I recently read an article about a student who suffered dreadful injuries in a fire in a rented house. This student is now claiming 2 million against her former landlord, which underlines the importance of having appropriate insurance as a landlord and following the health and safety regulations closely because without landlord’s insurance, he would certainly have to pay out the agreed amount himself.

I read in the Norwich Evening News that in the fire which destroyed the student’s flat in Magdalen Street, north Norwich, Layla Skalli received burns across 80% of her body in the fire.

Initially, in Norwich Crown Court, the landlord was charged with 14 breaches of fire health and safety misconduct, and sentenced to 30 months in prison, but has since agreed to pay Miss Skalli 20,000 compensation, and so has had a reduced sentence of 21 months.

Interestingly, the article went on to say that Miss Skalli has launched a civil lawsuit against the landlord the High Court in London. It seems that the case will be heard late in 2011.

Making assumptions on what you read in the paper is obviously dangerous, however, 80% burns with a punishment of 20,000 after so many breaches sounds a small price to pay.

It made me wonder where the insurance company would sit in all this. I asked a friend of mine, and he seemed to think that the insurance company would pay out under the landlords insurance, but that the landlord would have had a problem if he had bought normal household insurance instead. This, he said, is because the landlords insurance covers you for this kind of liability but household insurance doesn’t. That sounds like good news for the student with those horrid burns. I wonder if the insurance company will pursue the landlord to recoup some of its losses. If he was in breach of 14 health and safety regulations they might try. I hope he used a good insurance broker when he bought his landlords insurance.

property owner’s insurance Of course, we don’t know the full story, and it is not for me to judge who is in the wrong. This sentence was later reduced to 21 months after he agreed to pay Miss Skalli 20,000 compensation. Of course, we don’t know the full story, and it is not for me to judge who is in the wrong.

-- Download Importance Of Landlords Insurance Underlined as PDF --