you, up to 20% of the total sum insured. This does not include cover for loss of rent while the property is unoccupied or between lets.

What about Vacant periods?
This policy will provide cover between lets, for up to 90 days. If the property is vacant for longer than 90 days you must notify the insurance company by telephoning 0800 311 2023 Monday - Friday 8.00 am to 5.30 pm, or Saturday 9.00 am - 1.00 pm.

Can you fax my new policy details to a third party (solicitor, mortgage lender etc)?
Yes, once the policy has been set up, at the policy holder's request, we can fax/email/post policy details to any third party required.

Does loss of rent cover me if my tenants fail to pay their rent?
No, "Loss of Rent" is included as standard with all residential property insurance. It protects you if your property is made uninhabitable, due to one of the insured perils, such as fire or flood. Defaulted rent payments can be covered under our "Legal expenses and Rent Guarantee" insurance.

How do I calculate the rebuild value?
When it comes to insuring your property you need to know how much to insure it for. This amount should be the re-instatement cost and not the current market value. The Association of British Insurers provide a handy calculator tool that will tell you the re-instatement value for any property, anywhere in the UK. Use these figures for homeowners, let property, holiday homes etc. to get your immediate online quotation from Brokers Direct. Association Of British Insurers Calculator Tool.

How much do I insure my property for?
When it comes to insuring your property you need to know how much to insure it for. This amount should be the re-instatement cost and not the current market value. The Association of British Insurers provide a handy calculator tool that will tell you the re-instatement value for any property, anywhere in the UK. Use these figures for homeowners, let property, holiday homes etc. to get your immediate online quotation from Brokers Direct. Association Of British Insurers Calculator Tool.

How do I work out my contents sum?
The contents sum is the total sum of all of your belongings, including carpets and curtains. Contents cover does not include fixtures and fittings, as these are covered under buildings insurance.

What are contents?
The best way to explain what contents are is as follows. If it was possible to turn your house upside down, then anything that fell out would be classed as contents. It is worth noting that kitchen fitments including built-in appliances should be covered under the buildings policy, as is the case for bathroom fixtures and fittings, however, free standing cookers, fridges etc. that are not built-in should be included under contents. Carpets and laminate floors should be covered under contents, except where the laminate flooring (or real wood flooring) is actually nailed to the floor. In that case it should be covered under buildings insurance.