Claims for housing incidents
Newham Council Housing Services manage council housing stock and all tenant and leasehold services.
Tenant claims
If you are a tenant and your possessions are damaged, we are not necessarily responsible for the damage. Your contents insurance would cover this loss.
If you do not have contents insurance and something happens which causes damage or loss to your property, you may have a claim against the council. However, you would have to prove we were directly responsible for the damage.
Fill in the Insurance Incident Report Form (Word) and send it to us. If we are found to be responsible for the loss or damage, we will base any payment to you on the age and condition of the items. This will include a deduction for 'wear and tear'.
Should this happen, we will ensure you are returned to the position you were in before the incident occurred. Any payments made to you in settlement will not be on an 'old-for-new' basis, nor will you be allowed to benefit from a claim.
Contents insurance for council tenants
If fire or flood damages your belongings, or if you are burgled or suffer another type of loss, we will not pay to replace your belongings. We suggest you buy contents insurance to protect your possessions.
We can help you with contents insurance, which you can pay for with your rent. The cost of insurance depends upon the level of cover. If you are aged 60 or over, you may get a discount. Cover is on a ‘new for old’ policy.
For more information, contact the Housing Management Services, Rent Account Section on 020 3373 3251.
Council leaseholders
If you are a leaseholder, the Council arranges insurance cover for your property and the premium is recovered through service charge. The building insurance policy extends to provide cover for third-party liability as a property owner. This will protect you if damage occurs to neighbouring property or possessions and someone makes a claim against you for loss.
Leaseholder claims
Protector Insurance provides the buildings insurance for all our leaseholders. We will arrange the insurance for you and you will pay the premium as part of your service charge.
We will send you a copy of the building insurance summary of cover every year in April. You need to keep this document, as it includes full details of the cover provided and how to make a claim. You can report a claim by phone 0161 823 1912 or email protectorclaims@uk.sedgwick.com
