How do I make an insurance claim against the London Borough of Hounslow for damage to my property?
The Council insures its Council dwellings and, thus, in the case of a fire that destroyed a property the Council would claim on its insurance for the cost of repairing the property.
However , the Council does not insure any of the contents that belong to the tenant. We strongly urge that every tenant should have contents insurance (see below).
Council tenants may make insurance claims against the Council for any damage that the Council causes to the tenants' possessions, or injury to the tenant or members of their family.
As an example, if a Council tradesman were to hammer a nail into the wall and inadvertently burst a pipe which resulted in the floor being flooded and ruining the tenant's carpet, the Council would be responsible for the cost of replacing the carpet as clearly the action has been negligent.
However, there are a variety of other issues for which the Council may not be negligent. For example, if there is a particularly bad storm which lifts a tile off of a roof and as a result water comes through the roof, through the ceiling and damages a bedroom carpet, the Council would claim that it has not been negligent as it could not have prevented that from happening. Under such circumstances the Council would seek to reject any such claim.
I'm a tenant, Can I get contents insurance from you?
Yes. You can get an insurance application form by contacting the Customer Service Centre on 0800 085 65 75 or from any local housing office. See also the Contents Insurance page for more information about the scheme,