Becoming a landlord? Make sure you protect your property

With tenant demand outstripping supply of housing in many areas of the country, there isn’t a better time to become a landlord. However, many landlords are being caught out simply because they haven’t insured their property – landlord’s insurance is a vital purchase if you are considering a buy-to-let investment and can help protect you from unexpected costs if problems arise with your property and/or your tenants.

While not a legal requirement, insurance is an important component of any landlord and tenant relationship and as a landlord there are a number of important points to be aware of when it comes to purchasing insurance.

Don’t buy standard home insurance

If you are a landlord and purchasing insurance for the first time, please don’t cut corners by buying standard home insurance. As a landlord, your insurance needs are now very different and you must take out a specialist policy. A good policy will cover loss of rent and malicious damage by tenants, as well as cover your property while it is unoccupied pending rent or sale.

Public liability cover

Landlords are legally responsible to ensure that their property is safe for both tenants and the general public. Most landlord insurance policies should include public liability cover, but always check with your provider to see if you are covered.

Protecting the building

Buildings insurance covers damage by fire, storm and flood. Most specialist landlord policies will cover this and some policies will cover accidental damage as an additional benefit.

Insure your contents

Think about the addition of landlord’s contents insurance, which covers any items you own that remain in the property during the tenancy. Landlords contents can include your furniture as well as any large appliances you may have.

Advise your tenants to insure their contents

Many tenants mistakenly assume that their contents are automatically insured by the landlord as part of any buildings insurance taken out and paid for in the rent. You can avoid potential disputes in the future by advising your tenants to take out their own contents policy when they first move in.

Advice provided by

The Property Insurer aims to be the leading specialist property insurance website in the UK, providing the very best and most appropriate property insurance cover at the keenest price. If you need landlord insurance, go to The Property Insurer and click on the ‘Landlords Insurance’ button. The process is fast and online quotes can be obtained in minutes with excellent rates from leading insurers which you can purchase online or over the telephone.