Residential
For buy-to-let properties that you rent out.
Protection for residential, commercial and multiple properties
Compare quotes from 15[2] leading landlord insurers
Add rent guarantee, emergency cover, and accidental damage cover
Landlord insurance, also known as buy-to-let insurance, protects landlords from risks associated with their rental properties.
You can cover:
theft, fire and flood
legal liabilities
loss of rental income
🚩 Buy-to-let mortgage lenders may insist you have landlord insurance
You are not legally required to take out landlord insurance when you let out your property.
But without insurance you could end up responsible for some very expensive bills if your tenants stop paying rent, the building is burgled, or your renter is injured due to inadequate property maintenance.
Standard home insurance is unlikely to cover rented properties.
🚩 Landlord insurance inclusions and exclusions can vary. Always read your own policy documents thoroughly.
Usually covered |
|---|
✔ Damage to buildings (not by tenants)
✔ Damage to fixtures and fittings (not by tenants)
✔ Fire, flood and storm damage
✔ Theft and vandalism (not by tenants)
✔ Sudden water damage (e.g. burst pipe)
✔ Subsidence
✔ Alternative accommodation for displaced tenants
✔ Landlord public liability
Optional add-ons |
|---|
✔ Landlord's contents (i.e. furniture)
✔ Loss of rental income (if property is unhabitable)
✔ Rent guarantee cover (if tenant defaults)
✔ Legal expenses (e.g. for evictions)
✔ Unoccupied property cover
✔ Accidental damage by tenants
✔ Boiler breakdown and other home emergencies
✔ Lock replacement
Usually not covered |
|---|
✖ Tenants' personal belongings
✖ Wear and tear
✖ Damage by pets
✖ Deliberate damage by tenants
✖ Water damage caused over time (e.g. dripping pipe)
✖ Items' value above the single-item limit
Standard landlord insurance is generally only for buildings and landlord liability.
You can add other types of cover to your policy for extra protection.
Landlord building insurance protects the structure of your property against risks like fires or floods.
If you own a leasehold property, such as a flat within a towerblock, the freeholder may take on responsiblity for insuring the structure of the building. However, you may still need cover for your fittings and fixtures.
Landlord contents insurance is for furnished rentals. It protects any moveable belongings you keep in the property, such as curtains or dishwashers. It does not cover anything that belongs to your tenants.
You can add-on extra protection for any accidental damage to your belongings that is caused by tenants. There are landlord insurance policies that will also cover deliberate damage by tenants, but this is more unusual.
This will cover the rental income you lose if property damage prevents you from letting out your rental home.
It does not cover rent lost because tenants stop paying it - for that you'll need rent guarantee cover (also called tenant default cover).
Rent guarantee insurance provides cover for lost rent if a tenant defaults on their payments. It is also known as tenant default cover.
To have your claim accepted you generally must have performed background checks on your tenants before they moved in, and the tenants must still be living at your property.
This is designed for landlords who rent out five or more properties. It is a more convenient and usually cost effective way of insuring all of your rental buildings.
Standard landlord insurance will not cover properties that are left empty for more than a few weeks.
So if you are having a long lag between tenants or are carrying out extensive renovations then you'll need unoccupied property insurance to be covered.
Landlord emergency cover provides immediate help for home emergencies like burst pipes or boiler breakdowns.
As part of this cover, insurer-approved contractors will usually be sent round to your property to fix the problem.
Public liability insurance helps cover legal expenses, including lawyer fees and compensation payouts, if anyone is harmed while on your property and holds you responsible.
For example, if a tenant or their guest trips over a loose floorboard and breaks their arm, you could be considered liable for failing to properly maintain your property.
If you employ anyone to help you manage your rental properties then by law you must take out employers’ liability insurance or face a £2,500 per-day fine.
For buy-to-let properties that you rent out.
For properties used as business premises.
If you own multiple buy-to-let properties.
For properties you rent out to three or more unrelated people.
Annual Price | Cheapest | Average |
|---|---|---|
Buildings Insurance + Properties Owners' Liability | £160.80[3] | £240.56[4] |
Buildings Insurance + Properties Owners' Liability + Contents Insurance | £193.18[5] | £290.72[6] |
According our data, 10% of our customers paid this amount or less a month for their building cover and property owner's liability landlord insurance.
🚩 The cheapest option may not be the best option for you. Sometimes it is worth paying a little more to get a better level of cover.
Shopping around different landlord insurers is the best way to see what deals are out there and how they compare to each other.
MoneySuperMarket can do the hard work for you. We'll show you personalised quotes from up to 15 landlord insurers in minutes.
It is almost always cheaper to pay for your landlord insurance policy in one lump sum, rather than spreading the costs across 12 months.
Setting a higher excess (the amount you contribute for a claim) when you take out your policy can lower your premiums.
The downside is that a higher excess will make it more expensive for you to claim on your insurance.
Stronger locks, burglar alarms, CCTV and other anti-theft measures make insurers view your property as a lower risk for certain claims. That can result in a lower premium.
Properties that remain unoccupied are considered higher risk by insurers, so they may charge you more if you don't have a quick turnover of tenants.
Combining policies for multiple properties, or combining different types of landlord insurance into one policy, may be more cost-effective than purchasing separate policies.
Insurers may charge you more if you rent to certain types of tenant.
