A sensible move for private landlords is to take out legal protection insurance so you are protected in the event of legal disputes with tenants. The key module for this is Landlord legal protection. This module steps in when legal questions come up or if conflicts with renters escalate into legal cases, which, in the worst case scenario, end up having to be resolved in court.
This is possible in principle, but it depends on the insurance. AXA-ARAG legal protection insurance does not have a waiting period, so that you can use Landlord legal protection immediately only one day after taking out the policy. However, you should note that cases whose cause arose prior to the insurance being taken out are not covered.
This raises another question: Can Landlord legal protection be included in an existing personal legal protection policy? Yes, this is generally possible. Especially when the legal protection already includes modules such as Right of residence or Real estate property rights. In many cases, all you need to do is add the Landlord legal protection module to your current policy.
Primarily, you are covered against disputes with your tenants. The following points in particular regularly lead to disputes in which the involvement of lawyers and legal experts becomes necessary – or which even result in the cases going to court
You can find information about your coverage in the policy and General Insurance Conditions.
It’s not uncommon for tenants to repeatedly fail to pay their rent. In such cases, landlords have the option of terminating the lease on the rented property and – if the tenant fails to vacate the property – filing an eviction lawsuit. Landlord legal protection coverage will help you cover these costs. However, the insurance does not directly pay for the rent.
Please note: Before you file a suit or initiate a debt collection or dunning process, consult AXA-ARAG first. We stand behind you with expert advice and extrajudicial support. If you decide to file a suit before consulting AXA-ARAG, it could result in our refusing to cover the costs or reducing how much we pay for.
Landlord legal protection insurance is useful for disputes with tenants. If you’d like to file a suit for an eviction or loss of rent, Landlord legal protection will cover the costs of the lawyers, legal experts and court proceedings.
Landlord legal protection is an optional policy that will protect you personally in any legal disputes involving leasing rental properties. This means you personally are covered against the costs and risks you incur through legal consultations, engaging technical experts or bringing cases to court. The payments you make for the insurance coverage are regular recurring costs just like any other operating costs or liability insurance for the property. However, your Landlord legal protection insurance costs cannot be passed on to the tenants.
Even in Switzerland you are not covered against what are known as nomadic tenants. These are tenants who rent an apartment with no intention of paying the rent because they move out after just a short time. If you want to collect on these outstanding rent payments or file for an eviction, then Landlord legal protection will step in to help.
In Switzerland, it is not possible to deduct Landlord legal protection coverage from your taxes at this time.
If leasing real estate is your primary business, then there are legal insurance options available for this too. AXA-ARAG gives you the option of purchasing the Commercial legal protection module and then adding on Landlord legal protection.
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