A damaged rental property can leave you dealing with two problems at once: putting the building right and working out what happens to the rent. Start by separating those two questions. A repair estimate explains the work. It does not, by itself, explain whether your insurance will pay for an interruption to rental income.
This guide gives UK landlords a practical way to check their policy and organise a loss-of-rent enquiry. The worksheet below is a record you can discuss with your insurer. It cannot determine the cover, calculate an entitlement or settle a tenant's account.
First identify why the rent is missing
Propertymark's landlord insurance guidance distinguishes loss of rent when a property cannot be let, for example after fire or flooding, from tenant-default cover when a tenant does not pay. That distinction matters when looking for the right benefit in your own policy.
Use these situations to frame the enquiry:
| What happened? | What to check first |
|---|---|
| Damage has affected occupation or letting | Whether the policy includes loss of rent associated with the relevant insured damage |
| A tenant has stopped paying while still occupying | The actual tenant-default or rent-guarantee arrangements, rather than assuming a damage-related benefit applies |
| The property is empty between tenancies | Whether any relevant benefit applies to this particular interruption; an ordinary changeover is a different situation |
Descriptions of a fire or a flood are examples, not confirmation that your event is insured. Record the cause, the effect on occupation and the rent position separately. Ask the insurer which part of the wording it is assessing.
Read the schedule and wording together
Keep the schedule, full wording and endorsements beside one another. Write down the policy version and the page containing each answer. If an answer is unclear, leave it as a question rather than filling the gap with an assumption.
Questions worth recording include:
- Is a loss-of-rent benefit included in this policy?
- Which underlying insured event must be accepted for it to apply?
- How is the interruption to rent linked to that event?
- What limit and period apply, and how does the wording describe their calculation?
- Are there conditions about occupancy, an empty property, notification or repairs?
- What information is needed before the insurer can assess the amount?
- Who should receive any payment, and what must be reconciled first?
Also ask how the policy treats accommodation costs, other benefits and any excess in this case. Do not add two benefits together until the insurer has explained whether they share a limit or affect one another.
Insurance wording does not settle a separate question about rent due, accommodation or the tenancy. The circumstances and the rules in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland may require a separate assessment. Keep those questions outside the worksheet's arithmetic.
Build a timeline before adding up figures
Create one dated record of the interruption. A simple sequence helps you explain why particular dates appear in your enquiry and where further evidence is needed.
Start with the incident date and when you first contacted the insurer. Add the date the property was inspected, what you were told about its condition, communications about occupation, instructions concerning repairs and the documents supporting each entry. Then record progress, completion and any letting dates relevant to the claim.
Be precise about the difference between a documented event and an estimate. “Contractor expects completion on 20 November” is an estimate until it is confirmed. Keep the original message when the date changes and add the new information to the timeline.
Ask which dates the insurer uses to assess the interruption. A date entered in your own notes is not automatically the beginning or end of a payable period.
Copyable loss-of-rent worksheet
Make a copy for each property or claim. Keep identifying details and supporting documents in your own secure records; this is not a form to publish or share publicly.
| Entry | Your record | Evidence or question |
|---|---|---|
| Property and insurer's claim reference | Address and reference | Policy and correspondence |
| Incident and alleged insured cause | What happened, with dates | Incident record; acceptance still to confirm |
| Effect on occupation or letting | What changed and when | Inspection or other relevant evidence |
| Period included in the enquiry | Start and end dates | Ask which dates the insurer accepts |
| Contractual rent for that period | Amount and payment schedule | Agreement and rent schedule |
| Rent payments received | Each amount and date | Rent ledger and matching bank entry |
| Refunds or credits | Separate entries, with explanations | Account record; treatment to confirm |
| Amount submitted for assessment | Show your working | Assumptions and unresolved adjustments |
| Relevant policy provision | Page, limit and period | Insurer's interpretation to confirm |
| Outstanding information | Document or question | Person dealing with it and next action |
Use the existing Bellsoph rent tracker template to reconcile amounts due and payments received. The worksheet adds a claim explanation to those records; it should not become a second, conflicting rent account.
Worked example: an enquiry figure, not a payout
Suppose a fictional property has contractual rent of £1,000 a month. The landlord is preparing an enquiry concerning three whole months. The initial planning entry is:
£1,000 × 3 = £3,000.
Suppose the records also contain a fictional £500 payment for that same period. If the landlord deducts it when preparing the enquiry, the provisional figure becomes:
£3,000 − £500 = £2,500.
The worksheet should retain both the gross entry and the payment. It should also say that the £500's treatment needs confirmation. This example uses whole months deliberately; it provides no daily apportionment formula.
Neither figure is an accepted claim or promised settlement. The insurer still needs to assess the insured event, dates, applicable wording and other relevant adjustments. A limit written in a schedule is not proof that the entire limit is payable. If a figure changes, keep a short explanation beside the original working.
For your own planning, the monthly cash-flow calculator can help you explore the effect of an interruption. Use its output for a cash-flow scenario, not as an insurance valuation.
Put the supporting documents in a usable order
Organise the documents around the worksheet rather than sending an unexplained folder. A practical pack might contain the relevant policy pages, agreement and rent schedule, ledger and bank entries, incident information, inspection or repair documents and correspondence.
Give each document a date and a short description. Use the landlord record-keeping checklist to keep the evidence retrievable. Retain the originals and distinguish them from your notes or calculations.
Before sending the pack, check that the rent entries agree with the bank records, the dates agree with the timeline and any estimate is labelled. Include unresolved questions in the covering message. An organised pack can explain your enquiry clearly; it does not guarantee acceptance.
If the claim stalls or is refused
Ask for the reason in writing, the relevant wording and any information still required. Keep a record of what you submitted and when, and ask when you can expect a further update.
The general insurer provisions in FCA ICOBS 8.1.1 address fair and prompt claims handling, support during a claim, progress information, unreasonable rejection and settlement after terms are agreed. Their application depends on the insurer and circumstances. They do not establish that your particular loss is covered or supply a universal claim deadline.
If you remain dissatisfied, ask the insurer about its complaint route and check which further options apply to you. Do not assume that every landlord or business policy has the same eligibility for an external complaint service.
The useful next step is a specific enquiry: identify the benefit, reconcile the rent, explain the dates and ask the unanswered policy questions. That gives you a clear record to work from without presenting a planning figure as an insurance payment.