Personalised cover underwritten by one of the UK's leading insurers
Commercial landlord insurance
Customisable cover for landlords of commercial properties, including buildings and contents insurance, fittings and fixtures cover and property owners' liability.
Be quote confident. We'll beat the price of any like-for-like quote. T&Cs apply.
Commercial property landlord insurance quote
What is landlord insurance for commercial properties?
For commercial landlords, the risks that come with letting out commercial units to businesses require a flexible and adaptable insurance policy. A single warehouse, for instance, will be exposed to different risks to an office block.
To make sure you're covered for the risks most associated with your needs as a landlord, you might want to consider business insurance that you can alter to your requirements. That's why we offer customisable cover, which allows you to tailor your protection and only pay for what you need.
10% of landlords paid £12.95 a month or less for their Superscript insurance between January and March 2023.
- Protect your property portfolio against a range of exposures
- Buildings, fixtures and fittings and property owners' liability cover
- Optional cover for rental income, employers' liability and more
- Up to 5% discount for multiple units
- Choose from monthly or annual payments
- Adjust your policy any time, without fees
We insure a large variety of commercial property types
From renting out a single retail unit to letting an entire office building, whatever property is in your portfolio we've got you covered.
While we insure many different commercial landlords, here are a few popular rentals we cover:
- Shops
- Warehouses
- Office space
- Mixed commercial and residential properties
To check if we cover your needs as a commercial landlord, simply click 'Start your quote'.
Be quote confident
We're big on fairness. So if you find a lower price for a comparable quote, we won't just match it – we'll go one better and beat it.
So even better than apples to apples, apples to better apples. We're talking Galas to Braeburns.
As you'd expect, T&Cs apply.
What does commercial landlord insurance cover?
While every property is different, there are some covers that make sense for a lot of landlords in the commercial property sector. Here are the core covers that we include in every policy:
Buildings
Whether you own a single standalone shop, or multiple warehouses, this element of your commercial property landlord insurance covers the cost of repairing accidental or malicious damage to the building, including:
- Clearing, cleaning or repairing drains, gutters or sewers following damage to the property
- Damage to cables and underground pipes
- Fire and flood damage
- Repairing any tank or pipe caused by a water leak
- Damage caused by subsidence is an optional additional cover
Fixtures and fittings
As your tenant business gets on with their commercial activities, you may be responsible for maintaining the fixtures and fittings within the property. You will be covered for repair or replacement costs of fixtures and fitting within the property, including:
- Breakage of fixed glass and fixed mirrors
- Damage caused by the illegal cultivation of drugs
- Theft of the building's fabric (eg. roof tiles or insulation)
- Damage to electrical sockets or light fittings
Property owners liability
Covers your liability to pay compensation and legal costs (between £1 million and £10 million) in relation to bodily injury to either a tenant or member of the public, which is especially important for commercial units where members of the public come in and out regularly.
This includes legal costs (up to £1 million) for any alleged breaches of:
- Health and Safety legislation
- Consumer Protection legislation
- Food Standards legislation
It also includes legal costs (up to £1 million) in connection to defense against:
- Manslaughter
- Corporate manslaughter
- Corporate homicide
- Culpable homicide defence
Additional covers
On top of these options, we also offer a bunch of other covers to boost your policy and give you and your portfolio of commercial properties the perfect protection.
Employers' liability
This is a legal requirement for most commercial landlords who employ staff (such as administrators and janitors) and covers your liability to pay compensation and legal costs in relation to work-related sickness or bodily injury of an employee.
Terrorism
Covers your repair costs for damage to your property, your financial losses and your property owners liability in the event that your property is affected by an act of terrorism, which may not otherwise be an insurable event.
Rental income
If your property becomes damaged to the point that it is unusable by your tenant business, the rental income you would have been paid is covered for a period of up to 24 months while the property cannot be occupied.
Landlords contents
Covers the value of all of the items in the commercial unit that belong to the landlord (such as upholstery and furniture) against accidental and malicious damage, up to a limit of £75,000.
What isn't covered by landlords' insurance?
We'd love to be able to cover every situation a landlord might encounter but, as with all insurance policies, there are some things we cannot cover, including:
- Any property that is let out to a local authority with an unknown occupant
- Commercial properties used for heavy industry, including agricultural merchants, cement manufacturers, locomotive manufacturers and chemical producers
- Properties that are unoccupied for more than six months of the year
- Any damage which results from acts of fraud or dishonesty by you or your employees
- Any costs associated with damage caused by the property being used for illegal activities, other than damage caused by the illegal cultivation of drugs
- Any liability arising from exposure to, or the presence of, asbestos
- Any works of art valued at greater than £1,000 or any jewellery, watches, fur or precious metal or stone under landlord's contents cover
Once you've completed a quote, you'll be able to view a summary of cover. Please always refer to your policy documents for full details around exclusions, terms and limits of your customised cover. Read our guide to understanding your policy documents.
Enjoy a multi-property discount
Looking to insure a portfolio of up to 10 properties? We like to reward landlords who insure all their properties under one policy.
