Summary
What is Buildings Insurance for Landlords?
Landlord Buildings Insurance is a type of Landlord Insurance that provides cover against damage to the structure of a rental property – aspects such as the walls, floors and roof – alongside permanent built-in features, such as cabinets, surfaces, taps, basins, showers, baths and fitted kitchens.
If the item cannot be removed easily, buildings insurance will likely cover it.
Common events such as fire, theft, vandalism, flooding and subsidence are covered by buildings insurance. If you make a claim on your Landlords Buildings Insurance, it will typically cover the cost of repairs.
Do I need Buildings Insurance and Landlord Insurance?
Landlords do not legally need either building insurance or landlord insurance.
That said, having a policy could be a condition of your mortgage lender, and if you’re not covered, you could be putting your mortgage and the property at risk – make sure to check your mortgage conditions just in case.
Alongside being a mortgage prerequisite, Buildings Insurance policies can provide a raft of benefits too.
Cover repair costs
Landlord Buildings Insurance is designed to offer peace of mind against expensive damage and repairs. It helps to protect your investment.
If you don’t have a suitable buildings insurance policy, you could find yourself having to foot the bill for expensive repair work. When you have the right cover, you can rebuild or repair your property without having to find the funds yourself.
Recoup costs
In the case of property damage, Landlord Buildings Insurance can cover the cost of lost rent and re-letting costs whilst the property is uninhabitable following an insured event, as well as the costs of providing alternative accommodation for up to two years after an insured event. Up to a limit of £50,000.
How much is Buildings Insurance for Landlords?
The price of your Landlord Buildings Insurance quote depends on several factors, such as what type of property you’re renting out, the property’s size and the area in which it’s located.
The construction of the property will also have an effect, alongside whether you’ve made previous claims.
Can a tenant insure a Landlords building?
Only the freehold property owner can take out a landlord building insurance policy, so the policy should be in your name.
How do I get Landlords Buildings Insurance?
There are two main ways to get insured. First, you can buy online on your smartphone, laptop or computer and arrange your cover quickly and easily.
Alternatively, you can give us a call, and one of our friendly team will be happy to answer any questions that you might have about our cover. They can also help you to arrange your insurance over the phone.
We’re open from 08:30 - 17:30 Monday to Friday and 9:30-13:00 Saturday. Whatever you need, we’re happy to help.
Significant features and benefits
- What’s included
- Additional extras
- General exclusions
Rebuilding of your property
If you need to make a claim, Landlord Buildings Insurance from HomeLet will cover the cost of the repairs and the rebuilding of your property if the damage was due to factors like fire, collisions, floods, theft or malicious acts by non-tenants.
Unoccupied properties
Gain peace of mind with full cover for 90 days when your property is unoccupied between tenancies. Cover for malicious acts, theft, escape of water or oil, and accidental damage is excluded after the property has been left unoccupied for more than 90 consecutive days. If you are thinking of getting a Buildings Insurance quote but your property is unoccupied, we may be able to offer a policy if your main intention is to let it out to a tenant.
Loss of rent and alternative accommodation
Following an insured event, we cover loss of rent and your re-letting costs or costs of alternative accommodation for up to two years’ rent (not exceeding £50,000).
Emergency Assistance Insurance included as standard
Emergency Assistance Insurance includes emergency cover for the sudden and unexpected emergencies relating to:
- Plumbing and drainage,
- internal electricity,
- gas supply,
- water supply,
- security,
- access,
- pests and
- roofing.
Primary Heating Cover can also be added for an additional charge.
Trace and access
In the event of an escape of water, we provide buildings insurance cover for the cost of locating the point of escape, repairing and making good, for up to £5,000.
Metered water and gas charges
We cover up to £1,000 of damages following loss caused by damage to water and gas apparatus, after the point of the service feed.
Emergency access
We cover damage to your property following emergency access as a result of a medical emergency for up to £1,000.
Liability cover
As a landlord, it’s your responsibility to comply with current legislation and make sure that your tenants are living in a safe environment. However, accidents can happen and having liability cover as part of your buildings insurance can help to cover the costs and expenses of litigation, compensation and solicitors’ fees.
Our liability cover includes:
- Legal Liability as Owner up to £5,000,000
- Occupiers Legal Liability & worldwide Personal Liability up to £5,000,000
- Legal Liability as Employer:
- Public Liability up to £5,000,000
- Employers Liability up to £10,000,000
Adding extra features to your cover can bring even greater peace of mind when operating your rental property. We offer a range of optional add-ons to increase the cover:
Accidental Damage Insurance
Accidental damage cover includes accidental and malicious damage by the tenant. This optional extra covers:
- Up to the sum insured for loss or damage to your property caused by accidental damage.
- Accidental damage to service pipes, cables and inspection costs for which you have accepted responsibility which service your property.
- Accidental damage to fixed water pipes and tanks caused by internal stress due to freezing, overheating or excessive water pressure.
