A house you didn't plan to let still needs a landlord's policy

A flat is not owned outright in the way a house is. It is held under a lease, a document running between you and the freeholder, and that lease sets conditions on what you can do with the property long before insurance ever comes into it. Letting the flat out is one of those conditions, and most leases say something specific about it.

Freeholder consent to let

Many leases require the leaseholder to tell the freeholder, or the managing agent acting for them, before the flat is let. Some ask for written consent, which may come with a fee. Others simply require notice once a tenancy is in place. The wording varies lease to lease, so the only way to know which applies to your flat is to read the clause itself, or ask whoever manages the building on the freeholder's behalf.

Buildings insurance is usually already arranged

In a block of flats, the buildings insurance policy, covering the structure, roof and shared parts, is typically taken out by the freeholder or managing agent and paid for through the service charge. That does not change when you let the flat. What changes is that you now need cover of your own for the things the block policy does not touch: the contents you own within the flat, your liability as a landlord, and loss of rent if the flat becomes unusable. Checking the buildings policy summary, or asking the managing agent what it actually covers, tells you where that cover ends and where yours needs to start.

If you are not yet sure which of your own covers answers which event, the when the rent stops: which cover pays? tool asks what has happened to your let, damage, unpaid rent, or an empty flat between tenants, and shows which cover is meant to respond and what you would need to check in your own wording.

Restrictions on subletting

Some leases go further than requiring notice and restrict subletting outright, for example limiting how the flat may be let, for how long, or to whom. A small number prohibit subletting altogether, or require the landlord's consent for each new tenancy. This is worth finding before a tenancy starts, since a letting that breaches the lease is a problem between you and the freeholder regardless of what your insurance covers.

Before you let a leasehold flat, it is worth having the lease itself in front of you, along with these questions for the freeholder or managing agent: does the lease require consent or just notice to let, is there a fee attached, what does the buildings policy actually cover, and are there any conditions on the type or length of tenancy you can grant.

Letting a home changes two relationships that existed before any tenant moved in: the one with your mortgage lender, if the property is still mortgaged, and the one with your insurer. Both need to hear about the change before the tenancy starts.

The mortgage lender

A residential mortgage is usually written on the basis that you live in the property yourself. Once a tenant is in place, that basis no longer holds, and most lenders' terms require you to tell them before it changes. Some will grant consent to let on your existing mortgage for a period. Others will ask you to move to a buy-to-let mortgage instead. The terms differ by lender, so the only way to know what yours requires is to check your mortgage agreement or ask the lender directly.

Fair presentation of the risk to your insurer

Where the Insurance Act 2015 applies, you are required to give the insurer a fair presentation of the risk before cover starts. That means disclosing every material circumstance you know or ought to know (legislation.gov.uk, read 30 September 2026).

Letting a home you previously lived in yourself is exactly that kind of circumstance. An insurer pricing a let property is pricing a different risk from an owner-occupied one, and the policy is written on that basis. What counts as material will depend on the property, but it typically includes the fact that it will be tenanted, the type of tenancy you expect to grant, and any work the property needs before someone moves in. Fair presentation of the risk: what the Insurance Act 2015 requires sets out what the duty covers and what follows when it is not met.

Once a landlord policy is in place

With a landlord policy arranged on that basis, the next question is usually which part of it answers a given event: a tenant who has stopped paying, damage that leaves the property unusable, or a period when it stands empty. The When the rent stops: which cover pays? tool walks through what has happened and shows which cover is meant to answer it, and what you would still need to check against your own wording.

Before the tenancy starts, it is worth having clear answers to a short set of questions: does your mortgage allow letting as it stands, or do you need consent to let or a new mortgage; what has your insurer asked you to disclose before cover begins; and does your current contents or buildings cover still apply once a tenant is living there.

A flat is not owned outright in the way a house is. It is held under a lease, a document running between you and the freeholder, and that lease sets conditions on what you can do with the property long before insurance ever comes into it. Letting the flat out is one of those conditions, and most leases say something specific about it.

Freeholder consent to let

Many leases require the leaseholder to tell the freeholder, or the managing agent acting for them, before the flat is let. Some ask for written consent, which may come with a fee. Others simply require notice once a tenancy is in place. The wording varies lease to lease, so the only way to know which applies to your flat is to read the clause itself, or ask whoever manages the building on the freeholder's behalf.

Buildings insurance is usually already arranged

In a block of flats, the buildings insurance policy, covering the structure, roof and shared parts, is typically taken out by the freeholder or managing agent and paid for through the service charge. That does not change when you let the flat. What changes is that you now need cover of your own for the things the block policy does not touch: the contents you own within the flat, your liability as a landlord, and loss of rent if the flat becomes unusable. Checking the buildings policy summary, or asking the managing agent what it actually covers, tells you where that cover ends and where yours needs to start. If the flat is damaged and cannot be lived in, or the tenant stops paying, or it is about to stand empty between lets, the When the rent stops: which cover pays? tool can show which kind of cover, loss of rent, rent guarantee or the policy's unoccupancy terms, is meant for that situation, and what questions to put to your own wording or insurer.

Restrictions on subletting

Some leases go further than requiring notice and restrict subletting outright, for example limiting how the flat may be let, for how long, or to whom. A small number prohibit subletting altogether, or require the landlord's consent for each new tenancy. This is worth finding before a tenancy starts, since a letting that breaches the lease is a problem between you and the freeholder regardless of what your insurance covers.

Before you let a leasehold flat, it is worth having the lease itself in front of you, along with these questions for the freeholder or managing agent:

• Does the lease require consent or just notice to let?
• Is there a fee attached?
• What does the buildings policy actually cover?
• Are there any conditions on the type or length of tenancy you can grant?