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From managing tenants to property maintenance, having a buy-to-let property can be its own full-time job. Bad weather damage, vandalism to the exterior, lost keys, and unpaid rent – landlords usually require specific cover, designed for rental properties and featuring protection like buy-to-let building insurance.
We’ll usually start with buy-to-let building insurance, plus contents insurance if you need cover for your own belongings inside the property. From there, you can add the cover you need, factoring in options like tenant default insurance and accidental damage cover. And remember, if a tenant or visitor holds you responsible for property damage – or an injury – property owners’ liability insurance can cover an unexpected claim.
Buy to let building insurance
In case disaster hits and your property gets damaged.
Landlords contents insurance
In case disaster hits and your contents get damaged.
Accidental damage insurance
In case your tenant or their guests accidentally damage your property.
Tenant default insurance
In case your tenants don’t keep up their rental payments.
Property owners’ liability insurance
In case you’re legally responsible for injuries or property damage, as owner of the building.
Landlord legal expenses insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs as the property’s landlord.
In case disaster hits and your property gets damaged.
For example:
What you’ll need additional cover for
Read more about buildings insurance for landlords
In case disaster hits and your contents get damaged.
For example:
What you’ll need additional cover for
Read more about landlords contents insurance
In case your tenant or their guests accidentally damage your property.
Claims against your business for:
For example:
Read more about accidental damage insurance
In case your tenants don’t keep up their rental payments.
For example:
Read more about tenant default insurance
In case you’re legally responsible for injuries or property damage, as owner of the building.
For example:
Read more about landlord liability insurance
In case you’re faced with legal costs as the property’s landlord.
For example:
Read more about landlord legal expenses insurance
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of landlord insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions
We provide cover for a range of property types, including:
Find out how much you’ll pay by comparing prices from a range of trusted insurers. You choose what goes into your policy, so you only pay for what you need.
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*How we work out example prices 10% of our customers paid up to £114.35 a year for a landlord buildings cover only policy between 1st April 2023 - 30th June 2023. Equivalent to £9.53 per month based on a monthly cost when paying for the policy in one annual payment. Paying monthly is usually more expensive as you'll pay interest. Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
£27.59 /month
£245.22 /year
Renting to 3 professional people with a HMO licence
Landlord buildings
£175,001 to £200,000
Property owners' liability
£2,000,000
Property owners' liability
not included
£47.98 /month
£426.48 /year
Renting out 4 flats in a converted building
Landlord buildings
£350,001 to £400,000
Landlords' contents
£10,001 to £12,500
Property owners' liability
£5,000,000
How we work out example quotes These examples are real quotes from our online system (created 22/04/2021). They’re based on a range of factors, like employees and location. Your own quote will be based on what you tell us about your property. Prices may go up or down from day to day, so the prices you’re quoted may differ to the ones you see here.
An excess is an amount you pay towards any claim you make on your insurance. For example, if your excess is £250 and you make a claim worth £1000, your payout will be a maximum of £750.
Insurance cover | Lowest excess | Highest excess |
---|---|---|
Main Building | £100 | £2500 |
Fixtures & fittings | £100 | £2500 |
Contents | £100 | £2500 |
Accidental damage | £100 | £500 |
Landlord liability | £0 | £500 |
The figures above are for guidance only and any excess applying to your quote may differ. You’ll get a breakdown of the excesses for each quote when you compare with us.
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Making sure you have the right type and level of landlord insurance can be the difference between getting a claim paid and having to cover the cost of an expensive accident yourself. Read our tips for guidance on what to consider when buying a policy.
What if my property is unoccupied?
What if my tenant's situation changes?
Are carpets and curtains covered?
Will tenant default insurance cover me if my property becomes unoccupied?
What if I'm subletting my property?
Do I need any other additional landlord covers?
If you've bought insurance for an unoccupied property, you'll be asked to confirm if the property is expected to be occupied within 60 days of the policy starting.
After this, you must contact us to confirm when the property becomes occupied – if you don't tell us, this can cause a delay in any claims being processed.
You should also be aware that you can't claim for lost rent under the loss of rent section of your insurance if your property becomes unoccupied.
