Lewes District Council

Popular Tasks

Contact Us

Housing Services
Lewes District Council
20 Fort Road
Newhaven
East Sussex
BN9 9QF

Tel: 01273 484261
housing@lewes.gov.uk
Fax: 01273 484260
Minicom 01273 484488

Find Fort Road
On Google Maps

Leaseholder Insurance

House boarded up after fireInsuring properties is a joint responsibility. We provide buildings cover and the leaseholder provides their own contents insurance.

Building insurance

We insure the structure of the building by way of buildings insurance. We do this automatically on your behalf. This also has to be done to satisfy your mortgage lender.

Buildings insurance also covers anything permanent you have added or attached to the structure that are not taken away. This includes kitchens and bathrooms and other items.

This annual premium is charged in April. If you live in a block of flats or shared building, you pay a proportion of the overall cost. The premium is related to the cost of rebuilding the property as new.

Buildings insurance is continuous and covers new mortgage lenders and buyers automatically. This is providing the premium is paid for the current year of cover.

We do not refund part-year premiums if the property is sold. The next owner should reimburse this as part of the sale, along with the service charges and ground rent.

Excess

There is currently an excess of £50 per claim to pay towards most insured damage claims. For subsidence claims the excess is £1,000.

Where damage affects common parts or more than one home, the excess is usually shared between the flats.

Contents insurance

We advise leaseholders to have contents insurance. This will cover personal belongings as well as carpets and furniture. We do not provide contents cover and this will need to be purchased from a private company.

Claims

Contents claims need to be made in accordance with your own insurer’s requirements. Consult the information sent to you when you first took out cover.

For buildings claims, contact our Insurance Officer on 01273 484412. Property Services will also need to be informed if fire damage or water leaks have occurred.

Prolonged absence

Please contact us if your home will be unoccupied for 30 days or more in a row. Insurers of both buildings and contents automatically reduce the cover in these circumstances. However, arrangements can be made in advance.