- Up to the sum insured for loss or damage to your insured property caused by malicious act of the tenant.
Boiler and Heating Insurance
Landlord emergency assistance insurance is included as standard as part of our Landlord Buildings Insurance but you can also choose to include our boiler and heating option.
This includes cover for emergencies arising from the sudden and unexpected breakdown, failure of, or damage to the boiler and central heating system in your rented property. It covers the cost of repairs.
Variable Excess
Our Landlord Buildings Insurance has variable excess levels. These are £100, £250, £500 or £1,000; for some insured events, there are certain set excesses. We also have a nil excess option.
We’d recommend that, before you buy one of our insurance policies, you read the policy wording to ensure that you understand the full exclusions, limitations and conditions of the policy.
It’s important that you understand exactly what we provide cover, so here are some examples of what isn’t covered by our landlord buildings insurance policy.
- Damage caused by general wear and tear is not covered. For example, if the property is damaged because of frost or vermin, you’ll not be able to put in a claim.
- Cover for malicious acts, theft, escape of water or oil and accidental damage are excluded after the property has been left unoccupied for more than 90 consecutive days.
- Cover restrictions and terms may apply to properties unoccupied at inception of a policy.
- The full extent of the Accidental Damage Cover will only apply if the accidental damage option is taken.
- Malicious damage by tenant(s) is not automatically included under the standard policy cover. This cover is only available if the accidental damage option is taken.
- Liability as employer cover is restricted to cover staff employed under a domestic service contract in relation to the insured property.
Who pays for buildings insurance - the landlord or tenants?
Landlords are always the party that organises and pays for building insurance.
Arranging it is not a legal requirement, but most insurers will allow only the owner of a property to arrange a building insurance policy.
Buildings insurance is often a good way to protect your investment, given the prohibitive cost of rectifying property damage and the inherent risks of renting out a home. It also provides you with cover for solicitors fees and costs of compensation relating to your liability as the landlord.
Insure your rental property with HomeLet
Whether you’re looking to insure your first rental property or you’re an established landlord who wants to switch, our team is on hand to help to arrange your buildings insurance.
We’ve won Feefo’s Platinum Trusted Service award for the third year in a row in 2023, so you can be sure that you’ll get the best possible service and cover.
If you’re buying online, get a quote using the button below and input your details to start our straightforward process, or if you'd rather speak to a member of our team, call us on 0800 035 8285.
What is Emergency Assistance Insurance?
We include this as standard with Landlord Buildings Insurance, giving you and your tenants access to a 24-hour helpline. This helpline can be used in an emergency if the situation falls within the scope of the cover as described in the policy wording. A qualified contractor will then be contacted on your behalf, and the costs associated with a call-out will be covered up to a maximum of £500 up to £1500 per year. Boiler cover can be added for an additional charge.
Making a Claim
If you need to claim on your policy, call 0330 333 7230. Our insurers expert claims handlers are there to guide you through the process. It helps to have your policy document to hand, as well as any reference numbers (for example, if you reported the incident to the police). It’s also useful to know the times and dates of the incident, exactly what happened, how much you’re claiming, and the details of everyone involved.
or call us on 0800 035 8258
We’re open from 08:30 – 17:30 Monday to Friday.
Frequently asked questions
Landlord Buildings Insurance FAQ’s
- Do I need Landlord Buildings Insurance if I live in the property?
If you let out part of your property, homeowner buildings insurance may not be suitable. Before you take out insurance, please inform us if you live in the property so we can discuss your policy options to see if they are right for you.
Find out more about the differences between landlord and home insurance, or take a look at our tips for landlords.
- How do I make a claim?
If you need to make a claim on your Buildings Insurance policy, call 0330 333 7230. Our expert claims handlers are there to guide you through the process.
It helps to have your policy document to hand, as well as any reference numbers (for example, if you reported the incident to the police). It’s also useful to know the times and dates of the incident, exactly what happened, how much you’re claiming for, and the details of everyone involved.
Our lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- How long is my building insured for?
Your Landlord Buildings Insurance covers you for 12 months. After this period, your policy will renew unless it is cancelled by you. You can find your exact start and end dates in your insurance documentation.
- Do I need Landlord Buildings Insurance if my property is unoccupied?
Once you have a policy with us, the buildings and contents will still be covered if your property is left unoccupied for up to a maximum of 90 days. This offers you peace of mind in knowing that your policy will not automatically become invalid in between lettings. Cover for malicious acts, theft, escape of water or oil, and accidental damage are excluded after the property has been left unoccupied for more than 90 consecutive days.
If you are thinking of getting a quote but your property is unoccupied, if your main intention is to let it out to a tenant, we may be able to offer a policy in these circumstances.
For a comprehensive list of what exactly is included in your cover and what’s excluded, you should refer to your policy wording and insurance schedule.
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