They cannot insist you take their cover as it breachs the unfair business trading laws. In addition under the Financial Services Authority anyone who sells or advises on insurance must treat customers fairly, this includes ensuring the policy is suitable for the customers needs which they obviously have not. Shop around and you should be able to find a policy with better cover and a more suitable sum insured, make sure it includes Tenants Liability Cover (Which the majority do).

Remember how this estate agent has treated you and do your best to avoid dealing with them in the future.

Please feel free to inform the Financial Services Authority of their business practices as this is one of the things the FSA exist to prevent, you can inform them annoymously on whiste AT fsa.gov.uk

They get commission for selling it, think its letsure that push it? We have our own but our l/l offered us the same policy, we said no thanks and got the same from sheelers wheels for £50 lol. As long as the l/lord is covered and he gets his rent he will not care

I will be moving into a new rented unfurnished property soon. The only problem I have had with the letting agents that manage the property is that they "insist" I take out their contents insurance as it also covers the landlords, I assume, fixtures and fittings as I was told it would cover their carpets, flooring, etc. I am not happy as I have always been responsible for my own contents insurance. I would obviously prefer to get my own quotes, tailor made and choose who I have my own contents covered with. Their premiums are poor, with £5000 cover, nothing extra, at approx £100 annually. I have already managed to get plenty of quotes for £75 to cover me for £15000 including £1500 personal possessions cover, specified laptop and accidental damage, etc.

I expressed all this to the letting agent who didn't even know what I was talking about when I mentioned personal possessions cover. I am in a very difficult situation as when I raised this point with the incredibly unhelpful letting agent, he basically threatened me / used bully tactics and told me that if I didn't take out their insurance, then the landlord of the property would probably prefer to offer the property to another person who had also viewed the property and was interested. I had someone with me at the time, so they witnessed the whole thing. It's very difficult to argue as I don't want to lose the property and I will still have to deal with the letting agents as they manage the property. They are a reputable, well known letting agents believe it or not. I just don't see why I am being forced to take out their insurance and wonder if they are allowed to do this and if there are other options. I really do not want to take out their insurance but happy to take out my own if it covers my contents and the landlords carpets, etc.as they prefer. Please can someone advise. Thank you very much.