Commercial buildings insurance for landlords
In case disaster hits and your property gets damaged.
What's typically covered by landlord commercial building insurance?
damage to your property caused by incidents like fire, lightning, explosion, malicious damage and escape of water
For example:
you’re renting your property to a bakery business, and an overnight fire causes structural damage, forcing a partial rebuild
What you’ll need additional cover for
accidental damage to the property caused by your tenants – you’ll need to add our specific accidental damage cover for this
Read more about buildings insurance for landlords
Commercial landlords’ contents insurance
In case disaster hits and your contents get damaged.
What's typically covered by commercial landlords’ contents insurance?
damage to your contents caused by incidents like fire, lightning, explosion, malicious damage and escape of water
contents include things like your appliances and furniture
For example:
a burst pipe in the toilets at your property causes damage to your mirrors and woodwork
artwork and other decorative items belonging to you are stolen during a break-in at your tenant’s shop
Read more about landlords contents insurance
Commercial landlords’ improvements insurance
In case you make structural changes to your property.
What's typically covered by commercial landlords’ improvements insurance?
changes to the structure of your property, like partition walls or wooden flooring (things you’d leave behind if you sold the property)
For example:
a builder scratches some new wooden flooring you’ve installed, and you need to repair it
Accidental damage insurance
In case someone accidentally damages your property or contents.
What's typically covered by accidental damage insurance?
Claims against your business for:
unexpected physical damage to your property or contents, caused by your tenants, their customers and visitors, or other members of the public
For example:
during a renovation job your shop property’s front window is accidentally smashed
your tenant is erecting a new sign and damages your property’s guttering
Read more about accidental damage insurance
Rental income protection insurance
In case damage to the property stops your tenants trading, and paying rent.
What's typically covered by rental income protection insurance?
damage to the property which prevents your tenants from trading, and being able to pay the rent
For example:
a leak in your property causes significant damage, and your tenant has to vacate their shop for eight weeks while repair works are carried out
there’s a break-in at your property and the yoga studio your tenant runs has to shut for two months, due to the level of vandalism caused
What you’ll need additional cover for
your tenants defaulting on the rent for any other reason
Read more about rental income protection
Property owners’ liability insurance
In case you’re legally responsible for injuries or property damage, as owner of the building.
What's typically covered by property owners’ liability insurance?
legal liability for injuries, accidental loss or damage, as the owner of the property
For example:
your tenant’s customer trips on a raised paving slab outside your property’s entrance, breaking their wrist
while locking up, your tenant is hit by a falling roof tile, which cuts their head and smashes their laptop screen
Read more about landlord liability insurance
Excess protection
In case you need to pay an insurance excess, and want to claim it back.
What's typically covered by excess protection?
excess payments on claims* (the excess is the part of the claim you’re responsible for paying, set out in your policy)
For example:
there’s a flood at your property and you need to make £750 of repairs. Ordinarily you’d be responsible for paying some of the cost yourself (the excess), but with excess protection, this could be covered
the claim amount must be more than the value of the excess
Employers’ liability insurance
In case someone working directly for your rental blames you for an injury or illness
What's typically covered by employers’ liability insurance?
claims for employee illness and injuries, if they’re working directly for you and your property
Employers’ liability insurance is required by law if you have people working for you directly. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.
For example:
the gardener you’ve employed to tidy up the lawns trips and sprains her wrist while cutting down some hedging you’ve employed a full-time cleaner for your property – while working, they trip on some loose stair carpet, falling and breaking their arm
What you’ll need additional cover for
do you hire a self-employed cleaner, or other staff? If so, they may need their own self-employed insurance, and won’t be covered by the policy you have in place
Read more about landlords contents insurance
