Leasehold Flat & liability insurance

[msg2004]

Hello

My sister owns a flat she rents out, started doing this a few months ago.
The block is covered by the amendment agents on behalf of freeholds.
She could only rent out initially to working people, no benefits and she told the
management agents. She also used a letting agent and got
some type of rental cover, 'Homelet' I think she said.

Last night the T contacted the letting agents and said the kitchen celing had fallen down,
about two and half foot by three feet. The T lives on 6th floor ie top floor and no one above them and pitched roof on the building.
No water damage, nothing fallen, there were no cracks and item just fell the T said and caught his big toe resulting in bruised toe.

I asked her if she had liability insurance and she is not sure and worried very much. The agen took still picture and video footage and
odd the record is very baffled re fall of ceiling and contacteed the management agents but sister cant as they are closed.

The flats are about 10 years old and two blocks and the letting agents manges about 10 properties there and has never seen anything like it

Is my sister covered by liability insurance via the management/freehold agents?

Made me think as well as I rent out housed and have liability cover included, but I have three flats and am too concerned about this and looked around for stand alone liability cover.
Is there anything like stand alone liability as I have looked and cant see anything and will also phone my freeholds/agents on Tuesday and ensure I'm covered or buy separate liability cover.


I thought I had a lot of knowldge re renting and my sister took my advice and I feel sick about it and we both cant do anything until Tuesday when the management/freeholders agents office opens Tuesday.

Btw, sister property/flat is in Southend and not a holiday let.

Thanks

[JK0]

I take Directline landlord's contents cover for my rental flats. This gives few thousand of cover for carpets, curtains & appliances, but also includes liability cover. Also for slightly more, you can be covered against loss of rent if the place is uninhabitable.

I recommend it.

[msg2004]

Many thanks JKO. My sister will wait until Tuesday and check with freeholder.

I have looked there and others and taken out cover.

My sister showed me the pictures and the video. Looks incredible about the ceiling just falling in part, no cracks, no noise, no warning, no bits on the fllor and the part of the plasterboard that remains up on the celing appears to be very secure. Nails can be seen in the joist, just incredible how/why it came down. The tenat claimed no one was in the loft and he was by himself and is going to take some time off work because of his toe. My siter and the agent took pictures of his toe, light brusie on the big toe.

Having seen the pictures and having seen the flat prior to this incident, no cracks in ceilings even hair line ones. - very baffling and very worrying for my sister. I have told her not to worry but not let on that i am worried as I should have thought about liability insurance - it comes auoutacially with freehold properties but got caught out.

[AndrewDod]

Seeing Directline was advertised I will give a huge caveat. I had DL insurance. Part way through tenancy my 50 year old tenant decided to chuck up her job and do a MSc degree part time. My insurance was void because the policy does not cover students. Beware beware of landlords policies which are not suitable for landlords in the real world or which have exclusion criteria that really make no sense at all.

[andybenw]

It is possible that the insurance for the building will include liability cover. Before I moved in our building (3 flats) had someone fall down a drain inspection pit and the building insurance paid out a few thousand pounds.

[JK0]

I bet that's only for common areas though, rather than for inside individual flats.

[JK0]

msg2004,

I wonder if his toe got bruised when falling through the ceiling he hit the floor.

[bbva]

It sounds like tenant was in the loft and fell through the ceiling

[andybenw]

bbva,

I agree, the only other way sound ceilings come down is due to water, and no leaks here. 2 ft by 3ft sounds like the size of hole that could be knocked through by a foot. But pretty impossible to prove I'd have thought. .

[msg2004]

Thank you all - TBH, I am the very strong judgement that the T's leg or one of the family was in the loft, went pst the boards, leg through near joist resulting in plasterboard coming clean away from nails, as leg continues to go through creiling the pressure breaks board about 3 feet up. But all very diff to prove - its the injury that worries me even more and as it was me that helped my sister onto the propery rentals, I feel bad.
I can post the pictures here as my sister does not want me to do that in case the T sees it, but to we ahve spoken to, looks suspect

My sister would have repaired without a second thought if it was water damage, roof had fallen on it - but its not the case and the management agents are looking into it.

Thanks again