Do landlords need contents insurance? (2024)

Landlords generally need contents insurance if they provide furniture or other items to their tenants and want to insure them from damage or theft. This means that landlords who rent furnished or part-furnished properties often decide they need contents insurance.

You may have heard the rough rule of thumb that if you turned your property upside down, the things that fell out would be counted as ‘contents’ for insurance purposes.

This means that if you rent out a furnished property and you provide your tenants with things like a sofa, dining table and beds, you’ll probably decide that you need landlord contents insurance to cover these items if they’re stolen, damaged or destroyed.

However, you may also decide you need it if you rent your property part-furnished or if you’ve just provided basic furnishings, as things like curtains and freestanding kitchen appliances are usually included under contents cover. You may also find that carpets aren’t included under your landlord buildings insurance, so you need landlord contents insurance to cover them.

Remember that you can only cover the things in the property that belong to you: if your tenants want to cover their furniture and possessions, they will need to take out their own insurance policy.

If you’re a landlord unsure whether you need contents insurance because you’re not clear on how it differs from buildings insurance, check out our page explaining the difference between buildings and contents insurance.