DSS Landlord Insurance
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Why Compare Cheap DSS Landlord Insurance Quotes With SimplyQuote
Landlords need to ensure they have the right insurance for their properties if they want to be protected from high financial costs.
But, finding the right DSS landlord insurance policy can be tough, especially if you’re busy vetting tenants and juggling several rental properties.
With SimplyQuote, you can quickly and easily receive quotes from several of the UK’s top insurance providers, helping you compare quotes and find the best policy for your DSS tenants landlord insurance.
What Do You Need To Get A Quote?
Provide SimplyQuote with the following information to receive a quote:
- Personal details: Name, surname, address
- Property details: Property type and number of bedrooms
- Location: Address and postcode of your property
- Tenancy details: Number of tenants, whether tenants claim Local Housing Allowance
- Cover required
- Claims history
Why Do You Need DSS Landlord Insurance ?
By law, you don’t need Department of Social Security (DSS) landlord insurance, however, it is highly recommended to cover yourself with a reliable insurance policy.
Protecting yourself from high costs due to building damage or other unwanted costs or legal expenses will ensure you are not left out of pocket by renting your property out to DSS tenants.
There are a variety of different landlord insurance policies out there, so be sure to use our comparison tool so you can find the one that covers all of your needs. From insuring multiple properties to liability insurance and malicious damage, protecting yourself from high expenses is extremely recommended.
What Does DSS Landlord Insurance Cover?
When deciding whether to buy a DSS insurance policy, you should ask yourself what type of cover is important to you. Insuring tenants with housing benefits is a great way to protect yourself, but it doesn’t cover everything.
Choosing the right policy can help you protect your property, and avoid unnecessary expenses. The following is usually covered by a DSS landlord insurance policy.
Buildings insurance
Damage to a property can be extremely expensive, especially if it is detrimental to your property’s structure and permanent fixtures. Thankfully, decent DSS landlord insurance will cover your building from accidental and malicious damage that may be caused by tenants.
You will also find that most insurance for DSS tenants covers damage from an insured event such as a flood or fire, which always adds peace of mind.
Rent guarantee insurance
An important part of any DSS landlord insurance policy is rent protection. If your housing benefit tenants can’t afford this month’s rent payment due to financial reasons, then rent guarantee insurance can cover you for up to 6 months of missing rent payments.
Worrying about rent can be a stressful event, but thankfully, with renters insurance, you will no longer need to worry about a tenant’s financial situation.
Legal expenses
If you find yourself needing to pay for legal protection due to issues relating to your insured property, then your DSS landlord insurance cover will cover any costs. This covers both defence and pursuit legal cases.
Although this is rarely needed, it can be a great benefit if you are worried about a particular tenant or you just want to be safe.
Alternative accommodation
A great addition to any landlord insurance, not just those that cover housing benefit tenants, is alternative accommodation insurance. In case of an extreme accident or when immediate repairs are required, alternative accommodation insurance will cover any costs incurred by temporarily rehousing your tenants.
Finding an alternative temporary home for your DSS tenant can quickly become pricey, which is why we would recommend finding a policy that includes this insurance!
Note: Landlords are only liable to relocate tenants if it’s mentioned in your tenancy agreement.
Accidental damage
Accidental damage insurance will protect you in case of an accident on your property that leads to damage. It covers any non-malicious events such as plant pots falling or bookcases collapsing.
However, as with most insurance, it will not cover regular wear and tear, so keep that in mind when deciding if it is right for your DSS tenant.
Contents insurance
If you include furniture in your tenancy agreement, then contents insurance is incredibly important. Included by almost all insurance providers, content insurance will help cover costs from damage to furnishings such as sofas and chairs.
It also offers protection in terms of theft, so you won’t need to use your own money to purchase brand-new furnishings.
Liability insurance
Liability insurance will protect you in the event that a member of the public or your DSS tenant is injured on your property. This will cover financial costs related to any third-party claims and can protect you from extremely high expenses.
Liability insurance includes employers’ liability (if you employ any staff, like cleaners or gardeners) and public liability (should a member of the public be injured at your property).
Hopefully, this will never become an issue, but protecting yourself from being charged due to an injury that was no fault of your own is recommended.
What’s not covered?
- Wear and tear: Gradual deterioration of furnishings due to everyday use won’t be covered.
- Tenant’s belongings: The tenant will have to take out their own contents cover.
- Business activity: If your DSS tenant runs a business from the residential property, it won’t be covered.
- Vacancy: DSS tenants cover will be void if the property is vacant for 2 months or longer.
Which Add-Ons Are Available For DSS Landlord Insurance?