If your tenant's employment status changes – or if a new tenant moves in and their employment status is different to the previous tenant – you'll need to tell us immediately. If you don't, it could cause a delay in any claims being processed.
The definition of 'fixtures and fittings' will depend on the insurer – sometimes, it will include laminate flooring, carpets, curtains and blinds.
It's a good idea to check the wording in your policy to understand what's covered.
Read more about contents insurance for landlords and buildings insurance.
If your property becomes unoccupied, you won't be able to make a claim for lost rent under tenant default cover.
This also applies if your tenant falls into arrears and can't pay their rent, but you're not planning to evict them. You can only claim for lost rent under tenant default cover if you start repossession proceedings.
Read more about tenant default insurance and rent guarantee insurance.
It's vital that any tenancy agreement that you have is between you and the occupant of the property.
If the occupant of your property has a tenancy agreement with a third party (such as a letting agency or a local authority) and not you as the property owner, then your insurance policy could be cancelled and you won't be able to make any claims.
You can add a range of other important covers to your landlord insurance policy, all while keeping it simple with a single premium and a single renewal date. You might consider these covers:
Our team of UK-based insurance experts are here to help, Mon 09.00am - 05.30pm, Tues 09.00am - 05.30pm, Weds 09.00am - 05.30pm, Thurs 09.30am - 05.30pm, Fri 09.00am - 05.30pm, Sat 09.00am - 02.00pm
Call our team
Unlike price comparison websites, we take the hassle out of claims for you. We know how important it is to get your business back on track quickly – and with a minimum of fuss. That’s why you get access to your dedicated claims any time, day or night. Call them on 0333 207 0560 or claim online. They’ll do their best to be fair and supportive.
Paying 80% of settled claims within 24 hours in 2022
The figure above is rounded across our range of products. Our claims process may vary for different products and operates on a ‘claim by claim’ basis.
An electrical fire in Harry’s (not his real name) Grade II listed property caused extensive damage, requiring a partial rebuild. The buy-to-let building insurance in his landlord insurance policy covered the cost of fire damage, and the rebuild costs.
£94,345.70
Covering the cost of fire damage
£100
The excess amount stated in Harry’s policy terms
We started out as a team of five back in 2005. We’ve grown since then with 315,000 landlord customers now trusting us to provide their insurance.
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Whether you’re new to buying landlord insurance or you’ve been letting your property for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about buy-to-let home insurance. You can also check out our landlord insurance FAQs.
This will depend on your specific circumstances, the type of property you’re renting out, your tenants and various other factors. Right now, our landlord policy prices start from £9.53 per month.
To work this out, 10% of our customers paid up to £114.35 a year for a landlord buildings cover only policy between 1st April 2023 - 30th June 2023. Equivalent to £9.53 per month based on a monthly cost when paying for the policy in one annual payment. Paying monthly is usually more expensive as you'll pay interest. Most customers pay more than this but some pay less.
Home insurance is required when you want to insure the home you’re living in against accidental loss or damage.
Landlord insurance is different – it’s required when you own a property that you rent out to a third party, and don’t live in yourself. It covers different insurance risks from a home policy, taking into account the type of tenant you rent to and how long you’ve owned the property. It also allows you to insure the property and protect yourself against things like loss of rental income, and malicious damage caused by your tenants.
You aren’t legally required to take out a specific landlord policy, but remember – a conventional home insurance policy won’t cover you for rental activities, and a mortgage lender will usually demand you have specific landlord cover in place, before you let your property.
Popular covers include property owners’ liability and contents insurance, for accidents on your property, plus buildings cover to protect the property itself.
As we’ve outlined above, there’s currently no legal obligation to take out a dedicated landlord insurance policy. However, a home insurance policy won’t cover you for the specific risks you and your tenants face, and a mortgage lender will usually require you to have buy-to-let insurance in place too, before renting out your property.
If you’ve provided furniture and other contents for your tenants – maybe even a TV or art for the walls – your property is known as ‘furnished’, and protection is key for most landlords. You can buy contents insurance as part of your landlord insurance policy, just add it when completing your landlord insurance quote.
This content has been created for general information purposes. Make sure you have the right level of landlord insurance by checking your policy documentation for details. Read our full Terms and Conditions.
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