Council tenants - home contents insurance scheme

Introduction

Many of you believe that we insure your home contents. This is not the case.

Whilst we are responsible for carrying out reported repairs, such as a burst pipe, we are not responsible for compensating you for any damage to your belongings or decorations. This needs to be covered by your own contents insurance

You can either take out your own household contents insurance or take advantage of our low cost scheme arranged by Aon, through Aviva.

The scheme is open to all Bristol City Council tenants and leaseholders.

How to apply

• Complete the application form (pdf, 124 KB).
• Make sure that you answer all the questions and sign the declaration.
• If you need help to complete the form, please visit any Customer Service Point.
• Once completed hand it into any Customer Service Point or post it to STS (Accounts Receivable).

Overview of the scheme

Payment of the premium

• Insurance premiums are payable weekly. To work out your payment, refer to the cost of insurance table (pdf, 20 KB) and multiply the weekly premium by two.
• When you are working out the cost of your insurance you need to work out how much it would cost to replace the full contents of your home.
• If you under value your contents this will mean that if you claim you will not get the full value of your claim. 
• The lowest amount that can be insured is £6,000 if you are over the age of 60. £9,000 for all other people.

What the insurance covers

• Please refer to the policy summary (pdf, 0.6 MB) which details the main circumstances that are covered (for example, fire, theft, water damage).
• A specimen policy booklet is available on request from any Customer Service Point or Accounts Receivable. The insurance covers:
• most of your household goods and contents  whilst in your home,
• home contents on a "new for old" basis, with the exception of linen and clothing which will be replaced at their current cost, less an amount for wear and tear,
• theft of your keys,
• contents of your freezer,
• cover for personal liability,
• accidental damage is not covered as standard by this insurance other than what is detailed in the policy summary (pdf, 0.6 MB). However, a full accidental damage option may be available at an additional cost. 

Keeping up the payments

• To make sure that you are always covered you must keep up to date with your payments.
• We can cancel the policy if your premium payments fall into arrears.
• You may not be able to make a claim unless your payments are up to date.

Start date

• Your insurance starts when we inform you that you have been accepted onto the scheme.
• Aviva will write to you with details of your insurance payments and the date when you should start paying.
• You will be notified in writing if for any reason you have not been accepted into the scheme.

Special notes

• If during the period of your insurance cover your home is likely to be unoccupied (for example if you are in hospital, extended holiday) for more than 30 consecutive days you must advise us.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that the sum insured is sufficient to cover all your household items and personal effects.

Making a claim

If you need to make a claim please contact Accounts Receivable.