There is nothing new about the idea that providers of social housing ought to be able to facilitate insurance arrangements for their tenants that are cheap and easy to manage. Local Authorities for many years have been operating schemes that allow their tenants to buy basic contents insurance and pay premiums weekly or fortnightly with rent. Increasingly, Registered Social Landlords are seeking to implement similar arrangements. Already more than 90 Local Authorities and over 300 RSLs operate or sponsor tenants contents schemes.

A recognition of the need to address issues of social exclusion, including exclusion from access to financial services, has grown in recent years. One result of this is that the possibility of providing banking, credit and insurance services to low income families has come under the microscope. A considerable body of research and consultation has been undertaken to examine how such facilities may best be established.

This report is one of the consequences of this work.