Landlord insurance vs home insurance: what changes when you let

This guide compares landlord and home insurance for anyone about to let a property they’ve lived in, or take in a lodger. Landlord insurance vs home insurance comes down to who lives in the property and whether you still live there.

Jump to information on:

• How the two policies differ
• What home insurance covers
• What landlord insurance covers
• Does home insurance cover you when you let?
• Which policy fits your situation
• Do you need both policies?
• What happens if you have the wrong cover
• Before your tenant moves in
• FAQs

How landlord and home insurance differ

Each policy is built around who lives in the property. Cover varies between insurers, so treat this table as a guide and read your own policy wording.

	Home insurance	Landlord insurance
Who lives there	You and your family	Your tenants
Liability	Personal liability for your household	Property owner’s liability to tenants and visitors
Contents	Your own belongings	Items you supply, such as carpets and appliances
Your tenant’s belongings	Not relevant	Not covered; your tenant arranges their own

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The table sets out landlord insurance vs home insurance side by side. The gap between them shows at claim time. If a tenant has moved in under a policy written for a home you occupy, the insurer may refuse the claim or treat the policy as void.

What home insurance covers

Home insurance covers the home you live in. It comes as buildings cover, contents cover, or both in one policy. Buildings cover pays to repair the structure after an insured event such as a fire, and contents cover protects your own belongings.

The ABI’s property insurance premium tracker put the average combined home insurance premium at £383 between April and June 2026, based on prices paid across 15.5 million policies a year.

If you live in the property yourself, home insurance is the policy designed for you.

What landlord insurance covers

Landlord insurance covers a property you own and let to tenants. Quotezone’s landlord insurance page lists your tenants’ belongings, wear and tear and poor maintenance among the things it does not cover. A policy is put together from parts such as these:

• Buildings cover for the structure, after events such as fire, flood or storm, sold as landlord buildings insurance.
• Landlord liability, if a tenant, a tradesperson or a guest is hurt because of the property.
• Landlord contents, for the carpets, appliances and furniture you supply.
• Loss of rent, if a tenant has to move out because the building is damaged, for example by fire.
• Rent guarantee insurance, for rent lost when a tenant stops paying due to an insurable event.

Where a tenancy puts repair obligations on you, section 4 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 says you owe a duty of care to people a defect might affect. That Act covers England and Wales; section 7 says it does not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Which sections come as standard depends on the insurer, so check the schedule. Compare landlord insurance on Quotezone, where the product page says you answer a few questions to get quotes from a wide range of insurers.

Quotezone’s landlord quotes start from one short form, and the providers shown on its landlord page include Coversure Insurance Services, Premierline and Howden.

Does home insurance cover you when you let?

Often not, once a tenant moves in. Letting changes the facts your home policy was based on, and three things decide whether a claim survives:

1. The policy wording. A tenanted property may fall outside a policy written for a home you occupy, so check how the schedule describes who lives there.
2. Any duty to report changes. Look in your wording for a changes-in-circumstances condition and the time limit it sets.
3. The questions at renewal. Section 2 of the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 requires you to take reasonable care not to misrepresent anything. Failing to confirm or amend your details when the insurer asks can count as a misrepresentation.

A 2022 Financial Ombudsman decision shows how this plays out. A homeowner had let his house to a tenant, then renewed his home policy. Its statement of insurance asked whether the home was occupied solely by him and his family, and the answer on file was still yes.

The insurer showed it would have declined a let home. The ombudsman found he had not taken reasonable care, and accepted that the insurer could turn down the claim and void the policy. The insurer treated the error as careless and returned his premiums.

Quotezone’s guide to what can invalidate house insurance covers other changes to report.

Which policy fits your situation

It depends on who lives in the property and whether you still live there.

The tenancy, lodger and possession rules below are GOV.UK guidance for England. Wales has its own tenancy law under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, and Scotland uses private residential tenancies under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016. Northern Ireland licenses HMOs under the Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.

You take in a lodger

A lodger lives in your home with you, so your home policy stays the starting point. Tell your insurer before the lodger moves in. Quotezone’s lodger insurance guide explains what to tell your insurer and what happens if your provider doesn’t cover lodgers.

