Does landlord insurance cover tenant damage?

Wear and tear is never covered. Deliberate damage by a tenant can sometimes be added as malicious damage cover, and accidental damage is often a separate optional extra. Both are usually subject to conditions such as holding a deposit and having a written tenancy agreement.

Does landlord insurance cover the boiler?

Sudden damage to the boiler from an insured event, such as an escape of water or a fire, is typically covered. Breakdown, servicing and age-related failure are not — that is what a separate boiler or home emergency product is for.

Does landlord insurance cover loss of rent?

Many policies include loss of rent when the property becomes uninhabitable after an insured event such as a fire or flood, up to a limit or period. It generally does not cover a tenant simply not paying; that is rent guarantee, a different product.

Who pays buildings insurance, the landlord or the tenant?

For a house, the landlord insures the building. For a leasehold flat, the freeholder or management company usually insures the whole block and recharges it through the service charge, so the landlord may only need contents and liability cover.

LANDLORD GUIDE

What does landlord insurance cover?

There is no single landlord policy. It is a set of parts, and which ones you need depends on whether you own a house or a flat, whether it is furnished, and how it is let. Here is what each part actually does.

Last reviewed August 2026

Buildings cover

This is the structure: walls, roof, floors, fitted kitchens and bathrooms, and usually permanent fixtures, outbuildings, drives and boundary walls. It responds to insured events such as fire, storm, flood, escape of water, impact and subsidence.

The sum insured should be the cost to rebuild the property, not what it would sell for. In many parts of the UK the rebuild cost is higher than people expect, and under-insuring can cut a claim payment proportionately.

Landlord contents

This covers items you own inside the property: carpets, curtains, white goods, furniture in a furnished let, and often contents in communal areas. It does not cover the tenant's own belongings, which they insure themselves.

Even an unfurnished let usually has something to insure. Flooring and appliances alone can add up to a meaningful sum.

Property owners' liability

If someone is injured or their property is damaged and they hold you responsible as the owner, this is the part that deals with damages and legal costs. Typical limits run into millions because legal defence costs, not the award itself, often drive the total.

It is the part landlords think about least and rely on most: a loose stair tread, a falling tile, or a contractor injured on site can all trigger a claim years after the event.

Loss of rent and alternative accommodation

If an insured event makes the property uninhabitable, this covers the rent you lose while it is repaired, and sometimes the cost of housing your tenant elsewhere. It is normally capped as a percentage of the buildings sum insured or by a number of months.

It does not cover arrears or a void period. Non-payment is dealt with by rent guarantee cover, which is bought separately and has its own referencing conditions.

Common optional extras

Most of the flexibility in a landlord policy sits in the add-ons.

Accidental damage, for the dropped-hammer moments
Malicious damage by tenants, usually with deposit and tenancy conditions
Home emergency assistance for out-of-hours call-outs
Legal expenses and eviction cover
Rent guarantee, subject to tenant referencing
Unoccupied property cover if the property will sit empty

What is never covered

Gradual problems are outside every policy: wear and tear, damp that has been developing for years, poor maintenance, and existing damage you knew about before cover started. Insurance responds to sudden, unexpected events.

Cover also depends on you keeping to the conditions — telling the insurer about long void periods, building works, or a change from a single let to an HMO. Those changes are exactly when a policy quietly stops matching the property.

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Common questions

Does landlord insurance cover tenant damage?: Wear and tear is never covered. Deliberate damage by a tenant can sometimes be added as malicious damage cover, and accidental damage is often a separate optional extra. Both are usually subject to conditions such as holding a deposit and having a written tenancy agreement.
Does landlord insurance cover the boiler?: Sudden damage to the boiler from an insured event, such as an escape of water or a fire, is typically covered. Breakdown, servicing and age-related failure are not — that is what a separate boiler or home emergency product is for.
Does landlord insurance cover loss of rent?: Many policies include loss of rent when the property becomes uninhabitable after an insured event such as a fire or flood, up to a limit or period. It generally does not cover a tenant simply not paying; that is rent guarantee, a different product.
Who pays buildings insurance, the landlord or the tenant?: For a house, the landlord insures the building. For a leasehold flat, the freeholder or management company usually insures the whole block and recharges it through the service charge, so the landlord may only need contents and liability cover.

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General information only, written for UK readers. It is not insurance advice and does not take account of your circumstances. Cover Sorted collects your enquiry and passes it to an FCA-authorised insurance specialist. Cover Sorted does not provide quotations, comparisons or recommendations.