Is landlord insurance worth it?
Your home insurance policy is unlikely to cover your rental property. Therefore, we suggest you have the right landlord insurance before your tenants move in. While it's not a legal obligation, a mortgage provider for buy-to-let mortgages may require you to have landlord insurance.
If something goes wrong in the rental property or there are contract disputes, you'll be liable for the entire bill if you do not have landlord insurance. Landlord insurance is a more specialist product than standard home insurance. Therefore it can be specific with the cover you need, enabling you to tailor the policy to your property and needs.
How much does landlord insurance cost?
The cost of landlord insurance depends on many things. Here's a quick breakdown of the key price influencers on a landlord insurance policy:
- The level of cover – Make sure you tailor the type of cover to what you need so you don't end up paying for unnecessary items.
- Property location – If your rental property is in a high crime area or near weather-affected areas such as the sea or a river, your premium is likely to be pricier.
- Size and age of the property - Larger and older properties will be more expensive to cover due to the cost of repairs and maintenance.
- Your tenants – People come with their own risk levels, too. Students and pets, for example, are typically seen as higher insurance risks.
- Claims history – Your premium will be more expensive if you’ve claimed within the past five years.
- How you pay – Just like with any insurance, if you can stump up and pay annually, rather than paying monthly, it can lead to cheaper insurance costs.
The best way to find a reasonable price for your policy is to compare various landlord insurance quotes. Do it easily via Quote Goat. You only need to provide your details once, and our partners will help you find affordable landlord insurance that suits your needs.
How to lower the cost of landlord insurance
Every property and landlord is different, resulting in different policy prices. However, there are a few things you can do to lower your insurance premium and find cheaper landlord insurance offers.
Go big on security: Install the latest security locks, fit burglar alarms, and even opt for CCTV on the property. These measures will deter thieves and show the insurance provider that you take security seriously. It should also help your tenants feel safe while living on your property.
Pet-free property: Allowing your tenants to keep pets in a furnished property will increase your landlord's contents cover premiums. The risk of scratch marks and carpet stains is much higher with furry friends around, so consider making your property pet-free for a lower landlord's contents insurance premium.
Increase your voluntary excess: This works on all insurance premiums, including car or home insurance policies. You can choose the level of voluntary excess you pay. Increasing this will bring the cost of the premium down. However, don't make it so high that it becomes unaffordable for you if you need to claim compensation costs!
Know your tenants: Bringing a new tenant into the property is always risky, so ensure thorough referencing checks before anyone moves in.
Keep it occupied: Insurance providers view empty properties as high risk, so ensure your property never sits empty to keep your premium down. Vacant properties are also expensive on council tax.
Compare, compare, compare: Of course, one of the best ways to find budget landlord insurance deals is to compare landlord quotes via Quote Goat.
Different types of landlord insurance explained
Landlord's Building Insurance
Landlord buildings cover protects your property from damage to the building. This could be fire or water damage, a leaking roof, or storm damage. Buildings insurance can also cover additional damage, such as vandalism or malicious damage. Most policies also cover fixed bathroom fittings, including toilets and baths.
Via Quote Goat, you can swiftly compare landlord building insurance from various providers and find the best deal for your budget.
Landlord's Contents Insurance
Often sold alongside building insurance, contents insurance is typically for landlords who rent their properties full or part-furnished. It covers carpets, curtains, white goods, TVs, furniture and even crockery and china. You can also opt to add on accidental damage cover, which includes breakages and spillages.
What does landlord insurance cover?
The provider and level of insurance determine what's covered in your policy. These will all be documented in your policy documents.
Here is a quick run-through of common aspects landlord insurance covers:
- The building – walls, roof, floors, doors and windows.
- Contents – anything that would fall out if you were to tip the property upside down. Contents cover doesn't include your tenants' belongings – they'll need to buy their own contents insurance.
- Fixtures and fittings – permanent internal fixtures that aren't covered under the building's insurance.
- Public liability - property owner's liability insurance covers legal costs if tenants or members of the public are injured on your premises.
- Floor coverings – carpets, laminate and wood flooring, excluding rugs.
- Alternative accommodation – for tenants following an insured event such as a flood or fire.
- Rental income cover — this insurance covers loss of income if your property is damaged and can’t be rented out to receive rental income.
Additional cover to consider:
- Malicious/deliberate damage - allows you to claim compensation costs for items deliberately damaged within the property.
- Accidental damage – for mishaps such as spilling a glass of wine on the sofa!
- Landlord emergency cover – to cover the cost of emergency repairs such as broken windows or a boiler.
- Legal fees/expenses - to help cover legal costs in case you take your tenants to court for property damage or unpaid rent.
- Rent guarantee insurance - also called tenant default insurance, is for when you experience loss of rent due to tenants not paying.
- Unoccupied property cover — when you haven’t found new tenants yet or you’re renovating your residential property before renting it out.