Manchester landlord Vincent Neary got more than insurance cover through the Residential Landlords Association ... he also cut his annual bill by £20,000.

Now he stands to save even more ... following a new 'direct deal' with insurers Rentguard.

With no 'middle men', and streamlined administration, RLA property insurance rates are now beating most standard industry schemes by up to 35%.

"As far as I know, ours are the lowest available industry rates," says James Castell of Rentguard. "And our high customer service level means there are no forms to fill in. Claims can be sorted out on the phone so landlords can solve problems quickly and get back to business."

Vincent Neary - who owns houses and flats in Manchester student areas of Fallowfield, Withington and Didsbury - had often been told how inexpensive RLA insurance could be - but he never took action until his existing company hiked up premiums by 50%.

Despite never having claimed in over 20 years he was facing a £32,000 bill to insure his 200 properties.

"I only cover for buildings, public liability and fire and don't bother with small claims for day-to-day breakages, damage and repairs," he says. "So when the premiums reached £32,000 I tried the Residential Landlords Association. Through them the cost dropped to £12,000 ... and now, with the new scheme, I stand to save even more."

Vincent has the added reassurance that Rentguard will fight fraudulent claims in the war against rising insurance costs.

One leaking boiler pipe once prompted a £10,000 claim from a next door neighbour for repairs to a cellar he didn't have, water damage to electrical equipment one floor above the leak, invoiced by a builder that didn't exist ... using a VAT number that the Customs & Excise had never issued.

"It was a completely fraudulent claim but the insurance company didn't even bother investigating. They just paid out," says Vincent. "And that's another reason why some premiums keep going up. But Rentguard's willingness to fight back is part of its commitment to our industry."

The Residential Landlords Association, whose members are responsible for over 100,000 tenancies in the UK, has pledged not only to find the cheapest insurance cover but to defend members' interests and resist the 'convenience' settlement of fraudulent claims.

"Insurance," says the RLA's Richard Merrick, "is one area that combines our function as a representative body with the many support services we provide for members - including legal advice, credit referencing, training courses, computer software and document downloads like the free Plain English tenancy agreement - from our website - www.rla.org.uk."

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