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Home Contents Insurance for Council Tenants

To avoid the uninsured loss of your household goods and contents council tenants should consider a Home Contents Insurance Policy.

Why tenants should consider Home Contents Insurance

Home Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions. No matter how careful you are, there's always a risk that your belongings could be broken, damaged or stolen. A Home Contents Insurance policy can help give tenants peace of mind in case the worst should happen.

Basildon Council does not cover damage or loss of your home contents and possessions as part of your tenancy agreement. It's a good idea to consider what a home contents insurance policy would cover you for, in order to help you make an informed decision on whether you need one.

Our pay as you go Home Contents Insurance scheme

Basildon Council has teamed up with Thistle Tenant Risks who provide specialist Tenants Contents Insurance policies. The pay as you go Home Contents Insurance on offer here is a specialist insurance scheme provided by Thistle Tenant Risks and all tenants living in social and affordable housing can apply for cover.

Thistle Tenant Risks can offer you insurance for the contents of your home including cover for items such as furniture, carpets, curtains, clothes, bedding, electrical items, jewellery, pictures and ornaments.

Reasons to the choose pay as you go Home Contents Insurance

  • Covers theft, water damage, fire and many more household risks
  • Covers tenants improvements (up to £2000 or 20% of the sum insured, whichever is the greatest)
  • Covers theft or attempted theft of contents in sheds, outbuildings and garages (up to £3,000)
  • Covers damage to external glazing for which you are responsible
  • Covers replacement and installation of locks for outside doors or windows and alarms, if keys are lost or stolen (up to £500)
  • You don't need to have special door or window locks (just a lockable front door)

Thistle Tenant Risks is a trading style of Thistle Insurance Services Limited. Thistle Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Firm Reference Number 310419. Registered in England under No. 00338645. Registered office: Rossington's Business Park, West Carr Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 7SW. Thistle Insurance Services Ltd is part of the PIB Group.

Our Data Protection Privacy Policy is online at www.thistleinsurance.co.uk/Privacy-Policy (opens new window).

Who this policy is for

Thistle Tenant Risks Contents Insurance has been designed to meet the demands and needs of social housing residents looking to purchase home contents insurance and Thistle has approached a single insurer Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited to be the insurers.

The insurance cover is subject to the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions contained in the Policy Wording Booklet which you should read carefully.

Based on the information which has been provided to you if you are unsure whether this insurance policy is right for you please contact Basildon Council's Insurance Team. See contact details below ...>>

** IMPORTANT - Information on keeping up with insurance  payments and for those receiving Housing Benefit

You must keep up to date with your payments. Failure to keep up with insurance premium payments will result in your policy being cancelled.

Tenants receiving Housing Benefit must be aware that insurance premium payments will not be included as part of their Housing Benefit entitlement. Tenants receiving Housing Benefit will have to either cancel their policy or make payments from their own finances or other benefit entitlement.

Apply to join the Home Contents Insurance Scheme

To join the Home Contents Insurance Scheme you will need to complete an application form:

The Insurance Team will contact you directly within 10 working days of receiving your application.

Please note that the insurance policy we provide is arranged on a non-advised basis. This means that we must provide applicants with a copy of our Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and a copy of the With Rent Important Customer Information Document (TSIL), both of which contain the key information needed to enable you to make an informed decision on which cover is appropriate for your needs.

The Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and The Important Customer Information Document (TSIL)

Before completing an application form, we strongly advise applicants to read the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and the With Rent Important Customer Information Document (TSIL), both of which contain important information on your rights and how we deal with you and your insurance and key information regarding the insurance cover. 

To make a claim on your Home Contents Insurance Policy

To make a claim on your Home Contents Insurance Policy please contact MPL Claims Management Limited directly:

  • Phone: 0345 060 0030

To change or cancel a Home Contents Insurance Policy or inform us of a change in your circumstances

To cancel or change your Home Contents Insurance Policy please contact the Council's Insurance Team.

You will be asked to supply the following information:

  • Your Full Name
  • Your Full Address
  • Details of the amendments you want to make

IMPORTANT: The basis of your Home Contents Insurance contract is the information you have supplied, including the declaration which you will have checked and signed to confirm the information you have provided on your application is correct.

Should any of the information you have provided on your application change you must inform us of these changes in circumstances, as they could affect the validity of your insurance cover. For example you should inform us of the following:

  • You change your address
  • You leave your home unoccupied for more than 60 days
  • Add significantly to the value of your belongings
  • Criminal record

Replacement policy documents

Tenants who have joined the Home Contents Insurance Scheme receive a letter containing details of their insurance cover. If this letter has been lost a new copy can be requested by contacting the Council's Insurance Team.

What to do if you have a complaint

Basildon Council always aim to get things right first time and we are committed to ensuring that we achieve the highest level of service for our customers. If you feel this hasn't happened, we would like to hear about it so that we have an opportunity to put things right for you and to improve our service in the future.

If you have a complaint about the sale or service of your insurance policy, please contact the Council's Insurance Team, see contact details bottom of page.

Alternatively please refer to Thistle's Complaints Procedure available here:

It is always the intention of Thistle Tenant Risks to give you the best possible service but if you do have any questions or concerns about this insurance or the handling of a claim you should follow guidance in the Thistle Complaints Procedure.

Further information and enquiries

The Insurance Team - Tenants' Contents Insurance

Home Contents Insurance Application

Basildon Borough Council does not insure your furniture, belongings or decorations against theft, fire, vandalism and burst pipes and other household risks. You need to take out your own insurance. Under a special scheme arranged with Great Lakes Insurance UK Limited it's easy for you to protect your belongings.