Landlord insurance

Compare landlord insurance quotes

Your rental property is your biggest investment – so you need to have confidence that it's properly protected with the right landlord cover. With Simply Business you can take the pain out of running a rental. You can build your own policy, compare quotes, and buy online, all safe in the knowledge that you're protected should the worst happen.

No two rental properties are the same – insuring over 150,000 landlords has taught us that. That's why we let you build a policy that suits your needs, with the help of a simple online form, a UK-based contact centre, and an award-winning claims team.

What is landlord insurance?

Landlord insurance is a specific type of insurance that protects you against losses suffered in connection to a rental property. It can protect the property itself, as well as related risks such as injury or loss suffered by a tenant as a result of a fault with the building. Landlord insurance can also cover the landlord's contents within the property.

For more information take a look our FAQ: what is landlord insurance?

Is landlord insurance legally required?

While cover for landlords is not a legal requirement, a conventional home insurance policy won’t cover you for rental activities. Also, if you have a mortgage on your property, it’s very likely that your lender will require you to be covered by a suitable policy before you can take on tenants.

On top of that, if you employ anyone who helps with your rental, is it usually a legal requirement to have employers' liability insurance, so make sure you add it to your policy.

Read more about legal obligations for landlords.

What type of landlord insurance do I need?

The specifics of your policy are likely to vary depending on your particular needs. For example, buildings insurance will be a crucial cover for some, but for those who don’t own the whole building, it may be that fixtures and fittings insurance is more appropriate. The best option is to build a policy that’s right for you.

When you buy insurance through Simply Business, you can tailor your quote to your individual needs by including covers such as:

• buildings insurance
• property owners' liability insurance
• accidental damage insurance
• alternative accommodation insurance
• contents insurance
• loss of rent insurance
• unoccupied property insurance
• fixtures and fittings insurance
• tenant default insurance
• landlord legal expenses insurance

The correct policy for you will depend on your own circumstances — such as the type of property you're insuring, and its contents. Using our quote form, you can build a tailored policy to suit your needs. See all our covers for landlords.

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What does landlord insurance cover?

Landlord insurance protects you from financial losses that you might experience through your day-to-day rental activities. If you're a landlord, standard home insurance is unlikely to offer as much protection as you need it to. Dedicated landlord insurance includes covers designed to protect your rental property – and your tenants – against the specific risks you face.

A standard policy will usually cover against potential issues like:

• fire and lightning
• flood, storm and other weather damage
• escape of water (such as leaks caused by frozen and burst pipes)
• loss of metered water/oil
• earthquakes
• explosions
• subsidence
• trace and access (such as any damage done to locate a leak, like removing wall boards or floor boards to access plumbing)
• theft, malicious damage and vandalism

Simply Business landlord insurance includes blanket cover of £600,000. This means that if the cost to rebuild your property is below this amount, you’ll be fully covered if it's destroyed and you need to rebuild it.

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Landlord insurance FAQs

We have comprehensive answers to frequently asked questions about landlord insurance over on our FAQ pages. You can find out more about each of these topics:

Do I need landlord insurance?

Landlord insurance is important because normal home insurance policies aren't designed to cover rental activities. A specialist policy can help you protect yourself, your rental property and your tenants.

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Is buildings insurance a legal requirement?

While buildings insurance isn't a legal requirement, your mortgage lender will usually need you to have it in place. If your property is damaged or destroyed, buildings insurance can cover the repair or rebuild costs.

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What is the difference between buildings and contents insurance?

The difference is that buildings insurance covers the physical structure of a property – so walls, roof and floors. Contents insurance covers what's inside the property, including furniture and freestanding appliances.

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What is landlord liability insurance?

This is a version of public liability insurance for landlords. It can cover your legal and compensation fees if someone is injured or their possessions get damaged and they blame your rental property.

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How much does landlord insurance cost?

The best way to find out is by running a quick quote, but essentially it depends on the covers and cover levels you choose. The type of property, location and type of tenants will all play a part, too.

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Build your landlord insurance policy

We make it quick and easy to get the protection you need, whether you’re looking for buy-to-let insurance or commercial landlord insurance. Tailor your policy by choosing from a range of rental property insurance covers including buildings insurance, contents insurance, property owners’ liability, loss of rent, accidental damage, fixtures and fittings, legal expenses, tenant default, and alternative accommodation.

What do you need from landlord insurance?

Make sure you answer this question when looking for landlord insurance. The checklist below should get you thinking:

• If you employ people, even in your own home, you’re legally obliged to take out employers’ liability insurance. Not doing this could lead to a heavy fine
• Make sure you read and understand any exclusions to your policy. Simply Business offers you the chance to read the policy documents in full before you buy
• Remember that conventional home insurance policies will not cover a buy-to-let property
• You should state the rebuild cost of your property, not its market value, when buying buildings insurance

Why Simply Business?

• We are one of the UK’s biggest business insurance providers
• All settled claims are paid within 24 hours
• 9/10 ratings say we’re good or excellent
• 500,000 customers (and counting)
• Claims are handled by an award-winning team
• Quote comparisons available from multiple insurers
• We run things from an expert, UK-based contact centre

All of this, plus expert insight and connections in our Knowledge centre, full of tips, articles, videos, and podcasts to help you manage your rental.