You let your whole home while you live elsewhere

Landlord cover from the first day of the tenancy is the fit here. If you have a mortgage, GOV.UK says you must get your lender’s permission to let. In the English Private Landlord Survey 2024, 37% of landlords said they bought their first rental property to live in themselves.

Plan for the let to last longer than you expect. In England, assured and assured shorthold tenancies that began before 1 May 2026 became assured periodic tenancies on that date. New lets are assured periodic tenancies too, and GOV.UK guidance for landlords says these cannot have an end date. Section 21 notices can no longer be served.

To move back in, you would use the ground for occupation by the landlord. GOV.UK’s grounds for possession guidance says it needs 4 months’ notice, which cannot expire within the first 12 months of a new tenancy. A home policy left running for a short let may be wrong for far longer than planned.

You own a buy-to-let

This is the case landlord insurance is designed for. Quotezone’s landlord page notes that some lenders make insurance a requirement of a buy-to-let mortgage, so check your mortgage offer for an insurance condition.

You let a leasehold flat

For leasehold flats, GOV.UK says your landlord will usually be responsible for insuring the building, not the contents, through your service charge. When you let the flat, you may still want landlord contents cover and property owner’s liability. Check that your lease allows subletting too.

You let to sharers or students

A property is an HMO if at least 3 tenants live there, forming more than one household, and they share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities, according to GOV.UK. One occupied by 5 or more people needs a licence, and a council can license other HMOs too. GOV.UK notes that Scotland and Northern Ireland have different HMO rules.

Quotezone’s landlord page lists HMO landlord insurance and student landlord insurance as separate types of cover. Tell your insurer exactly who lives there, and how many households they form.

You offer short or holiday lets

Standard home and landlord policies may not fit short lets. Dedicated cover such as holiday home insurance exists for this, so tell the insurer how you let the property.

Do you need both policies?

If you own two properties, one you live in and one you let, each needs its own policy. With a single property, one policy is normally enough, chosen for how the property is used now. Move out and let it, and landlord cover is the fit. Move back in, and home insurance is again.

Single-property landlords are a large group. The English Private Landlord Survey 2024 found 45% of landlords owned one rental property, representing 21% of tenancies.

What happens if you have the wrong cover

The main risk is a refused or reduced claim. If you gave wrong details when you took out, changed or renewed a consumer policy, Schedule 1 of the 2012 Act sets the outcome by how the misrepresentation happened:

• Deliberate or reckless: the insurer is entitled to avoid the policy and refuse all claims. It need not return your premiums, unless keeping them would be unfair to you.
• If you were careless and it would never have covered a let, it is entitled to avoid the policy and refuse claims, but must return your premiums.
• Careless, and it would have offered different terms: the policy is treated as if it had been on those terms.
• Where it would have charged more for a careless error, it is entitled to reduce your payout in proportion.

For a business policy, Schedule 1 of the Insurance Act 2015 sets out the insurer’s remedies instead.

A defect you were responsible for repairing can also lead to a claim from an injured tenant. Without property owner’s liability cover, you would meet that claim yourself.

Before your tenant moves in

1. Ask your lender for permission to let before you agree a tenancy.
2. Tell your home insurer who will live there, and from which date.
3. You may want landlord cover to start on the day the tenancy begins, so there is no gap.
4. For a leasehold flat, read the lease to confirm subletting is allowed.

You might also need

• Home insurance: for the home you live in. If you also own a property you let, you’ll need it alongside landlord cover.
• Home emergency cover: Quotezone’s page describes it as cover for your heating system, boiler, drains and pipes. The landlord insurance page lists landlord home emergency cover among the add-ons for a let property.

Landlord insurance vs home insurance FAQs

Is landlord insurance a legal requirement?

No. GOV.UK’s list of landlord responsibilities in England covers safety, deposits and right to rent checks, and insurance isn’t on it. GOV.UK points to different rules for landlords in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Check your mortgage offer and your lease for any insurance condition before you let.

Is landlord insurance more expensive than home insurance?

There’s no official figure comparing the two. Quotezone’s landlord insurance page says few landlord policies are the same, so it’s difficult to give an average cost. The same page lists the factors that shape a quote, including the property type and location, rebuild costs, tenant profile, claims history and the cover you choose.

What if my property is empty between tenants?

