Buy-to-let’s biggest household setbacks and how to prevent them: Water damage, fires and theft are top causes of house insurance claims, research shows

Research by online letting agent and property management provider Howsy has revealed the most common reasons why people claim on their house insurance, as well as the best ways to avoid any such issues for landlords looking to keep costs down.

By analysing the latest available data from the Association of British Insurers, Howsy has found that the escape of water is the leading cause of house insurance claims in the United Kingdom, followed by fire and explosions, then theft.

The escape of water typically stems from severe storms or floods, leaky or burst pipes, roof damage, drainage problems, and even malfunctioning dishwashers and washing machines.

In order to prevent water damage, landlords are advised to: inspect roofs for broken shingles, large debris and the like; clean a property’s gutters regularly; caulk and seal any windows; check pipes; and test a property’s sump pump frequently.

Meanwhile, landlords can help to avoid fires and explosions by ensuring that a property’s heating system is regularly serviced by a professional, though much of the onus, in this case, falls upon tenants, who should remove lint from dryer filters after each use, refrain from using extension cables and plug-in power bars, and keep cooking oil containers away from hobs/stoves.

It is also advisable to ensure that smoking materials are properly extinguished, while firewood, rubbish and piles of leaves should be kept away from a property so that they do not become kindling in the event of a fire.

To prevent theft, landlords can upgrade a property’s security by installing an alarm, deadlocks, and peepholes. Automatic lights on a property’s exterior or garage can also prove a useful deterrent against burglars, as can window shutters.

Further to these main causes of house insurance claims are accidental damage, weather, and domestic subsidence, though ‘other domestic claims’ are in fact the fourth most common reason among tenants.

Calum Brannan, CEO of Howsy, commented: “Landlords can face a number of problems from the tenant side of a rental agreement, but the property itself can also throw up a number of issues that can cause a financial inconvenience.

Keeping a property fit for purpose is vital not only from a financial standpoint but also a legal one and failing to do so can cost time and money at best, but in the worst-case scenarios, it can result in legal action and even a fatality.

Therefore all landlords should ensure that maintaining their property is done on a frequent and thorough basis not only for their sake but for that of their tenants.”

Distribution of domestic property insurance claims in UK from the Association of British Insurers

 

Property insurance domestic claims distribution in UK by cause of claim

 

 Reason
Claims (%)
Escape of water
31
Fire & explosion
17
Theft
16
Other domestic claims
13
Accidental damage
12
Weather
8
Domestic subsidence
4

 

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Why Industry Matters in First Aid Training

First aid might seem like the same everywhere, but in reality, different jobs come with different risks. A warehouse worker, a school teacher, and a care home assistant are unlikely to face the same kind of emergencies. That’s why some first aid training is designed to suit the job it’s being used for. When the…
Read More
Breaking News

Newcastle and Edinburgh commuter belts beat London

The latest research from The Property DriveBuy has found that Newcastle and Edinburgh rank as the best commuter belts in Britain, with all surrounding local authorities offering a more affordable average house price than the cities themselves, whilst Liverpool ranks as the worst. The Property DriveBuy analysed current house prices across 12 major British cities,…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 16/10/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X. Tlyfe and Eleos Life partnership brings embedded insurance protection to UK Renters In a first for the UK rental sector, Tlyfe (powered by OpenBrix) has partnered with digital insurer Eleos Life by adding embed life and income protection directly into its tenant app. Instead of…
Read More
Breaking News

Sellers of larger homes make £122.5k average capital gains, crushing the gains from flats

Sellers of detached homes made £122,500 in capital gains when selling their home over the last 18 months while flats yielded an average gain of £27,000 Sellers in England and Wales made an average gain of £72,000, a 38 per cent increase in value from when they bought the property The average seller in London…
Read More
Breaking News

London’s second homeowners face £16,446 CGT bill

London’s second homeowners face £16,446 capital gains tax bill, but prime London sellers escaping unscathed The latest research from Enness Global has found that whilst the London property market remains subdued, the city’s second homeowners could still be hit with significant costs when exiting their investments, with the average seller now facing a capital gains…
Read More
Love or Hate Rightmove
Estate Agent Talk

Rightmove launches new webinar to equip agents with market leading insights and business-boosting strategies

Rightmove, the UK’s largest property platform, is launching a new webinar to equip agents with the latest market intelligence and profit-boosting strategies to accelerate sales and improve conversion rates. The webinar titled, ‘From pitch to profit: Competing on more than just fee’, will take place live on Friday 17th October at 1pm, exclusively for Rightmove…
Read More