Landlord Legal Protection: What is it and how does it work?

If you own a rental property you may have heard people talking about Landlord Legal Protection, but you might be unsure exactly what it is. Here, we run through the benefits of Landlord Legal Protection and how it could be the right option for you.

What is Landlord Legal Protection?

If you rely on your tenant’s rent to cover the mortgage payments of your property, then you may need additional cover to assist you when disputes occur. This is where Landlord Legal Protection can help.

Our Landlord Legal Protection provides up to £100,000 of help with legal costs if you go to court with a tenant for things like eviction, property disputes, or chasing any unpaid rent. 

What is covered by Landlord Legal Protection?

Landlord Legal Protection covers you for a range of circumstances and common disputes such as:

1. Evictions: We’ll assist you in situations where the tenant fails to meet their tenancy obligations
2. Pursue Rent Arrears (payments): If you need to pursue a tenant for missed rent payments
3. Property Disputes: If your tenant is disputing any property damage during their tenancy

It can also cover the following:

• Criminal Prosecution: For any prosecution brought against you relating to the letting of the property
• Identity Fraud: For instances where identification belonging to you has been used without your knowledge or permission
• Tax Disputes: To help cover costs arising directly from business full enquiries
• Hotel Expenses and Storage Costs: We’ll cover costs while attempting to get a possession order
• Contract Disputes: We’ll help cover costs following a breach of contract

You also get access to a dedicated advice line that’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for advice on any legal matter that may be affecting you.

There must be a 51% chance or greater of us winning the case for us to consider the claim and you can’t claim for incidents that occurred within the first 90 days of the tenancy agreement if you have never had a Landlord Legal Protection policy.

If you had a Landlord Legal Protection policy with another provider you won’t be covered within the first 30 days for tax related claims or contract disputes, or for the first 90 days for property disputes.

How can Landlord Legal Protection benefit me?

We’ll take a look at some case studies where Landlord Legal Protection could help landlords like you.

Damp from neighbour’s property

The landlord discovered damp in their property and obtained a report that showed the issue was caused by the neighbour’s property. The neighbour refused to accept liability.

Outcome: The landlord put in a claim with their Landlord Legal Protection and had a panel solicitor appointed. The panel solicitor agreed that the neighbour should cover the cost of the repair.

Damage by previous tenants

The landlord discovered a previous tenant caused extensive damage to the inside of the property. This had to be repaired at a cost to the landlord before another tenant could move in.

Outcome: Using Landlord Legal Protection, the appointed solicitor recovered the cost of the repair from the tenants.

Hotel and storage costs

The landlord needed a possession order so they could move into their property. However, while this was processed, they had nowhere to stay.

Outcome: Landlord Legal Protection covered the landlord’s costs for staying in a hotel until the possession order was granted.

What happens if the claim goes to court?

While we make every effort to settle most claims without the need to go to court, there are some cases that have to be settled through the court process. 

If your case does go to court, we’ll appoint a solicitor based on their specialist knowledge and expertise, so they can best support your claim.

If you use our recommended solicitor then all legal costs involved in your claim will be covered up to the maximum amount payable under your policy, as long as the policy criteria is met.

Can I use my own solicitor?

Yes, in certain circumstances.

While most claims will be dealt with by our recommended solicitors, there are instances where you can request your own, such as when legal proceedings have already been issued, or if there’s a conflict of interest with the recommended solicitor.

If a non-recommended solicitor has been approved, then the costs payable is limited to our standard advisor’s costs, which is the same amount we would have paid to a representative from our panel solicitors.

How do I add Landlord Legal Protection to my policy?

If you don’t currently have Landlord Legal Protection and are interested in adding it to your policy or wish to buy Landlord Insurance, you can take it out over the phone. Get in touch and we will be happy to help.

What can invalidate Landlord Legal Protection? 

Incorrect or missing tenant referencing is a common reason for invalidated Landlord Legal Protection. 

Tenant referencing is a legal requirement that verifies whether tenants are right for you and your property. At a minimum, it involves a credit check. 

We have a guide on tenant referencing for landlords if you need any help.