Guarantor Insure

Specialist insurance for student tenancy guarantors

Guarantor Insure is a UK insurance brand aimed at a narrow audience: private individuals who sign as guarantors for a student's shared tenancy. The policy, called Student Guarantor Protection, is offered only for shared student tenancies in England, Scotland and Wales and is built around the joint and several liability clauses that typically appear in these agreements.

The company presents itself as having been founded after its own founders stood as guarantors for their children's student tenancies and encountered the risk firsthand. It states that it is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and that it operates with a UK-based team.

The liability the policy addresses

The central argument in the company's material is that a guarantor for a shared house is usually not guaranteeing only their own son, daughter, relative or friend. Under joint and several liability, if any tenant stops paying rent or causes damage, the landlord can pursue any one guarantor for the full amount rather than for that tenant's share. The company notes that a guarantor may not know the other tenants or their guarantors, and that in a dispute the party who appears most able to pay could be the one pursued.

To illustrate the scale of the exposure, the site includes a liability calculator in which the user enters the monthly rent per student and the number of renters. The example shown uses five students at £650 each, producing £7,800 for the individual student's rent and £39,000 under the joint tenancy. The company states that potential damages cannot be estimated and that, where costs exceed the deposit and liability is joint and several, the guarantor may be liable for those costs as well. It labels the tool an illustration rather than legal advice.

Cover and policy levels

The policy is offered at three levels of cover. The company describes the protection as insurance-backed and lists the following elements:

• Legal advice and representation in a dispute with the student's landlord, with cover starting from £15,000.
• Protection against unpaid rent and damage claims, subject to policy terms.
• A claims process with dispute resolution support and legal cover.
• Access to a legal helpline for practical guidance.

The site also refers to cover of up to £50k in its summary of the product. Policy documents are sent by email once the application is completed and paid.

How cover is arranged

The process is set out in three steps: reviewing the policy wording to understand what is and is not covered, completing an application and choosing the cover level, and paying, after which the documents are emailed. The company also offers a reminder service: visitors can subscribe with their email and, optionally, their tenancy start date to be notified closer to that date. A separate option lets people who are not guaranteeing a student register to be informed if the cover is extended or if a partner can offer a suitable alternative.

For tenancies that have already begun, the company states that it is not too late to buy, but that a 90-day exclusion period applies before cover becomes effective.

Corporate and regulatory details

Guarantor Insure is a trading name of Third Party Liability Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 08987330. Its registered office is One St Peters Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 7QU. Third Party Liability Limited is an appointed representative of Xact Risk Solutions Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 590514.