This section gives information about buildings and contents insurance, and how to make a claim.

Buildings insurance 

Although none of us like to think about our homes or possessions being damaged, insurance is a fact of modern day life.

Under the conditions of your lease you must have buildings insurance, which is arranged by The London Borough of Barnet, and the premium is included in your annual service charge bill.

Insurance for your home

Damage to the structure and interior (excluding contents) of your flat may be insured. Buildings are defined within the policy as the structure of your home and any permanent fixtures and fittings such as kitchen units and bathroom suites.

You must report this damage to the current insurer Zurich Municipal immediately by phone on 0800 026 1841 to make a claim and start the claim process. Alternatively you can email the claims team at homeclaims@uk.zurich.com. Please note that all claims are to be reported as soon as possible after the occurrence and definitely within 30 days of the incident.

For incidents concerning communal parts of your building, such as damage to shared hallways, roofs or walls, please contact Barnet Homes on 020 8080 6587.

For emergency assistance, please call us on 0800 159 329.

If you are covered by household insurance, you will be told how the repair work will proceed. However, if the cause of the damage is uninsured, or you suffer damage to your personal items and contents, you may wish to consider if you have a claim against the responsible party. You can be provided with advice if you wish at this stage.

Applying for home insurance

Click here to download our home insurance application form.

Key Changes to terms and Conditions and Claims Handling Arrangements

  • Insurers waive the requirement for claim forms (telephone reporting will be available and a Freephone number for emergency repairs)
  • Extended Accidental Damage cover is excluded in the case of sublet properties.

Important Note

All claims remain subject to ‘nil’ excess including subsidence, landslip and heave and extended accidental damage where applicable.

Contents insurance

We recommend that you protect the contents of your home by arranging Contents insurance cover, which is designed to secure your belongings against theft loss and damage.

Be aware there is a wide difference in the premiums and cover provided by insurers and we suggest that you shop around to get the best quote for your requirements.

We have a contents insurance scheme for council tenants and leaseholders. Please contact Barnet Homes at TalkToUs@barnethomes.org or by phone on 020 8080 6587 for more information.

Subletting and insurance 

If you sublet your property please ensure you do the following:

  1. Notify us that you are subletting by completing a sublet registration form. You can find a form by clicking here. Please note that if you do not have a formal tenancy agreement, a 30% premium loading will apply to the normal rate of insurance.
  2. Limited cover as a landlord is included in the buildings insurance policy arranged by Barnet Council. Please familiarise yourself with the policy wording to ensure you are aware of the arrangements and should you require additional cover you must arrange your own Landlord’s insurance as appropriate.
  3. Please advise your tenants that they may wish to obtain their own contents insurance cover.
  4. You claim may be invalidated if you do not tell us you are subletting and ensure that you have Landlords insurance cover in place.

Policy Booklet

A copy of the policy is available to download here.  If you cannot access the document and require a hard copy please contact the London Borough of Barnet Insurance Office as follows:-

London Borough of Barnet – Insurance Service, 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, London NW9 4EW

Tel: 020 8359 7198

Fax: 087 0889 6803

E-mail: insurance@barnet.gov.uk