When an agent, on behalf of a landlord, needs to make a rent protection or legal expenses claim, the worst has already happened. For some reason or another, the agent has initiated eviction proceedings, and the long road to repossession has begun.
What matters after this point is speed. The sooner a claim can be assessed, the sooner it can be approved, and the sooner the landlord can let out a sigh of relief, knowing they're on the way to getting their property back.
But when it comes to claims, everything needs to be airtight; otherwise you risk your possession claim failing in court. One of the biggest factors that slows down a claim process is missing information and documentation. While missing documentation doesn't mean a claim won't proceed, it does mean that agents, landlords, and claims teams will waste valuable time going back and forth. Goodlord's own claims team says that incomplete claims are one of the most common reasons for delays in the process.
While time is wasted, landlords are losing out on valuable rental income and can’t initiate the legal steps required to begin repossession. This damages relationships between agencies and their customers. It's simply not worth the loss of years of hard-won reputation because they couldn't find an EPC certificate and the claim failed.
With this blog, we'll explain what you'll need when submitting a claim (with Goodlord's Rent & Legal Protection service as an example), give you a checklist of every piece of evidence you'll need, and the simple checks you can make beforehand to ensure the claim proceeds as smoothly as possible.
Preparation and timing are essential to submitting a successful claim. At Goodlord, we've tried to keep the process as simple as possible, but there are still things you should consider.
When the rent arrears on your property reach over £250, you can notify Goodlord that you'd like to make a claim through the in-app claims form. Once we've received the notification, a dedicated claims handler will step in to review the submission, assess all the documentation, and request any information before we work with the insurer (and solicitors, where appropriate).
One of the most common mistakes we see from agents is them waiting too long to submit their claims. Some agents mistakenly believe that a full month of unpaid rent must pass before a valid rent protection insurance claim can be filed. This isn't the case. The notification window starts as soon as the arrears exceed the £250 minimum we've already mentioned. Getting the claim logged as early as possible saves time that would otherwise be spent with your landlord footing the bill.
Here's a guide to the timelines we work with at Goodlord:
| Time after arrears exceeds £250 | What it means |
| 0-45 days | No excess applies |
| 46-90 days | One month's rent excess applies |
| 91-180 days | Legal expenses cover only |
| 181+ days | No cover available past this point |
If you're a Goodlord customer unsure when to submit your claim, reach out to the Goodlord insurance development team, who can point you in the right direction.
Speed is one thing, but even if you submit your claim the moment the rent arrears tick over £250, the claim cannot go to the insurer if you haven’t submitted the right documents. By ensuring that you've submitted everything the claim needs to proceed, you save yourself and your landlords time and money in delays.
After logging your claim, the claims team will assess the information you've provided and decide what the way forward should be. Part of this will be determined by the quantity and quality of the documentation you use to back up your claim.
While every claim is handled individually, you will generally be asked to provide the following:
Exactly what it says on the tin. You'll need:
These documents set out the tenancy's contractual terms and form the foundation of any claim.
This should include the tenant's referencing reports (credit score checks, credit reports, etc.), along with confirmation that the tenant fulfilled any conditions that were attached to the tenancy before it began.
This will establish that the tenancy met the insurance policy's eligibility requirements.
If you use Goodlord Tenant Referencing, your referencing information will be centralised in your account.
In any claim relating to rent arrears, evidence of a regular rental payment schedule is one of the most important pieces of information.
You'll need to provide a record covering:
With Goodlord, you can set up a rent scheduler that's automatically tracked in-app, meaning this documentation is handled for you.
To show that the property was of an acceptable standard, you'll need to provide all the relevant compliance documents, including:
If you've lost track of these documents, it's very important to let the claims team know as soon as possible. The more upfront you are during the claims process, the faster the insurer can proceed with the claim.
This is evidence that the tenant's deposit was handled correctly. The documentation can include:
You'll need to include any documents you supplied to the tenant at the beginning of the tenancy, along with evidence of when they were served. This includes the Written Statement of Terms.
If notices have already been served, you need to include copies of the notices and evidence of service. These notices could include:
It's also helpful to include relevant correspondence with the tenant, such as discussions around missed rent payments or agreed payment plans.
If the tenant has vacated the property, you will be asked for:
This information gives the claims team a better understanding of the tenancy's end point.
No letting agent wants to be making a rent protection claim in the first place. By the time a claim is needed, a tenancy has already gone wrong, and both you and your landlord are looking for the quickest route to a resolution.
Making a claim with Goodlord's Rent & Legal Protection service doesn't need to be a protracted, complicated process. In most cases, taking a moment to ensure the claims team has everything they need means your claim goes to the insurer without a frustrating back-and-forth.
If you're already a Goodlord customer and have questions about making a claim, the insurance development team will be happy to help. If you're interested in learning more about how Goodlord can help protect your landlords, get in touch with our expert team.
No. Our policy allows you to submit a claim as soon as rent arrears exceed £250. Your claim window starts from this point, so letting us know as early as possible gives you the best chance of a successful claim.
A missing document or two shouldn't stop you from contacting us.
If you're missing a document for whatever reason, let our claims team know as soon as you can. The more notice you give us, the better opportunity we have to work with the insurer and find a way to process the claim.
There are two reasons we ask for as many documents as we do.
The documents we request from you are to prove legal compliance with the proceedings for possession. Showing compliance is very important and will help your case proceed as quickly as possible.
The required documents are also stipulated in the policy itself. If you’re unsure of what is included in the policy document, reach out to our insurance development team.
If you purchase a protection policy from us more than seven days after a tenancy starts, a 60-day no-claims period applies.
This means that any insured incident which occurs during the first 60 days of the policy term is excluded from cover, so no claim can be made for that event.