0:01 AM, 23rd July 2025, About 6 months ago
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Buying landlord insurance may seem straightforward, but many landlords are caught out by the small print or by assuming a cheap policy offers full protection.
In reality, landlord insurance varies widely between insurers, and what’s included in one policy may not be covered in another.
Landlord insurance can be a minefield, and landlords can end up exposed to risk, but with The Home Insurer, you’ll get a top-class service that ensures you find the right policy to protect your property and help save you money.
One of the most common mistakes landlords make is not updating their insurance policy when circumstances change.
If you decide to rent out a property you own, you must switch from standard home insurance to a dedicated landlord insurance policy, as these are two very different types of cover.
Once your policy is updated, it’s just as important to inform your insurer of any further changes. Failing to do so could mean your cover becomes invalid if you need to make a claim.
Jason McClean, director of The Home Insurer, explains that if your property is empty, then you must change your landlord insurance cover.
He says: “If you are having works done on the property whilst unoccupied, then you need to tell us. This may need to trip over to renovation insurance; another specialism of ours and one that shouldn’t frighten landlords but give them confidence they are properly insured.
“Again, cost in most cases is not that different to let or unoccupied insurance. Whether unoccupied or renovation, there will be specific endorsements such as visiting the property and turning on the heating you need to comply with.”
He adds The Home Insurer can help landlords adjust their insurance cover.
He says: “Once the property is occupied or works are finished, it’s normally easy to switch back to landlord insurance too, just let us know the tenant type and when they move in.
“The best thing you can do is call us to talk through what you need, and we will do all we can to help.”
Jason also adds that many landlords unintentionally invalidate their insurance because they don’t realise they are subletting.
Jason says: “We have landlords come to us who sublet and some of them don’t even realise.
“Landlords might sometimes have a local council putting in benefit-assisted tenants into their properties, the contract is between the landlord and the council, but the tenancy is between the council and the tenant which is a totally different sort of insurance you need.
“You need sublet or rent-to-rent insurance – standard landlord insurance won’t cover it.”
Many landlords may not realise they need specialist cover for different scenarios.
Whilst standard landlord insurance gives you basic cover, such as protecting the structure of your property, such as windows and pipes, if your property is flooded, then your insurance doesn’t automatically cover you.
Jason warns many insurers do not want to cover floods due to the high flood rate.
However, The Home Insurer has access to a few specialist flood underwriters who can give flood insurance to landlords.
Jason tells Property118: “We try our best to give landlords access to flood insurance, but we can’t guarantee it all the time.
“However, given certain circumstances and talking to the client, we may be able to give them an offer with some flood cover included.
“These could include a high excess, or a limit and they may require flood doors to be in place. But we can speak to our underwriters and are able to influence what happens on the insurance itself, to a degree.”
He adds: “If somebody is flooded twice in the last year and it’s a rental property and it’s an ongoing claim; they are unlikely to get flood insurance.
“Typically, you would have to go down the other route which is the Flood Flash route which is a more expensive way of doing it and offers a cash repayment, but The Home Insurer can offer that as well.”
If a property becomes unhabitable due to storm damage, most landlord insurance policies will cover alternative accommodation while repairs are carried out.
It’s important to remember that tenants’ belongings damaged during a storm will not be covered by landlord insurance.
Tenants are responsible for their own belongings and will need to take contents insurance of their own to protect their belongings.
Whilst many comparison websites may offer you the cheapest prices for landlord insurance, it doesn’t always mean the best service.
Ringing up, sitting on hold for ages until you finally speak to a human being, only to be passed around different departments just to talk about your policy.
However, with The Home Insurer you have the unique advantage of speaking to the same friendly adviser who deals with your insurance policy without going through a complicated automated system or being passed around different departments.
Jason explains: “If you go for the very lowest possible quote with a different insurance company, whenever you have a claim or need to speak to that insurer, you probably won’t be speaking with the same person. You may not welcome the long phone waits, multiple menu options and being cut off either; that’s my experience of big call centres and I think many feel the same.
“Here at The Home Insurer, you can ring us up and speak to the same person who deals with your policy all year long. There is only a 15-second FCA prescribed message before you are talking to a real person.”
It’s also important to remember the small print, as sometimes online comparison websites sell you the cheapest policy with the least amount of cover.
Most comparison websites cover the basics, such as fire and theft, but if you need to make a claim for something else, then it could cost you thousands of pounds.
The Home Insurer can help ease the worry for landlords with insurance and all for the best price.
Alternatively, you can use the form below to request one of the team to give you a call back.
