Halifax home insurance: Lodger advice

Thursday, 29 October 2009 12:00

Halifax Home Insurance has launched an interactive guide for homeowners to help them with background checks when taking in a lodger.

The insurer hopes the guide, which is available on www.halifaxhomematters.co.uk;, will make more landlords aware of the implications lodgers could have on their home insurance.

It comes after Halifax commissioned a survey which found lodger numbers had reached 970,000 - significantly higher than official statistics.

This suggested, Halifax said, many people were taking in lodgers 'unofficially' and were therefore not carrying out essential background checks.

It warned that getting a lodger could have an effect on your home insurance, and was issuing the guide to provide relevant guidance.

Martyn Foulds, senior claims manager at Halifax, said: "Getting a lodger is a great way to earn some extra money to help with the household budget, but it's important to seek advice from your home insurer beforehand, as this can often impact the terms of your cover.

"Failure to let your insurer know of your changed circumstances could potentially invalidate a future claim."

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