Buildings
The structure, roof, permanent fixtures and usually fitted kitchens and bathrooms. Insured for what it would cost to rebuild, not what the property is worth.
UK Landlord Insurance
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- Single lets, HMOs and portfolios
- Buildings, contents and liability
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What cover do landlords need?
Buildings and property owners' liability are the starting point for almost every let. What else you need depends on what you provide and who lives there, so pick the parts that apply.
Property types
What types of property can you insure?
A one-bedroom flat, a six-bed HMO and a holiday cottage are three different risks, priced by different insurers on different terms. The panel goes to the providers that write the one you have.
How to compare landlord insurance quotes
One set of questions goes to the panel, and UK providers price the risk from it. It takes about three minutes, and nothing is committed at the end of it.
- 1
Enter the property details
The address, how the property is built, who lives in it and the cover you want. An estimated rebuild cost is enough to begin with, though it is not the same as the market value.
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The quote panel is searched
Your details go to the quote panel, where UK landlord insurance providers price the risk you have described.
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Compare and choose
Compare what comes back on price, cover and excess, then buy direct from the provider you pick. Nothing obliges you to take any of them.
Landlord insurance explained
What does landlord insurance cover?
Landlord insurance is not one product. It is a core of buildings and liability cover, with optional parts bolted on. Knowing which is which makes the quotes far easier to compare.
Landlord contents
The things you provide rather than the tenant: carpets, curtains, white goods and any furniture in a furnished let. Tenants insure their own belongings themselves.
Property owners’ liability
Claims against you by a tenant, visitor or neighbour who says they were injured or their property was damaged because of the building. You pick the limit at quote.
Optional cover you can add
Available on most policies, priced separately and worth deciding on deliberately rather than accepting whatever a renewal quote happens to include.
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Rent guarantee
Pays the rent if your tenant stops paying. Insurers normally require referenced tenants and a properly drawn-up tenancy agreement before it will pay out.
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Loss of rent
Covers rent you lose while the property cannot be lived in after an insured event such as a fire or a flood, and sometimes alternative accommodation for the tenant.
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Legal expenses
Legal costs for possession proceedings, tenancy disputes and chasing rent arrears, up to the limit shown in the policy.
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Home emergency
A call-out and an emergency repair when the heating fails, a pipe bursts or the tenant is locked out. It fixes the emergency rather than replacing the system.
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Accidental damage
One-off accidental damage, such as a foot through a ceiling or a drill through a pipe. Wear, tear and deliberate damage by a tenant are handled differently.
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Landlord’s possessions in common parts
Furniture, carpets and equipment you own in shared hallways, stairs and laundry rooms, which matters most for HMOs and blocks of flats.
Letting on a home insurance policy is the common mistake. A standard home policy is written for a property the owner lives in. Once tenants move in, the insurer normally needs to be told, and a claim on the wrong policy can be refused.
What the law requires
What insurance do landlords legally need?
None of it is required by law, with one exception. Employers' liability cover is compulsory if you employ anyone directly, and a mortgage lender will almost always insist on buildings cover as a condition of the loan.
What you are legally required to do
The duties below are the ones that create the risk an insurer is pricing. Miss one and a claim can be refused, and in some cases a possession claim can fail too.
| Duty | What the law requires |
|---|---|
| Gas safety | An annual check by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the record given to the tenant, under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 |
| Electrical safety | An inspection at least every 5 years in England, under the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020 |
| Alarms | A smoke alarm on every storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations 2015 |
| Deposits | Protection in an approved scheme within 30 days and prescribed information to the tenant. See GOV.UK on deposit protection |
| Employing staff | Employers' liability cover is compulsory under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 |
What it costs
How much does landlord insurance cost?
The median is £285 a year for a policy with no optional extras, which is roughly £24 a month. By property type it runs from £188 to £364.
Why the median, not the average
Those are median annual premiums for a policy with no optional extras, from Alan Boswell's 2026 landlord insurance statistics. Half of landlords pay less and half pay more. The £188 is a Tyneside flat, the cheapest property type in their data, and the £364 a detached house.
