In June and July we held two sessions on Tenants’ Contents Schemes in conjunction with the ABI and the Department of Work and Pensions. Find out what was discussed…
In June and July we held two sessions on Tenants’ Contents Schemes in conjunction with the ABI and the Department of Work and Pensions. The purpose of the workshops was to share ideas to help increase the take up within the social housing sector and approximately 50 Zurich customers attended the workshops.
Insurance schemes protect millions of people against potentially devastating risks. Hazards like flood, fire and burglary cause great damage and loss, and the consequences of not being insured can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, some of the most vulnerable people in society are often the ones who are least likely to have insurance cover, and who therefore struggle to recover financially when things go wrong.
As tenants have the option to choose whether or not to insure their contents, everyone agreed that more should be done to promote the schemes. Most Registered Social Landlords (RSL’s) only discuss contents schemes when tenants are moving in. Given all the other considerations on moving, insurance cover is likely to be a low priority for tenants at that time.
The following ideas were discussed during the workshops to help increase take-up:
Newsletters
Regular promotion of the scheme is necessary to raise awareness, together with articles highlighting the losses people have suffered together with testimonials from affected tenants.
Website
Promote the scheme on your website with a link to the provider. This could appeal to tenants who frequently use your on-line offerings.
Training to frontline staff – particularly housing officers
It was felt that whilst many housing officers themselves have their own contents cover, their knowledge and ability to confidently promote the scheme to tenants could be improved. If insurers provided training on the key features and benefits of the policy itself, this could better equip your employees to increase take up.
Housing Officer ‘settling-in’ meeting
The reinspection visit, usually held 4-6 weeks after the tenant has moved in provides an ideal and timely opportunity for the housing officer to explain the key features and benefits of contents insurance.
Educating the tenant of the value of their contents
Create and make available a simple checklist/valuation sheet so that the tenant is aware of the value of their contents and the fact that they are not insured by their landlord. This could be housed on your website and provided at meetings with tenants.
Tenant Group Meetings
Add ‘tenants’ contents insurance’ as an educational agenda item at all tenant group meetings. Try to establish who hasn’t taken out cover so you can target future communications and encourage take-up.
In conclusion our customers believe that by taking these actions it should lead to an increase in the number of tenants taking out contents insurance which would enable them to recover from a major incident more quickly and comprehensively.
For further information on how the ABI, Insurers and the Department for Works and Pensions are supporting this initiative, please use the link below.
http://www.abi.org.uk/Access_to_Insurance/Access_to_Insurance.aspx
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