Following a concerning incident where an elderly constituent in the Pentland area found her house damaged by water from an uninsured tenant in the flat above and all the difficulties it caused the elderly lady, I wrote to the City Council's Director of Housing asking how the council can better promote household contents insurance for its tenants. She has responded as follows :
"I refer to your recent enquiry regarding the above.
All new tenants' packs contain an application form for insurance.
Historically letting officers have highlighted the wisdom to new tenants of having insurance cover and drawn attention to the council's scheme.
Finance Department is in the process of designing "eye catching" posters in conjunction with the insurer, that would be displayed in the foyer areas of Housing Offices. They have periodically used Radio Tay to advertise (the "Be Sure to Insure" campaign) and also the library carrier bag bore an advert of the scheme.
Some additional ideas we will pursue include:
- Engagement with DFTA (Dundee Federation of Tenants' Associations) to push further.
- Running an article in the Housing "Newsletter"
- Inclusion of a feature in the Community safety booklet"