Purchase your cover
Take out either landlord buildings or contents insurance with added rent guarantee insurance. In some cases, you can only add this cover if you also have legal cover. Pay for your insurance monthly or annually
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What is rent guarantee insurance?
If you are a landlord and are affected by non-payment of rent, could you comfortably afford to pay your mortgage and other costs related to the property? What about the legal fees if you were forced to issue court proceedings against your tenant?
This is where rent guarantee insurance comes in.
Rent guarantee insurance is an optional cover that can be added to landlord insurance to protect your rent payments and give you peace of mind. If your tenants fail to pay their rent, rent guarantee insurance can cover some of those payments until your tenant can continue with their payments or until they are evicted.
How does rent guarantee insurance work?
If your renter fails to pay their contracted monthly rent when it's due, here is how you can claim on your insurance to recover some of the cost:
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Contact your tenant
If your tenant misses a rent payment, make a request for unpaid rent in writing – and again 7 days later if not received. If you employ a letting agent, they will do this for you. Also, contact your insurer and request a claim form
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Start your claim
Providing your policy has been in place for more than 10 days and you have contacted your tenants, you can start the process of making a claim by filling out your claims form and providing the necessary evidence for your insurer
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Receive your pay-out
If your claim is approved, your provider will cover lost rent payments, minus your agreed excess. You can continue to claim until you reach the maximum limit outlined in your policy or the tenant is evicted
Do I need rent guarantee insurance?
Rent guarantee insurance can be a valuable protection for landlords, especially those that rely on rental payments for their income. Policies can cover six- and twelve-month tenancy agreements. However, there are terms to these policies that mean they may not be suitable for everyone.
For example, some policies require that you have had a rent guarantee in place previously if you want to make a claim straight away.
And, if it’s the first time you have had rent guarantee cover, the policy may stipulate you need to wait for 90 days from its start date before you can make a claim. Many providers may also require that you have legal cover as part of your landlord insurance policy before you can apply for rent guarantee insurance.
A cap is also applied to the number of months missed rent it will cover, say four or five months – or until the contract ends or the tenant is evicted, whichever happens soonest.
What does rent guarantee insurance cover?
Rent guarantee insurance provides cover for missed rental payments if your tenant doesn't pay. However, to purchase landlord insurance rent guarantee cover with MoneySuperMarket, you will also need to add a legal cover to your policy and property owners' liability.
So, with the necessary cover options, your insurance policy cover will look something like this:
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What is covered:
Buildings cover/ fixtures & fittings cover/ contents cover
Up to £50k for rental arrears up to 12 months
Legal expenses up to £50,000
Free access to legal and tax advice helpline
Property owners' liability (£2,000,000 or £5,000,000)
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What is not covered:
Commercial properties
Properties outside of the UK
Tenants that are already in arrears when the policy starts
Contract disputes
Tenants that are moving out
What other types of cover can I add to landlord insurance?
As well as rent guarantee cover, there are several options that you can choose from to tailor your landlord insurance policy to your needs. These options include:
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Buildings insurance
Buildings cover is one of the base cover options for landlord insurance. It covers damage to the building itself. It can also cover fittings and fixtures in apartments, such as kitchens and bathrooms
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Contents insurance
Contents insurance is one of the base cover options for landlord insurance. It will protect household items that you have provided for the tenant, such as furniture and appliances, if they are damaged or stolen
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Home emergency cover
Home emergency cover for landlords will provide you with 25-hour assistance in the event of an emergency, such as burst pipes, boiler breakdowns, or electrical supply failures
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Legal expenses cover
Legal cover is an optional protection that will cover legal costs relating to repossession, property damage, eviction of tenants
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Excess protection
This optional cover will reimburse you up to £5,000 per year for your excess when you make an eligible claim
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Property owners' liability
This optional cover will protect you if a tenant or guest seeks compensation for an accident that happened at your rental property
Our expert says…
Rent guarantee insurance can be a valuable protection for landlords who rely on rent payments for income. Non-payment of rent is always a risk – even if you have years of experience, are rigorous about tenant checks and references, or employ a trusted letting agent to do it all on your behalf. We're here to help you find a great deal on this cover as well as landlord building and contents insurance. All you need to do is answer some questions and we'll find you competitive quotes for your policy.