Check the unoccupancy condition in your policy. A 2025 Financial Ombudsman decision involved a landlord policy that required notice within 30 days if the home would be empty for over 60 days a year. The owner gave none, and the claim was not payable. For a longer gap, look at unoccupied home insurance.

Sources

1. Association of British Insurers, “Average claim for subsidence reaches record £20,000 amidst hot weather”, https://www.abi.org.uk/media-hub/news-post/average-claim-for-subsidence-reaches-record-20000-amidst-hot-weather. Published 3 August 2026. Accessed 13 October 2026.
2. Quotezone, “Landlord insurance”, https://www.quotezone.co.uk/landlord-insurance. Accessed 13 October 2026.
3. legislation.gov.uk, “Defective Premises Act 1972, section 4”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/35/section/4. Latest available revised version. Accessed 13 October 2026.
4. legislation.gov.uk, “Defective Premises Act 1972, section 7”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/35/section/7. Latest available revised version. Accessed 13 October 2026.
5. legislation.gov.uk, “Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, section 2”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/6/section/2. Latest available revised version. Accessed 13 October 2026.
6. Financial Ombudsman Service, “Final decision DRN-3724733”, https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decision/DRN-3724733.pdf. Acceptance deadline 26 October 2022. Accessed 13 October 2026.
7. legislation.gov.uk, “Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2016/1/contents. Accessed 13 October 2026.
8. legislation.gov.uk, “Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2016/19/contents. Accessed 13 October 2026.
9. GOV.UK, “Renting out your property: landlord responsibilities”, https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/landlord-responsibilities. No date shown. Accessed 13 October 2026.
10. GOV.UK (MHCLG), “English Private Landlord Survey 2024: main report”, https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-private-landlord-survey-2024-main-report/english-private-landlord-survey-2024-main-report. Published 5 December 2024. Accessed 13 October 2026.
11. GOV.UK, “Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords: ending a tenancy”, https://www.gov.uk/assured-tenancy-agreements-a-guide-for-landlords/ending-a-tenancy. No date shown. Accessed 13 October 2026.
12. GOV.UK (MHCLG), “Grounds for possession: guidance for landlords and letting agents”, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grounds-for-possession-guidance-for-landlords-and-letting-agents/grounds-for-possession-guidance-for-landlords-and-letting-agents. Updated 1 May 2026. Accessed 13 October 2026.
13. GOV.UK, “Leasehold property: service charges and other expenses”, https://www.gov.uk/leasehold-property/service-charges-and-other-expenses. No date shown. Accessed 13 October 2026.
14. GOV.UK, “Renting out your property: houses in multiple occupation (HMO)”, https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/houses-in-multiple-occupation-hmo. No date shown. Accessed 13 October 2026.
15. legislation.gov.uk, “Houses in Multiple Occupation Act (Northern Ireland) 2016”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2016/22/contents. Accessed 13 October 2026.
16. legislation.gov.uk, “Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, Schedule 1”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/6/schedule/1. Latest available revised version. Accessed 13 October 2026.
17. legislation.gov.uk, “Insurance Act 2015, Schedule 1”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/4/schedule/1. Latest available revised version. Accessed 13 October 2026.
18. Quotezone, “Home emergency cover”, https://www.quotezone.co.uk/home-insurance/home-emergency-cover. Accessed 13 October 2026.
19. Financial Ombudsman Service, “Final decision DRN-5976757”, https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decision/DRN-5976757.pdf. Acceptance deadline 25 December 2025. Accessed 13 October 2026.
20. Quotezone, “Tenants insurance”, https://www.quotezone.co.uk/home-insurance/tenants. Accessed 13 October 2026.
21. legislation.gov.uk, “Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, section 1”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/6/section/1. Latest available revised version. Accessed 13 October 2026.
22. legislation.gov.uk, “Insurance Act 2015, section 3”, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/4/section/3. Latest available revised version. Accessed 13 October 2026.
23. GOV.UK, “Assured periodic tenancies: if a tenant wants a pet to live with them”, https://www.gov.uk/assured-tenancy-agreements-a-guide-for-landlords/if-a-tenant-wants-a-pet-to-live-with-them. No date shown. Accessed 13 October 2026.

This article is intended as generic information only and is not intended to apply to anybody’s specific circumstances, demands or needs. The views expressed are not intended to provide any financial service or to give any recommendation or advice. Products and services are only mentioned for illustrative rather than promotional purposes.