Schedule 1 Insurance Request

As individual leaseholders preparing for the Right to Manage, our strongest legal tool to obtain insurance information is Schedule 1 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. This gives us the statutory right to request a summary of our buildings insurance policy and subsequently inspect the full documents.

Coupled with Section 82 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (information required for RTM), this forms a bulletproof request. This data is essential for:

1. Verifying reasonable costs - Ensuring insurance charges are competitive and free of hidden commissions.
2. RTM preparation - Obtaining independent quotes for Day 1 operations.
3. Risk assessment - Understanding the building's claims history.
4. Rebuild cost validation - Confirming the professional valuation is accurate.

Why This Matters

We're currently charged for buildings insurance through our service charge, but have no visibility into:

• The actual policy terms and coverage
• Whether Southern Housing is receiving hidden procurement commissions
• The building's claims history (which dictates our premiums)
• How the current rebuild cost was calculated

Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Southern Housing must respond within 21 days or commit a summary offence punishable by a fine.

The Request

What We'll Do With The Data

Once we receive the information:

1. Rebuild Cost Validation

• Compare against the £3,660,000 figure from the online
• Check methodology and assumptions
• Look for inflated valuations that unnecessarily increase premiums

2. Claims History Analysis

• Use the Claims Experience Provider Report to identify patterns
• Check if frequent claims relate to landlord negligence (unpaid bills, deferred maintenance)
• Provide this verified data to brokers for accurate RTM quotes

3. Expose Hidden Commissions

• Large housing associations often take a percentage of the premium as a "procurement fee." Identifying this allows us to see the true cost of the insurance vs. administrative bloat.

4. Challenge Unreasonable Costs

• If our findings show significant overpayment or undisclosed commissions, we can:
  • Dispute via Section 27A (service charge reasonableness)
  • Use as evidence in First-tier Tribunal proceedings
  • Demand retrospective credits

Market Quote Analysis

While we await the official Schedule 1 response with official rebuild cost data, we've already begun market testing with independent brokers.

Preliminary Quote Received

Premier Line (Liam Burrow, March 2026)

Cost Comparison

Key Notes:

• Quote is a ballpark estimate without official rebuild cost.
• Terrorism Cover: We must verify if Southern Housing's current premium includes Terrorism Cover. If it does, we will need to request an updated quote from Premier Line to ensure an "apples to apples" comparison.
• Additional covers (legal expenses, alternative accommodation) would increase premium but we can decide if we want them.
• Market rates fluctuate - could be cheaper in 12 months.
• We can get firmer quotes once the Schedule 1 response provides the rebuild cost assessment and claims history.

Why This Matters

1. Already competitive - Even without optimisation, independent brokers are showing cheaper baseline rates.
2. Room for improvement - Once we get the full breakdown from Southern, we may negotiate further by cutting out broker commissions.
3. RTM readiness - Proves we can source insurance independently on Day 1.
4. Reasonableness challenge - If Southern Housing's insurance is overpriced compared to the open market, we have grounds for a Section 27A dispute.

Next Steps