Landlord insurance

No. A standard home insurance policy is unlikely to cover rented properties you aren’t personally living in.

For example:

• Owner-occupier home insurance may cover accidental damage caused by you or your family, but it usually excludes damage caused by tenants.

• Standard contents insurance covers your own belongings, not items you provide for tenants in a rental property.

• Home insurance liability cover is designed for private homes and may not apply if a tenant or visitor is injured in a rental property.

Landlord insurance is tailored to rental-property situations. Alongside buildings cover, landlord contents and property owners’ liability, landlord insurance usually offers optional add-ons such as rent guarantee or loss of rent, which standard home insurance does not offer.

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. Many insurers offer landlord portfolio insurance, which is designed to cover multiple rental properties under a single policy. You may also be able to get a discount compared with insuring each property separately.

Portfolio policies usually apply once you own five or more rental properties, although some insurers may offer multi-property discounts with fewer homes.

Key benefits include:

• Simpler management – one renewal date and one set of documents instead of multiple policies

• Potential cost savings – insurers may offer lower overall premiums for portfolios

• Consistent cover – the same core cover and add-ons applied across all properties

• Flexibility – properties can often be added or removed as your portfolio changes

Portfolio insurance is most suitable for landlords with several buy-to-let properties, especially where the buildings and tenant types are broadly similar.

Yes, landlord insurance usually covers subsidence as standard, but it often comes with tighter conditions than other types of claim.

Subsidence involves the ground beneath a building sinking or collapsing. It can cause serious structural damage to properties. While insurers typically cover repair costs, there are important limitations to be aware of:

• Higher excess – subsidence claims usually have a much higher excess than standard claims, often set at thousands of pounds.

• Investigation requirements – insurers will normally require specialist surveys to confirm subsidence before agreeing a claim.

• Gradual damage exclusions – damage caused by long-term neglect or poor maintenance may not be covered.

• Cause-related limits – some policies may restrict cover if subsidence is linked to issues such as leaking drains or nearby tree roots, depending on policy terms.

Subsidence claims can be complex and expensive, so it's a good idea to check the excess level and exclusions in a policy before buying cover.

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.

Landlord insurance can cover some or all of your lost rent, but you need different types of cover for tenant defaults and for the property becoming uninhabitable.

Rent guarantee insurance 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. Policies often also include legal expenses to help cover the cost of repossession.

Rental income protection insurance is a separate type of insurance cover for lost rent payments if the house is made uninhabitable by an insurable event like a fire or flood. It does not apply if the tenant simply stops paying rent.

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 as soon as possible after the incident. They will usually ask you to complete a claims form and provide supporting evidence.

What typically happens next:

• Initial notification – many insurers expect claims to be reported within a set timeframe, often 24–48 hours for serious damage.

• Evidence review – you may be asked for photos, repair estimates, invoices, tenancy agreements or rent schedules.

• Assessment – the insurer may appoint a loss adjuster to inspect the damage, which can take days or weeks depending on the claim.

• Decision and settlement – once accepted, straightforward claims can be settled quickly, while complex claims (such as subsidence or escape of water) can take longer.

Common claim pitfalls to avoid:

• delaying notification of the claim

• carrying out non-emergency repairs before insurer approval

• failing to meet policy conditions, such as property inspections or tenant referencing requirements

• claiming for damage that falls under wear and tear rather than insured damage

Checking your policy wording in advance can help reduce delays or rejected claims.

Boiler cover isn't mandatory for landlords, but it can be useful depending on what protection you already have in place.

Boiler cover is focused solely on boiler faults and breakdowns. It usually pays for call-outs, parts and labour, with the aim of restoring heating and hot water as quickly as possible. This can help keep a property habitable and reduce the risk of you needing to arrange alternative accommodation for tenants.

Landlord emergency cover is broader. It often includes boiler breakdowns, but also extends to other urgent problems such as burst pipes, electrical failures or blocked drains. However, emergency cover may have lower repair limits or exclusions, particularly for older boilers.

Because of this overlap, taking out both types of cover can mean paying twice for similar protection. Before buying separate boiler cover, it’s worth checking whether your landlord emergency cover already includes boiler repairs and whether the level of cover and response times are suitable for your property.

Landlords almost always organise and pay for buildings insurance since they are the ones responsible for maintaining the structure of the property.

There are some nuances, particularly with leasehold properties. If you own a leasehold flat, the freeholder or managing agent usually arranges buildings insurance for the whole building. The cost is then passed on to you through the service charge, rather than you taking out a separate buildings policy yourself.

Landlord insurance is often more expensive because insurers model rented properties as higher risk than owner-occupied homes.

Key factors in insurer risk modelling include a higher likelihood of damage, slower detection of issues such as leaks, and increased claims linked to tenant turnover. Insurers also factor in the risk of accidental or malicious damage by tenants, which does not usually apply to owner-occupiers.

There is also greater liability exposure. Landlords are legally responsible for maintaining the property, so insurers price in the risk of injury claims from tenants or visitors if something goes wrong. Together, these risks increase both the frequency and cost of claims, which pushes premiums up.

Yes. Landlords are generally able to claim a tax deduction on landlord insurance, as it counts as a running cost of letting out a 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 

Instead of claiming expenses, landlords in the UK can often choose to use a £1,000 'property allowance'. This allows you to deduct up to £1,000 from your rental income instead of claiming individual expenses. If your expenses are lower than £1,000, opting for the allowance can save you the time and effort of filing individual expenses and sometimes reduce your tax bill. But if your expenses are higher than £1,000, it’s generally more tax efficient to claim expenses instead, as all allowable costs are deducted from your rental income before tax is calculated.

For example, if you made £10,000 in rental income a year and had £2,000 worth of expenses, claiming these expenses would mean you will only be taxed on £8,000. Claiming the property allowance would mean you are taxed on £9,000.

Tax rules can change and depend on your individual circumstances. HMRC sets out what counts as an allowable expense, so it’s best to check current HMRC guidance or speak to a qualified accountant to confirm what you can and cannot claim.