INSURANCE WAREHOUSE
Landlord insurance is a type of cover specially designed for people who rent out their property. It goes beyond standard home insurance and protects you against things like damage to the building, legal liabilities, and sometimes even loss of rent. Do you have to get it? Legally, no — but it’s a smart move. If you’ve got tenants in your property, regular home insurance won’t cover you.
Strictly speaking, no — the law doesn’t require it. But if you’ve got a mortgage on the property, your lender probably will. And even if you own the place outright, it’s a strong safety net against expensive problems.
Just remember — each policy is different, so it’s worth checking the small print.
It can — but only if you add that to your policy. Accidental and malicious damage by tenants isn’t always standard, so make sure you ask for it if you’re concerned about things like broken furniture, holes in walls, or other mishaps.
Yes, that’s a standard part of most landlord insurance policies. It’ll help cover the cost of repairing or rebuilding the structure if it's damaged by events like fire, flood, or storm.
Yes — in most cases, your insurance premium is classed as an allowable expense. That means you can deduct it from your rental income when working out your tax bill.
Absolutely. Many insurers do cover landlords who rent to tenants on housing benefits or Universal Credit. Just bear in mind that some might charge more, or offer slightly different terms.
It depends on lots of factors — where your property is, how big it is, the type of tenants, and the level of cover you want. As a rough guide, basic landlord insurance typically costs somewhere between £120 and £250 a year.
Home insurance is for owner-occupied homes. If you’re renting out your property, you need landlord insurance because it accounts for tenant-related risks that regular home policies don’t cover.
You might. Often the freeholder will have a buildings insurance policy that covers the structure of the building. But it’s still worth checking — you may need extra cover for your specific flat, like contents or liability protection.
Only if you’ve chosen to include rent guarantee insurance in your policy. This can help recover rental income if your tenant can’t or won’t pay.
Yes, absolutely. Just be sure to double-check what your building’s management company already covers, so you don’t double up.
Both need landlord insurance, but if the property is furnished, you’ll want to include contents cover. If it’s unfurnished, you can usually just stick with buildings and liability insurance.
Most buy-to-let mortgage providers do require it. They want to protect the asset they’ve lent money against — which makes sense.
It’s fairly straightforward. As soon as something happens, contact your insurer. You’ll usually need:
They’ll guide you through the process from there.
This protects you if someone gets injured on your property and it’s your fault (e.g., a tenant trips on a loose step). It can cover legal fees and compensation.
Yes, but it’s often an optional extra. Legal expenses insurance can be really useful if you need to evict a tenant or deal with a legal dispute.
No problem — many insurers offer multi-property landlord insurance. It’s usually more cost-effective and easier to manage than having separate policies.
Having these details ready can help speed things up and get you covered faster.
Got more questions? Just ask — it’s better to be safe and well-informed when it comes to protecting your property.