Flawless House

As a landlord, you’ll want to feel secure that your rental investment has some financial protection in place. If a property is being rented out to tenants – standard home insurance will not offer you adequate cover.

With specialist buy-to-let insurance, you can help cover yourself and your property for a range of eventualities.

Buildings and contents

A buy-to-let policy will cover the actual structure of the rental property, i.e. the bricks and mortar. If there was a fire, for example, your buildings insurance could help you pay for repair and clean-up costs.

Whether or not you need contents insurance will probably depend on the extent to which you’ve furnished the property. If you own possessions in the property, you may want these to have insurance too in case they get damaged. Carpets and curtains/blinds might also need to be covered.

Your tenants will need their own insurance policy to protect their personal items.

Landlord liability cover

Typically, a buy-to-let policy will also include liability cover. This could be vital if you were faced with a compensation claim. If a tenant or member of the public was injured due to a fault at your property (like an unsafe electrical fitting or loose carpet) you could be held responsible.

Legal cover

Should you need legal assistance, this insurance could prove invaluable. Unexpected legal expenses can be a huge drain financially if you don’t have adequate protection. If a dispute arises with your tenant or you ever needed to evict squatters, this element of cover could be very handy.

Rent guarantee cover

If your property unexpectedly becomes uninhabitable – this cover could help ease the financial burden of lost rental payments. If your tenant fails to pay their rent, this cover could also help ensure you’re not left out of pocket.

Employers’ liability cover

If you have a number of rental properties, you might employ some people to help you manage and maintain them. If this is the case, you may need to think about employers’ liability insurance. This could help cover compensation claims if any of your employees were injured while working for you.  Another option is to have the property managed by an agency, however if you choose this option, shop around first as service and prices do vary.