Protection for everything you have built.

Why Property Insurance Matters

A house represents years of saving, borrowing, and planning. A single fire, burst water tank, or break-in can undo a substantial part of that in an afternoon. Property insurance exists to make sure that a bad day does not become a financial catastrophe, converting an unpredictable loss into a manageable annual premium.

In Kenya, the risks are specific and real. Urban properties face burglary and, in some areas, riot and civil commotion exposure. Rural and peri-urban homes contend with grass fires and lightning strikes. Properties near rivers and in low-lying parts of Nairobi face flash flooding during the long rains. Minova helps you understand which of these exposures actually apply to your property, and then arranges cover that reflects them rather than paying for protection you will never use.

Buildings Cover

Buildings cover protects the physical structure of your property: walls, roof, floors, fixed fittings, and usually outbuildings, garages, walls, and gates within the compound. A standard buildings section in Kenya responds to the following:

• Fire, lightning, and explosion: The core peril, covering everything from electrical faults to gas cylinder incidents.
• Flood and storm damage: Damage from heavy rainfall, flooding, and windstorm, a growing concern as rainfall patterns become less predictable.
• Impact damage: Where a vehicle, falling tree, or aircraft causes structural damage.
• Bursting of water tanks and pipes: Repair of the damage caused by escaping water, a very common household claim.
• Subsidence and landslip: Available as an extension where ground conditions warrant it.
• Riot, strike, and civil commotion: Often excluded as standard and added back by extension, worth discussing depending on your location.
• Alternative accommodation: The cost of housing your family elsewhere while the property is being rebuilt or repaired.

Buildings must be insured at reinstatement cost, meaning the cost of rebuilding today including materials, labour, professional fees, and debris removal. This figure is frequently different from the market value of the property, and it changes as construction costs rise. Minova reviews sums insured at each renewal so that you are neither over-paying nor exposed to the average clause.

Household Contents Cover

Contents cover protects what is inside the house: furniture, appliances, electronics, clothing, kitchenware, and soft furnishings. It responds to fire and the other insured perils, and it can be extended to include theft following forcible entry, which for most Kenyan households is the single most valuable part of the policy.

A useful exercise is to walk through your home room by room and total what it would cost to replace the contents new. Most people substantially underestimate this figure, often by half. Minova can provide a contents checklist to help you arrive at a realistic sum insured before you buy.

All Risks Cover for Portable Items

Standard contents cover protects belongings while they are inside the home. Items you carry with you, such as laptops, mobile phones, cameras, spectacles, jewellery, and watches, need an all-risks section to be covered away from the property. All-risks cover follows the item wherever it goes within the defined territorial limits, and it responds to accidental loss and damage as well as theft.

Higher-value single items usually need to be specified individually on the policy schedule with a valuation. Minova will tell you where that threshold sits with each underwriter so nothing valuable is left unlisted.

Landlord and Rental Property Insurance

If you own property that you let out, your exposure is different from that of an owner-occupier. Landlord policies cover the building structure and any contents you provide, such as furniture and appliances in a furnished let, and they can be extended to cover loss of rental income while the property is uninhabitable following an insured event.

Landlord cover also addresses your liability as a property owner if a tenant or visitor is injured because of a defect in the building. For investors holding several units, Minova can arrange a single portfolio policy covering all properties under one schedule and renewal date, which simplifies administration and generally improves the terms available.

Tenant Contents Insurance

Tenants often assume the landlord's policy protects them. It does not. Your landlord insures the building; your own possessions are entirely your responsibility. A contents-only policy is inexpensive relative to what it protects, and it also covers your liability for accidental damage to the property you occupy, which can otherwise be deducted from your deposit or pursued directly.

Domestic Staff and Liability

Employing a house help, gardener, cook, or night guard makes you an employer under the Work Injury Benefits Act, with a legal obligation to compensate work-related injury. Most domestic package policies in Kenya include an employer liability section for exactly this purpose, alongside public liability cover for injury to visitors or damage you cause to a neighbour's property.

These sections carry limits that are easy to overlook until they are needed. Minova checks that the limits in your policy are proportionate to the number of people you employ and the value of neighbouring property.

What Property Insurance Does Not Cover

No property policy covers everything, and knowing the exclusions in advance prevents unpleasant surprises at claim time. Wear and tear, gradual deterioration, and poor maintenance are excluded across the market, as is damage that develops slowly such as rot or rising damp. Losses occurring while a property is left unoccupied beyond a stated period, commonly thirty or sixty consecutive days, are typically excluded unless you notify the insurer in advance. Theft without forcible or violent entry is generally not covered. Minova walks clients through these exclusions before binding cover, so that expectations and the policy wording actually match.

Making a Property Claim

Speed and documentation determine how smoothly a property claim settles. Report the loss to your insurer promptly, and to the police where theft or malicious damage is involved, since an abstract is usually required. Photograph the damage before making repairs, keep damaged items for inspection where it is safe to do so, and retain receipts for any emergency work carried out to prevent further loss. Minova handles the insurer correspondence on your behalf and stays with the claim through to settlement.