Insurer reveals most bizarre landlord insurance claims

When landlords need to claim against their insurance, the reasons can be mundane – or simply bizarre, as one landlord insurance firm has revealed.

Total Landlord Insurance has released details of six of its most unusual claims.

Melissa Choules, a claims specialist with the firm, said: “Sometimes, real life is stranger than fiction and as landlord insurance providers we hear some quite remarkable stories.

“But just because a story is unusual, it doesn’t mean the damage caused is any less serious and disruptive.”

She added: “That’s why having insurance is so important – you never quite know what’s going to happen and failing to secure the correct cover can leave you severely out of pocket. Trust us, we’ve seen it all.”

The bizarre landlord insurance claims include:

Tenant stuck in bath

In the middle of the night, neighbours heard a voice crying out for help. They eventually called the police who broke down the neighbour’s door with a battering ram.

Officers were stunned to find the property’s tenant unharmed – but wedged in the bath, unable to get out.

Then the fire service had to be called with their specialist knowledge and equipment to help free the woman. She had suffered no serious injuries.

Outcome: Total Landlord Insurance accepted the landlord’s claim totalling £1,200 to have the door replaced due to ‘threat to life’ of the tenant.

Exploding heating system

Not long after a fully qualified engineer had made alterations to a range stove and heating system in a rental property, it exploded!

An examination revealed that the engineer had mistakenly capped off the back boiler which then created an unvented stream pressure vessel to rupture and explode.

Outcome: The stove and heating system had to be fully replaced. The walls also needed re-plastering and redecorating, and due to a lack of central heating, the unlucky tenants had to move out of the property. Luckily, the landlord’s insurance cover included the unlikely event of explosion, as well as loss of rent. A claim totalling £30,579 was processed.

Controlled bomb explosion

In 2021, residents in Surrey were shocked to hear a very loud bang which turned out to be the controlled detonation of an unexploded WW2 bomb found nearby.

Despite protective processes being put in place to minimise the impact of the blast, some collateral damage was caused, including one property that suffered severe cracking of the brickwork along with windows and doors being completely blown out.

That came as a shock for the tenants living inside.

Outcome: No one was hurt by the explosion, but the damage was so bad that the tenants had to move out. The landlord claimed for £204,000 for repairs and loss of rent. The claim was promptly settled.

Exciting football match leads to flooding

In the summer of 2021, a tenant was washing items in the bathroom sink of her home in north London. As she was doing so, she was distracted by exciting events in the Euro’s football game playing on the television in her living room. Rushing to catch the drama, she left the taps running in the bathroom and didn’t discover her error for over two hours, by which point water had poured onto the bathroom floor and gushed into the flat below.

Outcome: A claim of £10,870 was made by the landlord and quickly settled. The money was required to replace the bathroom floor and repair all damages to the flat below.

Arson attack on rented property

Late one evening, tenants were alerted by a passer-by that someone had posted something suspicious through their letterbox before running away. It turns out the item was on fire! The door was badly damaged, and the fire service had to deal it.

Outcome: Nobody suffered any physical injuries, but the damage to the front door meant it needed replacing. A £2,500 claim was submitted by the landlord and settled by Total Landlord Insurance.

The Thames tornado

In June 2021, a mini tornado crashed through north east London. Footage was shared on social media showing scenes like those from The Wizard of Oz: wheelie bins swept into the air, trees ripped from their roots and walls tumbling down. One street experienced significant damage to vehicles, buildings and power lines, with one house suffering roof damage and dislodged tiles.

Outcome: Fortunately, the landlord had cover that included storm damage and their claim for £1,235 to repair the roof was settled faster than you could click your heels thrice.

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