Landlord liability insurance answers when somebody is hurt or their property is damaged because of the building you own. It is the cheapest section on the schedule and the one with the largest possible number attached, because a serious injury claim is priced on a lifetime of care and lost earnings rather than on the value of the house. Owners routinely buy a large buildings sum insured and leave this at the default.
Who can bring a claim against a landlord
The tenant, their family, their visitors, a contractor working at the property, a delivery driver, a neighbour and a passer by. None of them needs a contract with you. The claim is that the property was not reasonably safe and that you knew or should have known: a loose banister, a broken step, an unlit path, a wall that came down, a gas appliance nobody serviced, a tree that was obviously dying.
What the duty actually is
A landlord owes duties to keep the structure and installations in repair, to keep common parts safe, and to take reasonable care that visitors will be reasonably safe. Statutory duties around gas, electricity and fire sit alongside. Meeting them is both the way to avoid the claim and the evidence that defends it, which is why the certificates and the repair records are as much a part of this cover as the policy is.
Setting the limit
Most policies offer a choice and default to the lowest. The figure to have in mind is what a catastrophic injury costs, which is far more than most landlords assume. Buying a higher limit is usually inexpensive in this section because the insurer's expected loss barely changes, and it is the one place where trading up costs little and matters most.
Where employers liability starts
The moment anybody works for you rather than for themselves, a cleaner, a gardener on your instruction, a caretaker, employers liability becomes compulsory and is a separate cover with its own statutory minimum. A genuinely self employed contractor carries their own. The distinction is about the working relationship rather than the paperwork, and getting it wrong is an offence rather than a gap.
Questions people ask about landlord liability insurance
Is landlord liability insurance compulsory?
Not by statute, but a mortgage usually requires the building to be insured and any sensible policy carries the liability section. Employers liability, by contrast, is compulsory the moment you employ anybody.
What limit should I buy?
Above the policy default in almost every case. Serious injury claims are priced on care and lost earnings over a lifetime, and the extra premium for a higher limit in this section is usually small.
Am I liable if the tenant caused the hazard?
Not usually, if you did not know and had no reasonable way to know. Your defence is your repair and inspection record, which is why keeping one matters.
Does it cover a contractor injured at the property?
A genuinely self employed contractor should carry their own liability cover and be asked for it. Your policy answers where the injury arose from the state of the building rather than from their own work.