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DSS Landlord Insurance
Tailored landlord insurance for properties occupied by DWP tenants and those on housing benefits.
- Policies for Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) tenants - formerly known as Department of Social Security (DSS).and those on housing benefits
- Cover for non-working tenants and those on benefits
- Access your quotes, policies and renewals in your online account
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Why choose DSS landlords insurance with Towergate?
Accidental damage insurance for rented buildings
Insure your property against accidental damage.
Protection against malicious damage from DSS tenants
Optional cover for malicious damage caused by your tenants.
Contents cover for DSS rental properties
Ask our advisers about contents insurance.
Pay by Direct Debit
We offer a quick and easy Direct Debit instalment scheme so you can spread payment over ten months.
About DSS landlords insurance
Accidental damage caused by tenants
This cover protects you from damage to the building as a result of a non-malicious and unintentional act by your tenant, their family or their guests. Flooding a bath, putting a nail through a pipe or drilling a screw through a wall are just some examples where accidental damage cover would apply. and help pay for the necessary repairs in your property. Accidental damage, as any other insurance, does not cover wear and tear.
Malicious damage to your rental property
Malicious damage cover, similar to accidental damage, is a feature of Towergate’s standard property insurance and is available online or by phone. Commonly, malicious damage when caused by members of the public, is covered by the majority of landlord policies available.
Theft or attempted theft damage to buildings
Most landlord insurers will cover you for theft damage to the structure of the buildings caused as a result of theft or attempted theft involving visible signs of forcible entry or exit, to or from the property. Cover can also include loss or damage to your property's communal areas. When selecting your policy, take care when assessing the value of contents in communal areas on a replacement as new basis. Some policies have automatic cover up specified amount but with others this cover may be optional.
Cover for theft by tenants
Towergate has access to insurance that can offer theft of contents by tenants as an extension. For standard theft cover to apply, there must be signs of forcible or violent entry or exit at the property. In the event of your tenant stealing from the property, these signs may not be present as they would have had keys, therefore extra cover can be applied. If this is important to you, call us for more information.
When you need to make a claim, we'll guide you through the process and get your claim settled as quickly as possible.
- Find your insurance documents and make sure you have all your information at hand, including your policy number.
- Call the claims team on 0344 346 0307 and explain exactly what happened.
- Provide photos if requested to help us understand what happened as quickly as we can.
Ready to get covered?
- Fill in our online quote form or call us
- Select your insurer and price
- Relax - You're covered!
DSS landlord insurance FAQs
Landlord insurance can be different if you let your property to DSS/DWP tenants. It’s important to inform your insurance provider of the type of tenants you will be renting to. Regardless of whether they are students, DSS/DWP or professionals it's important to provide all the information in order to get the best value out of your policy.
Yes, irrespective of the type of tenants you have, you'll want to protect yourself in the event of insured property damage which renders the building uninhabitable. As landlords rent properties primarily to earn rental income, you could find yourself out of pocket for a long period of time, possibly until the property is fully repaired.
No. The reason is that you can’t insure something that’s not yours. You wouldn’t try to put on cover something that belongs to your neighbour or friend and the same principle goes for your tenants. You need to have insurable interest in the item you want to protect against loss or damage.
Buildings does not just mean the structure of your property, it can also include outbuildings, greenhouses, extensions, porches and conservatories, paths, driveways and patios, walls, gates and fences.
However, damage to walls, gates and fences by storm or flood is excluded. For an accurate description of what is deemed to be part of your buildings cover you should refer to the definitions page in your own policy wording as it can vary per insurer.
Damage to Landscaped gardens, trees and shrubs is normally excluded under buildings insurance and can usually be covered through extension for damage caused by emergency vehicles attending a fire.
To help you spread the cost of your premiums, we offer a quick and easy direct debit scheme for spreading payment over ten months. Please visit our dedicated Direct Debit page to find out more.
If you would like to know more about our monthly payment option, please visit our dedicated Direct Debit page.
See our range of cover for landlords
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