A handful of very expensive policies, mainly blocks of flats and high-value London property, pull a simple average upwards. Comparison adverts quoting around £14 a month are showing the cheapest end of the market rather than a typical policy.
What moves the price
The premium is built from the property, the tenancy and your claims history rather than from a list price. These are the factors insurers weigh. Several of them vary by area, and the Landlord Risk Map sets out possession claims, rents and burglary for all 318 council areas in England.
| Rating factor | Effect on the premium |
|---|---|
| Rebuild cost | A higher rebuild figure means a higher premium |
| Postcode risk | Flood and subsidence history can raise it sharply, or limit who will quote at all |
| Construction type | Non-standard construction narrows the market to specialist insurers |
| Your tenants | Working tenants, students and benefit claimants are rated differently |
| How you let it | A single let, an HMO and a holiday let are three different risks |
| Claims history | Recent claims raise the price at renewal |
| Excess and extras | A higher excess lowers it, and rent guarantee and legal cover are priced separately |
Knowledge hub
Plain English, no sales pitch.
Practical guidance on cover, claims and renewals, so you know what you are looking at before you compare.
Visit the knowledge hub-
Legislation and licensing What Does the Renters' Rights Act Mean for Landlords? The Renters' Rights Act came into force on 1 May 2026. Section 21 is gone, fixed terms have ended, and possession needs one of 37 grounds.
Read guide
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Rent and deposits How Do You Protect a Tenant's Deposit Correctly? Deposits go into an approved scheme within 30 days, with prescribed information served. Since 1 May 2026 a failure blocks possession too, but it is fixable.
Read guide
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Eviction and disputes Is a Section 21 Notice Still Valid? Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026 and the transitional window closed on 31 July. What that means for a notice you already served, and what replaced it.
Read guide
Questions
Landlord insurance: common questions
Is landlord insurance a legal requirement?
No. There is no law that says you must hold landlord insurance. In practice it is very hard to let without it: buy-to-let mortgage lenders almost always make buildings insurance a condition of the loan, and a standard home insurance policy usually will not cover a property you rent out. If you let without telling your home insurer, a claim can be turned down.
What is the difference between landlord insurance and home insurance?
Home insurance is priced for a property the owner lives in. Landlord insurance is priced for one that is let, and it adds the things a letting creates: property owners’ liability, cover for periods between tenancies, and optional extras such as rent guarantee and loss of rent. Letting a property insured as your own home usually breaches the policy terms.
Does my tenant’s insurance cover my building?
No. A tenant’s contents policy covers the tenant’s own belongings. The structure of the building is yours to insure, and so is anything you provide with it: carpets, appliances, and furniture in a furnished let. It is worth saying so in the tenancy agreement so nobody assumes they are covered by someone else.
How much should I insure the building for?
For the rebuild cost, not the market value or the price you paid. Rebuild cost is what it would take to clear the site and build the property again, including professional fees. It is often lower than market value. A recent survey, your lender’s valuation or a rebuild cost calculator will give you a figure to work from.
What happens when the property is empty between tenancies?
Tell your insurer. Most landlord policies restrict what they cover once a property has been unoccupied for a set number of consecutive days, and the limit is set out in the policy wording. If a void is going to run on, an unoccupied property policy is usually the right answer rather than hoping the existing cover holds.
Do I need specialist cover for an HMO?
Usually, yes. Houses in multiple occupation are rated differently because more unrelated people share the building, and many mainstream insurers will not quote for them at all. In England a large HMO, meaning five or more people forming more than one household, also needs a licence from the council, and insurers will normally ask whether you hold one.
Can I insure several properties on one policy?
Yes. A portfolio policy puts several properties under one renewal date and one set of documents, which is simpler than tracking a stack of separate policies. Insurers set their own minimum, so the number of properties entered decides which providers can quote.
Does it cost anything to compare quotes here?
No. Comparing is free and you are under no obligation to buy. We may be paid a fee when someone takes out a policy after using the site. That does not change the price you are quoted.
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Compare landlord insurance quotes from UK providers.