The advert suggested that boiler cover was included with all forms of Direct Line landlord cover rather than just buildings cover, it was ruled.
The advert featured two characters discussing insurance, one being a landlord in charge of “my wife’s old flat” and the other was Winston Wolf, a character originally from Pulp Fiction.
“Wolf asks the landlord “you have Direct Line Landlord Insurance, right? After all, they'll pay to repair or replace your broken boiler as standard" and a voice over states "Boiler cover as standard... Boiler cover with buildings cover."
Buildings insurance is usually arranged by the freeholder or managing agent rather than flat owners, although in its Defence Direct Line said that 53.4% of their customers who let out flats have also taken out buildings cover with them.
Direct Line acknowledged that there is a distinction between the leaseholder and the freeholder; leaseholders are unlikely to obtain buildings insurance, but the insurer said it tried to keep things simple as the customer wouldn’t understand the difference.
