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Sheffield Homes urges customers to take out home contents insurance
Following the recent flooding Sheffield Homes is reminding all its customers that they can take advantage of a special household contents insurance scheme available only to council tenants.
All Sheffield Homes tenants who are not in rent arrears are able to take advantage of the scheme and it doesn’t discriminate against any districts within Sheffield, including those that have been flooded. Some of the features of the scheme are:
- The cost of the insurance is payable weekly and there is no charge for this option, unlike some schemes. Premiums can be paid when customers pay their rent.
- The lowest sum that can be insured is £6,000 for customers over the age of 60, £9,000 for all other customers. This is lower than a lot of schemes.
- With the exception of linen and clothing all homes contents are covered by the policy on a ‘new for old’ basis. This means even if customers are claiming for a sofa that’s not worth as much as a new one because it’s had several years wear and tear, the policy will pay the cost of an equivalent new one.
Mrs Isabella Liversidge, a Sheffield Homes customer who lives in Winn Gardens says “I’d gone out to the shops when the flooding happened and wasn’t allowed home until the flood waters had gone down. I was really devastated when I saw what had happened to my home. My three-piece suite, dining room table and chairs, fridge-freezer, washing machine, and all the carpets are all ruined. It’s going to take a long time to get my home back to what it was, but I’m really glad that I took out the insurance because I will be able to have enough money to buy some new furnishings for my home”.
Sharron Dyett, Assistant Director of Housing Management for Sheffield Homes says ”Following the recent storms nearly 80 customers benefited from taking part in this scheme; 60 people are making claims for damage to food because of loss of power to freezers and 14 people are making claims directly as a result of water damage. Obviously we hope not to experience events again as devastating as the recent floods, but many people find that their household contents are worth more than they think and it‘s really important to make sure your furniture, belongings and decorations are protected”.
For more information about the scheme customers should call 0114 2735456.