Student landlord insurance is rated on a pattern rather than a property. The academic year fills the house for about forty weeks and empties it for twelve, the tenancy is usually joint and several between people who met that summer, and the turnover is annual by design. None of that is a problem an insurer refuses; all of it is a set of clauses a general landlord policy does not contain.
The summer, which is an unoccupancy question
A student house standing empty from late June to mid September is beyond the unoccupancy period of most standard policies. Specialist student landlord wordings either extend the allowance to cover the vacation or treat the property as occupied while the tenancy runs, even with nobody in it. That single clause is the main reason to buy the specialist product rather than the general one, and it is worth confirming in writing rather than assuming.
Damage, and how it actually arrives
Most student claims are small, frequent and accidental rather than malicious: burns on worktops, doors pulled off, showers left running, a window broken on a night out. Accidental damage cover is therefore closer to essential than optional here. Malicious damage does occur and needs a police report on most wordings. A deposit covers the first layer and stops well short of a ceiling that has come down.
Contents, because student houses are let furnished
Beds, desks, wardrobes, seating, white goods and often a second fridge and washing machine belong to the landlord. The contents sum insured should be built from an inventory rather than estimated, and the inventory is worth having anyway for deposit disputes. Tenants' own laptops and possessions are theirs to insure, and telling them so at the start saves an argument later.
Guarantors, joint tenancies and the rent you are actually insuring
Rent guarantee cover behaves differently on a joint and several student tenancy with parental guarantors, and not every insurer offers it on student lets at all. Where it is available, check whether it responds to one tenant leaving or only to the whole tenancy failing, and check what it requires of your referencing. Guarantor paperwork done properly at the start is what makes the section usable.
Questions people ask about student landlord insurance
Is student let insurance more expensive?
Often a little, because of turnover, accidental damage frequency and the summer void. The specialist wording is usually better value than a cheaper general policy that narrows cover every summer.
Does the policy cover the house over the summer?
On a specialist student policy, usually yes, either by extending the unoccupancy allowance or by treating the property as occupied while the tenancy runs. On a general landlord policy, usually not.
Is a student house always an HMO?
Where students from more than one household share a kitchen or bathroom, generally yes, and licensing may apply. Tell the insurer it is an HMO as well as a student let.
Should I insure the tenants' belongings?
No, and you cannot usefully. Point them at their own contents cover at the start of the tenancy; many insurers sell room by room policies aimed at students.