Sam Meadows Insurance Expert
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MoneySuperMarket has won the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award, an independent seal of excellence, which recognises businesses that consistently deliver a world-class customer experience.
How much does rent guarantee insurance cost?
The cost of rent guarantee insurance depends on several different factors. These include:
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Type of property
Property type, size, and location can all affect the cost of rent which also affects the cost of your insurance
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Level of insurance cover
Choosing more comprehensive cover or adding extra cover will make your insurance policy more expensive
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Excess
Increasing your excess can reduce the cost of your policy, but it also means that your pay-out is reduced
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Your tenants
Tenants with a higher risk of skipping rent payments can make insurance more expensive
How to compare rent guarantee insurance
Comparing landlord insurance policies with rent guarantee cover is easy to do online with MoneySuperMarket. All you need to do is answer some questions and make sure you add 'tenant default' cover to your policy when choosing your cover options. Then we will fetch you quotes from our panel of providers to find you the best price for your policy.
Before you start your journey, there are a few details that you should have on hand to save you some time:
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Property details
There are some basic details about your property that you will need to have at hand when applying for insurance. This includes the date it was built, the date you purchased it, and the construction materials
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Tenant details
If you plan to have tenants when the policy starts, you will need to know their employment status. You will need to confirm any kinds of checks you carry out on prospective tenants
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Claims history
If you have claimed on insurance in the past or if anyone has requested compensation from you, you will need to proclaim this to providers and possibly provide some details
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Property security details
You will need to know what kind of locks the property has on the doors and windows. You will also need to disclose whether the property will be left unoccupied for more than 45 days once tenants have moved in
Landlord insurance guides and tips
Keep up to date and find out all you need to know with our latest guides.
What if I get into a legal dispute with my tenant?
Getting involved in a legal dispute with your tenant over things such as rent collection, damage to the property, or even eviction can prove stressful, costly and time-consuming.
Legal expenses insurance could therefore prove a welcome addition to your insurance armoury – as well as provide peace of mind even if you don’t need to use it.
You may find that rent guarantee insurance already includes legal expenses cover, though you can also buy it as a separate policy.
There is usually a limit to the amount that you can claim under legal expenses cover and you might also find that you can only employ a solicitor from the insurer's chosen panel of insurers. As ever, check the small print.
How might rent guarantee insurance work in practice?
Here is an outline of how it works to make a claim on your rental guarantee insurance:
Tenant fails to pay the contracted monthly rent of £1,000 when it is due on 25 July
Contact your insurer straight away and request a claim form – policies usually stipulate between 31 and 60 days – but the sooner, the better
Contact your tenant and request unpaid rent in writing – and again 7 days later if not received. If you employ a letting agent, it will do this on your behalf
If your tenant still fails to pay, you can start your claim – provided your policy has been in place for 90 days
Assuming the excess payable is one month’s rent, you will start to receive the £1,000 payment from 25 August
You can continue to claim on unpaid rent until the maximum number of months stated on the policy, your tenancy agreement ends or your tenant is evicted – whichever is soonest
Your insurer may also pay legal expenses including court costs to obtain vacant possession up to a capped amount. Although the cover may have to be bought separately. Check your policy
What do I need for rent guarantee insurance?
Most rent guarantee insurance policies stipulate that tenants have either appropriate references – i.e., from a former landlord, managing agent, or employer – or a registered guarantor that will cover their rent if they fail to pay.
Insurers will also want to see that all tenants have been credit checked.
In addition, your tenant might also require a particular type of tenancy agreement, as well as protection of the tenant's deposit under one of the government's approved tenancy deposit schemes.
It’s important to take heed of any criteria like these, as failing to comply could result in your claim being invalid.
Do I need to perform checks on my tenants to get rent guarantee insurance?
Some providers of landlord insurance ask that you have properly vetted tenants to take out rent guarantee insurance. This can include references from previous landlords, references from employers, criminal background checks, and credit history checks including Enforcement of Judgments Office, County Court Judgments and bankruptcy.
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Reviewed on 5 Dec 2025 by