You can get a discount of up to 5% off your total premium for commercial properties.
There's no requirement to have all of the same additional covers for each property, so you can build a personalised policy that's built around what each of your properties actually needs, and then enjoy a discount for doing so.
Commercial landlord legal protection cover
You can now add legal protection cover to your commercial landlord insurance policy.
It covers up to £100,000 of professional fees and legal costs (excluding compensation you owe) for a range of legal disputes and tax inquiries.
Plus, it includes access to a legal and tax advice helpline.
Simply click 'Start your quote' and add commercial legal protection before checkout.
Commercial landlord insurance claims
Commercial landlord insurance can cover a range of different accidents and risks both in relation to your property and your tenant's business. Here are a few examples of possible claims scenarios.
Damage to your building
After a flooding event at a shop unit you own, the property is damaged to a significant degree with extensive repairs required. A commercial landlord insurance policy can cover the repair expenses.
Lost rental income
After a fire, your property is damaged to the point that it is unusable as a business premises. Your insurance policy can cover the loss of rental income you would have been paid by the tenant business, so you are not left out of pocket.
Injury to a tenant
An employee of your tenant business is unfortunately injured because an element of the buildings' fixtures and fittings is unsafe, you may be liable to pay compensation and your insurance could cover this expense.
How do claims work?
You make a claim
Log in to your online account and go to the ‘Make a claim’ section. There, you can make a claim directly – there's no need to call us.
We'll ask you for some details about your claim, including a crime reference number (if applicable), the date of loss or claim made against you, type of claim and its detailed description.
You can also attach any relevant supporting documentation like proof of loss, proof of purchase, a letter of demand or a statement of claim.
We'll get on the case
Once submitted, your claim will be assessed.
If the claim is large, you may have to provide further information. For smaller claims, you may be able to proceed without further information.
Either way, we'll keep you regularly updated and you'll be able to see the status of your claim on our customer portal.
Your claim is settled
After it's been assessed, we'll let you know if your claim has been successful or not.
If items have been lost, stolen or damaged, we might arrange for the items to be replaced or make a payment to you.
If you’re liable for something we will assist you with legal support.
Commercial landlord insurance FAQs
How much does commercial landlord insurance cost?
Superscript's commercial landlord insurance starts from just £12.95 a month, but the price of your policy could vary depending on how many properties are covered, their location, the type of business that operates from the premises, as well as a number of other factors.
10% of landlords paid £12.95 a month or less for their Superscript insurance between January and March 2023.
What types of properties does commercial landlord insurance cover?
Superscript's commercial landlord insurance includes cover for a range of business premises, including:
- warehouses
- office space
- shops
We are also able to insure a mixture of commercial and residential properties in the same policy.
Is commercial landlord insurance compulsory for private landlords?
Landlord insurance is not manadatory but we strongly recommend this cover to protect you against a range of exposures if you let out commercial units to businesses.
What types of properties does commercial landlord insurance cover?
Superscript's landlord insurance includes cover for a range of different types of rented commercial unit, including shops, warehouses and offices.
However, the policy will not cover premises used for heavy industry.
Can I get landlord insurance if my property is temporarily unoccupied?
Yes, with Superscript's landlord insurance your cover is valid even if your property is unoccupied for a period of up to 45 consecutive days.
However, if the property is unoccupied for longer than that, there are certain things you must do for your policy to remain valid, including, but not limited to:
- You must let Superscript know as soon as the property becomes unoccupied for longer than 45 days
- The property must be inspected both internally and externally at least once a week, with a written report of the inspection
- All refuse and waste must be regularly removed
- The property must be adequately secured and letterboxes sealed
- Gas, water and electricity supplies must be turned off at the mains
- All damage must be rectified immediately
- All water systems must be drained between 1st October and 31st March
Superscript reserves the right to cancel a policy if your property is unoccupied for more than 45 consecutive days.
What excess will I pay?
The amount of excess you will be required to pay depends on what kind of insured event has occurred. Superscript's excesses include:
- Fire, lightning, explosion, aircraft, or earthquake - no excess
- Damage caused by flood - minimum excess £300
- Malicious damage and theft by a tenant business - £500
- All other insured damage (where an excess applies) - minimum excess £250
- Subsidence - minimum excess £1,000
- Property owners liability - £200
Can I insure multiple properties?
Yes, you are able to insure a portfolio of up to 10 properties on one policy, and enjoy an up to 5% multi-property discount.
Can I insure residential homes at the same time as my commercial units?
Yes, you can insure both commercial and residential properties on the same policy. For instance, if you own a retail unit with a separate residential flat on the upper floor.
Is there a discount for insuring multiple commercial properties?
Yes. You can enjoy an up to 5% discount on your total policy premium when you insure multiple commercial properties.
What if I need to change or cancel my policy?
You can change your policy anytime, but we need 30 days' notice if you'd like cancel.
Is commercial landlord insurance tax deductible?
Yes, all covers included in your commercial landlord insurance policy are categorised as 'allowable expenses' by HMRC. This means you can write off the cost of your insurance policy against your taxable rental income for the tax year.
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