For example, premiums may be higher if your rent properties to students or to people who use government benefits to pay their rent. Insurers often assume these types of tenants are more likely to miss a rent payment.
size of the property
age of the property
location
property security
tenant types
tenant numbers
claims history
amount of cover
paying monthly or annually
Such as the address, date of purchase, when it was built, and if it's commercial or residential.
Their employment status and which background checks you perform.
You can choose different amounts depending on your circumstances and risk-tolerance.
If you want any optional extras with your insurance, such as contents cover.
Basic details of your existing policy, including any previous claims history.
Example landlord insurance quote from Covéa
Great for
But be aware that
Quote taken on 30th April 2025. Learn about our methodology here.
With upcoming law changes expected to come about with the passing of the Renters’ Rights Bill, many landlords may find themselves needing legal counsel to navigate new requirements and responsibilities.
The end of fixed-term tenancies and section 21 evictions in particular will undoubtedly present new challenges for the unprepared.
Thankfully, with landlord insurance, you can claim for the cost of legal expenses related to evictions, rent arrears, property damage and more. Some insurance providers also give access to a dedicated legal advice phoneline to help you avoid disputes escalating to the court, saving you from expensive court fees
Alicia Hempsted Insurance Expert
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No. A standard home insurance policy is unlikely to cover rented properties you aren’t personally living in.
Are you are a resident landlord who:
has always lived at the property?
shares facilities (e.g. bathrooms or kitchens) with the people you charge to live there?
If so your renters are probably classed as lodgers, not tenants.
You do not need landlord insurance for lodgers, but you may want to get an add-on to your regular home insurance policy that will cover you for housing a lodger.
If you live on site but you moved in part way through their tenancy and/or there is a much a larger degree of separation between you (i.e. they have a living space you cannot enter without permission) then your renters are probably tenants and landlord insurance would be the correct cover for you.
Yes. You may even be able to get a discount on your premiums as a result.
Yes, landlord insurance usually covers subsidence as standard.
Subsidence involves the ground beneath a building sinking or collapsing. It can cause serious structural damage to properties. Insurance can assist with the repair costs arising from such damage.
You'll need a landlord contents insurance policy to protect any furniture, fixtures or appliances you supply to your tenants.
You might also be able to use this type of insurance to claim for the costs of alternative accommodation for your tenants if damage to your contents makes the property uninhabitable.
You can take out rent guarantee insurance which will cover some of your costs if tenants default on their rent payments.
To qualify, you generally need to have carried out background checks when the tenants moved in, and they must still be living at the property. You will generally also need to be exploring legal avenues, such as eviction proceedings.
There is a separate type of insurance cover for lost rent payments if the house is made uninhabitable by an insurable event like a fire. It is called rental income protection insurance.
Standard landlord insurance often included landlord liability cover. This covers legal fees and compensation if your tenants makes a claim against you for causing them injury. For example, you didn't properly secure a heavy piece of furniture which then falls on them.
However, to cover other legal expenses you'll generally need to purchase an insurance add-on. Legal expenses insurance covers issues like:
tenant eviction
rent recovery
tax or contract disputes
property repossession
property damage
To make a claim, contact your insurer. They will probably ask you to fill in a claims form and submit it alongside evidence and documentation to support your claim.
Boiler cover isn't mandatory for landlords, but it can be beneficial.
Having boiler cover means a contractor will be sent out to fix the problem quickly. That helps ensure your property remains habitable for tenants - you may be responsible for finding them suitable alternative accommodation if it is not.
Landlords almost always organise and pay for buildings insurance since they are the ones responsible for maintaining the structure of the property.
Insurers see rented properties as being at higher risk of making a claim.
The thinking is that tenants are likely to be less invested than homeowners in the condition of the property, especially when it comes to long-term concerns. Homeowners may take faster action on problems or perform more regular maintenance than landlords can or will do. Also, it is far more unlikely that someone would deliberately damage their own home than a disgruntled tenant would damage a rental property.
Another claim risk for insurers is that landlords are legally liable if poor maintenance on their part results in tenants or their guests getting hurt at the property.
Yes. Landlords are generally able to claim a tax deduction on landlord insurance, as they can for the other running and maintenance costs of their property.
Other things you can claim tax deductions for are:
General maintenance and repairs
Council tax
Water, gas and electricity
Ground rents and service charges
Maintenance services like cleaners and gardeners
Letting agent fees (also called property management fees)
Accountant fees
Landlords are also entitled to a tax-free allowance on rental income. This allowance is £1,000.
According to Simply Business data, 10% of our customers paid £13.40 or less a month for their building cover & property owner's liability landlord insurance between 1st February- 30th April 2025.
The price is for building and £2 million property owners' liability insurance only – 10% of customers paid this price or less annually between 1st Feb - 30th April 2025.
The price is for building and £2 million property owners' liability insurance only – 51% of customers paid this price or less annually between 1st Feb - 30th April 2025.
The price is for building, contents and £2 million property owners' liability insurance only – 10% of customers paid this or less annually between 1st Feb - 30th April 2025.
The price is for building, contents and £2 million property owners' liability insurance only – 51% of customers paid this or less annually between 1st Feb - 30th April 2025.
YouGov Survey 1st October 2023 to 30th September 2024. Net recommended score derived from “Which of the following online service website would you recommend to a friend or colleague, or tell them to avoid?” Base: Current Customers of (MoneySuperMarket n=19272, CompareTheMarket n=17631, Go.Compare n=10457, Confused.com n= 8421, Uswitch n=681)
