What insurance does a landlord actually need?

There is no single legal list of insurance a landlord in England must hold. What you need depends on whether the property is mortgaged, how it is let, and what you supply inside it. This article sets out the main types of cover landlords typically consider and what each is generally understood to cover. It is general information only — Atlas Estates is not authorised to advise on insurance, and nothing here is a recommendation of any product, insurer or level of cover.

Buildings insurance

Buildings insurance covers the structure of the property — walls, roof, fixed fittings — against risks such as fire, flood or storm damage. There is no general statutory requirement for a landlord to hold buildings insurance. In practice, though, if the property is mortgaged, the lender sets its own conditions for granting the loan, and GOV.UK confirms the starting point for any letting decision: "If you have a mortgage on the property you want to rent out, you must get permission from your mortgage lender." Lenders typically treat adequate buildings insurance as a condition of that permission and of the mortgage itself, so that their security on the property is protected. This is standard lending practice rather than a legal rule, and the detail — minimum cover levels, acceptable insurers, rebuild-cost requirements — is set by each lender, not by statute.

If the let property is a leasehold flat, buildings insurance is usually arranged by the freeholder or management company and recovered through the service charge, rather than taken out separately by the landlord. We cover how that works, including what the charge can and cannot include, in our guide to service charges and ground rent.

Landlord contents insurance

This is different from buildings insurance and different again from a tenant's own contents cover. It generally applies to items the landlord supplies as part of a furnished or part-furnished let — carpets, curtains, white goods, furniture — and is intended to cover loss or damage to those items. It does not cover the tenant's own possessions; tenants are generally expected to arrange their own contents cover if they want their belongings protected.

Public and property owners' liability insurance

Public liability (sometimes marketed as property owners' liability) insurance is typically concerned with injury or damage caused to a third party that arises from the condition of the property — for example a visitor injured by a defective step, or damage to a neighbouring property. It sits alongside, rather than instead of, a landlord's underlying legal duties to keep the property safe and in repair.

Rent guarantee and legal expenses insurance

Two related products are commonly discussed together:

• Rent guarantee or rent protection insurance is generally aimed at covering lost rental income during a void period or where a tenant stops paying.
• Legal expenses insurance typically covers the legal costs of pursuing possession or recovering arrears through the courts.

Both are optional products with their own terms, exclusions and qualifying conditions set by the insurer. None of this is guidance on whether to take out either product; it is a description of what this category is generally understood to do.

Why an ordinary home insurance policy may not respond

A standard owner-occupier home insurance policy is usually underwritten on the basis that the policyholder lives in the property. Letting it to a tenant changes the risk the insurer is pricing, and insurers generally need to be told that a property is tenanted rather than owner-occupied. This is a feature of how insurance underwriting and disclosure generally work, not a statutory obligation — but failing to disclose a letting is the kind of thing that can affect whether a claim is paid. Landlords moving a property into letting, even temporarily, should check this with whoever holds the policy, or with a broker, before assuming existing cover continues to apply.

The deposit is not insurance

A tenancy deposit is not an insurance product and does not substitute for any of the cover above. It is a separate, statutory arrangement with its own protection scheme and its own rules on timing and use. We explain how deposit protection works in our tenancy deposit guide.

HMOs and shared housing

A house in multiple occupation, or any shared let, generally carries a different risk profile from a single-family tenancy — more occupants, more kitchens or shared facilities, and often different fire safety requirements. Landlords letting this way should expect insurance considerations to reflect that different profile. Licensing conditions and the duties that come with an HMO licence are covered separately in our guide to landlord duties after an HMO licence; the same point about checking cover against the actual use of the property applies there.

What to check before any policy is taken out

Whatever cover is under consideration, a few points of practical housekeeping come up repeatedly in general market guidance:

• The property is correctly described. A policy written against an owner-occupied description, rather than a let property, may not respond to a claim.
• The sum insured reflects rebuild cost, not market value. Buildings insurance is generally based on the cost of rebuilding the property from scratch, including materials and labour — not what it would sell for, which includes land value and local market conditions. The two figures are often very different.
• Vacant-period clauses are understood. Many policies change or restrict cover after a property has been unoccupied for a set period, which matters at the start and end of tenancies and during void periods.

These are exactly the kind of technical judgement calls a broker is trained to work through with you, because the right answer depends on the individual property, the insurer's wording and your own circumstances.

Who can actually advise you

Atlas Estates is an estate and letting agency. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and arranging, advising on or selling insurance is a regulated activity under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 — the FCA's own guidance confirms that general insurance intermediaries fall within its authorisation regime. We cannot and do not recommend any insurer, product or level of cover. For advice on what to buy, speak to an FCA-authorised insurance broker or adviser, who can assess your property and circumstances properly.

For help with the letting and day-to-day management side of your property — tenant referencing, rent collection, compliance and access — see our fees or call us on 0161 710 4510.

This article is general information current at October 2026. It is not insurance, legal or financial advice. Atlas Estates is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not arrange, sell or advise on insurance.