Does Landlord Insurance Cover Buildings and Contents?

When renting out a property, repairs are inevitable. Whether caused by tenants, bad plumbing or intense weather conditions, as a landlord, you’re responsible for most of the repairs in your home. Over time, costs can start to add up rapidly, especially if you’re letting multiple properties.

For landlords looking to save some money, DIY repairs may seem tempting. But, when done poorly, these can cause complications down the line and may even require a professional to redo the work, costing you more money overall.

In 2022, we first surveyed UK landlords to explore the costs associated with maintaining and repairing a rental property. Now in 2024, we have rerun the survey to share the very latest facts and figures when it comes to being a landlord today.

Key findings include:

• Landlord maintenance costs have increased 26.24%. since 2022 to on average £1,374.07 per year

• Over half (59.80%) of UK landlords have had a dispute with tenants over who is responsible for property repairs or replacements, 10% more than in 2022

• As little as 3.8% of landlords are unprotected, a fall from 20% in 2022

First, let’s look at the UK’s rental market.

Since our last survey, both the number of landlords and the average monthly rent costs in the UK have risen. Meaning more landlords than ever are responsible for maintaining rental properties for a record number of tenants, and the expectation on landlords has seemingly increased.

HMRC has revealed that in 2024 there were 2.82 million landlords in the UK, rising from the 2.65 million reported in 2021. Monthly rent prices, reported by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), were at a record-breaking high in 2021 with the median rent in England being £755. Now the reported average is £825, and the highest to date.

As prices are soaring, renters may want more value for money and be extra vigilant when it comes to household repairs. These increased expectations mean that landlords may be spending more than ever to maintain their rental properties.

But just how much are they spending?

On average, we found that UK landlords spend £1,374.07 each year on maintaining their rental properties.

That’s £285 more per year since our 2022 survey, an increase of 26.24%.

Maintenance costs in areas across the UK differ significantly, with the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, coming in as the biggest spend for landlords. Glasgow sits in third place for expense, with only Newcastle ahead at an annual cost of £1,632 to landlords. London has dropped to sixth place with Brighton following in 7th, which was the top spending location for landlords in the 2022 survey.

Yes, under buildings cover.

See our landlord contents insurance page, get a landlords contents insurance quote online or call 0344 892 1664 for more information.

We provide landlord insurance for a wide range of properties and tenants including multi occupancy, students, local authority placements, unoccupied and much more.

See our landlord insurance page, get a landlords insurance quote online or call 0330 828 1709 for more.

Consistent with our policy when giving comment and advice on a non-specific basis, we cannot assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement. In the case of specific problems we recommend that professional advice be sought.