Can landlords home refugees?

The plight of the Syrian refugees has been headline news for a number of weeks now. The tragic image of Aylan Kurdi, washed up on a beach in Bodrum, Turkey, along with his brother and mother, has brought a positive response from the British Government with the promise of accepting 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years but thousands of citizens, keen to act now, have gone one stage further in their support.

Homeowners have been offering up spare rooms, sheds and even whole homes to refugees and councils and charities are doing everything they can to make these promises a reality.

Many landlords have joined in with this more direct way of giving and offered up rooms and houses but rightly sought support to understand if this generosity will impact on their insurance. At this stage information is sparse but for landlords who are considering offering a refugee some shelter there is a simple rule you need to follow.

Letting your insurance company know

If you’re considering housing a refugee, or asylum-seeker, you will need to inform your insurer. Of course, every insurance company has the right to refuse but there are some specialist insurers that can help you, assuming your perspective tenants are correctly registered with the authorities. The best advice is to speak with your insurer or use an insurance broker.

One last thing to consider. It is highly unlikely that you’ll be able to directly support the refugees arriving from Syria. There are already thousands of displaced individuals and families seeking asylum here in the UK and if you are considering offering housing through the appropriate channels you’ll find that you might not get to choose.