The following policy add-ons are offered by some insurance providers:
- Malicious damage excess waiver: With this add-on, you don’t have to pay the excess required for malicious damage claims.
- Loss of rent due to legal action: This covers the loss of rental income if legal action is taken to evict a tenant.
- Personal belongings cover: Will protect your own belongings stored at the property (e.g. if you have some items in the garage that is not used by the tenant).
- Accidental damage to appliances: Provides cover for damage to appliances not usually covered by standard accidental damage insurance.
- Emergency assistance: Will provide 24/7 access to emergency plumbers or electricians.
- Rent guarantee extension: Extends the period for which lost rent is covered beyond the standard 6 months that is usually offered.
How Much Does DSS Landlord Insurance Cost?
The cost of DSS landlord insurance varies based on your insurance company and several other factors (addressed below). However, it typically ranges from £120 to £220 per year.
Which factors influence the cost of DSS landlord insurance?
- Location of rental property: Higher-risk areas are more expensive to insure.
- Age of the property
- Type of property: E.g. detached house, terraced house, flat, bungalow.
- Type of roof: Flat, timber frame or thatched.
- If the property has experienced subsidence
- Optional extras you add to your policy
- Claims history
- Number of tenants
- Level of security at the property
- Whether it is a pet-friendly rental: Pets tend to increase premiums.
How Can You Get Cheap Landlord Insurance Rates?
There are several easy ways in which you can reduce your DSS landlord insurance premiums:
- Pay upfront: By paying for your policy annually you won’t be faced with monthly interest.
- Up the security: Install an alarm system, burglar bars, secure locks and CCTV cameras.
- Increase voluntary excess: This will lower your premium, but make sure you can afford the excess when you do need to make a claim.
- Bundle properties: Insurers tend to give discounts if you insure multiple properties under the same property insurance policy.
- Shop around: Compare insurance quotes to get the best deal.
- Maintain the property: Ensure the property is properly maintained to reduce the risk of problems that could lead to claims.
- Vet tenants: Ask for references and perform thorough checks to find tenants that are less likely to damage your property.
- Don’t over insure: For example, if you don’t provide furniture, then you won’t need contents insurance.
How To Compare DSS Landlord Insurance Quotes With SimplyQuote?
Comparing DSS landlord insurance quotes with SimplyQuote couldn’t be easier:
- Fill in the short form: Give us info on your property and tenants.
- Choose extra add-ons: Decide your level of cover.
- Compare insurance quotes: Find a quote best suited to your needs.
- Save today: Get a great insurance deal.
Frequently Asked Questions
In simple terms, DSS landlord insurance policies offer protection for property damage when renting your property to housing benefit tenants. Most landlord insurance will protect your assets from damage caused by tenants, essentially ensuring you don’t need to pay a fortune repairing your property.
DSS, or Department of Social Security tenants, are tenants that claim housing benefits.
If any of your tenants do receive benefits payments, or you are planning on renting to housing benefit claimants, then you will want to invest in DSS insurance.
Housing benefit is an excellent way for people who usually can’t afford to pay rent to find themselves a place to live. There is a range of factors that come into play when it comes down to whether or not someone is eligible for housing benefit:
- If you have reached the state pension age
- If you’re in supported, sheltered or in temporary housing
You can find out more about housing benefits on the GOV website, but most DSS tenants will fall within one of the two categories above. Housing benefit claimants will require a specialist insurance policy, but this will rarely cost more than your typical housing insurance.
This depends entirely on the quote you can find. There are a range of different policies available each with a unique cost. However, you will usually have to pay slightly more if you are purchasing DSS landlord insurance.
The price will rarely be a lot higher, but it will tend to be slightly more expensive than renting to full-time professionals.
The only difference between regular landlord insurance and DSS cover is that a DSS insurance policy will cover DSS tenants. Most regular landlord insurance policies will not offer coverage for DSS tenants.
If you plan to rent to housing benefits claimants, then make sure your chosen insurance policy will offer full protection.
The best way to find affordable insurance for DSS tenants is to compare quotes until you find one that suits your budget. By filling out the compare form found on our site we can quickly find a cheap landlord policy that works for you.
With over 29 reliable insurers available, and including buy-to-let insurance and DSS insurance, you will quickly find the policy that suits your renting needs!
If you want to compare a range of policies that are available today, then you have come to the right place. SimplyQuote offers a handy comparison tool you can use to find landlord insurance for DSS tenants with minimal fuss.
By comparing the best DSS insurance policies out there, you can quickly cover any properties you rent to housing benefit tenants. This will give you the peace of mind that you deserve.