Insurance to cover fixtures and fittings in an apartment

on_my_oe

We are buying an apartment; the block insurance covers the four walls as such, but we are responsible for everything inside the walls. I've approached Allianz who are providing our contents insurance in our rented accommodation, and initially they refused to extend the cover to include things like the kitchen, bathroom fittings etc. After a but of discussion they told me it needs to go under a separate 'home improvements' policy but I would need to itemise everything, including how much the internet stairs would cost to replace.

Is there an easier way, or do I just surrender and find a broker?

To Elland Back

Anything structural, as standard, will be covered under the block policy. If you have made significant modifications, you can take out cover for 'tenants improvements'. These shouldn't be hard to list unless you have done an awful lot.

on_my_oe

We are replacing the kitchen completely, replacing the fittings in the bathrooms and installing new fitted wardrobes.

peteb2

The finer print of the contents policy should allow for tenants improvements or what a normal policy would consider buildings. Should not be a problem.

Marcusm

What damage other than consequential loss from fire or water ingress are you concerned with? Bathrooms and kitchens would not normally be separately itemised.

peteb2

Marcusm wrote: »

What damage other than consequential loss from fire or water ingress are you concerned with? Bathrooms and kitchens would not normally be separately itemised.

Consequential loss? What are you talking about?? You can't claim for rent of a new kitchen!

When they are not the standard block features the block policy does not cover them. Hence content policy

Marcusm

peteb2 wrote: »

Consequential loss? What are you talking about?? You can't claim for rent of a new kitchen!

When they are not the standard block features the block policy does not cover them. Hence content policy

The block policy will cover water ingress and fire arising from a communal area. Damage to a kitchen or bathroom arising from a water or fire incident will be a consequential loss, ie it arises as a consequence of the flood or fire. The block policy will have a deductible whoch may be small (say £500) or, as in the case of one of my flats, it may be large - in that case £35,000. The contents policy obtained by the leaseholder can cover those but the policy may not always do so - it may just cover non fixed contents, or it may cover only in respect of incidents arising within the apartment.

I don't speak from a position of ignorance (ie lack of knowledge) although your posting style may have similar implications.

I am seeking, through the socratic method, to establish exactly what the OP is concerned with.

coylemj

Marcusm wrote: »

Damage to a kitchen or bathroom arising from a water or fire incident will be a consequential loss, ie it arises as a consequence of the flood or fire.

That's not 'consequential loss', it's damage directly caused by the fire or flood.

'Consequential Loss' refers to indirect loss, typically income you would have made but cannot because of the fire such as when a shop burns down and you're out of business for several weeks. If you were covered for consequential loss then you could claim for the loss of income for the several weeks the business was closed while you got the shop refitted and restocked. If the repairs took an extended period, it could also cover the rental on a temporary premises.

To Elland Back

Marcusm wrote: »

What damage other than consequential loss from fire or water ingress are you concerned with? Bathrooms and kitchens would not normally be separately itemised.

Your use of consequential loss is a significant error in that they have a very particular insurance meaning, as others have said

peteb2

Marcusm wrote: »

The block policy will cover water ingress and fire arising from a communal area.

Not to non-standard features it won't. There wouldn't be a chance of a claim succeeding on a property owners liability basis, which is what you are implying. A member of the management co could not successfully sue another member under the policy and have it covered.

What it would cover would be if water ingressed and damaged a standard kitchen that was in the block when it was built. Not one that the owner fitted themselves - i.e costs 20k when the standard builder fitted one costs 2k.

So whilst you may not talk from a point of ignorance, you talk from a point of misunderstanding.

on_my_oe

Thanks for all the replies.

1) I'm purchasing the property - I'm not a tenant
2) I'm planning on improvements to the existing facilities, including new fitted wardrobes, a new kitchen with better high spec appliances and new bathrooms. My understanding is block insurance covers the external four walls and windows - anything inside, carpets, bathroom fittings, etc are my cost?

coylemj

on_my_oe wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

1) I'm purchasing the property - I'm not a tenant
2) I'm planning on improvements to the existing facilities, including new fitted wardrobes, a new kitchen with better high spec appliances and new bathrooms. My understanding is block insurance covers the external four walls and windows - anything inside, carpets, bathroom fittings, etc are my cost?

You talked in your first post about Allianz and how they 'refused to extend the cover' - I think your new situation will require a completely new policy because what you had was a tenant's policy covering (movable) contents only whereas in your new apartment you will need cover for contents and fixtures and fittings but not cover to rebuild the four walls.

You may have been dealing with a call agent who didn't understand that you need a new policy, not a modification to the existing one. It can't be so difficult to take out insurance on an owner-occupied apartment.