Let property insurance is a form of cover that protects landlords and their buildings/contents.

If you’re using a property to generate rental income, then ordinary owner-occupier home buildings and contents insurance is typically no longer valid. That may even the case if you’re renting out a single room in a house you occupy yourself.

It also applies if, for example, you normally live in your own property but rent it out a few weeks each year during the holiday season to make some extra cash.

It may seem to you to be a little odd but in any of these situations, you may be deemed to be a landlord and therefore in need of let property insurance.

This isn’t just a petty debate about categorisations either.

If your property is being rented out and you only have owner-occupier buildings and contents insurance, then you may find in the event of a disaster that your claim is rejected.

That’s why there are various forms of buy to let insurance (sometimes called landlords’ insurance) available in the marketplace to help landlords protect their assets and possessions.

You may find that in principle, they typically work very much like conventional owner-occupier insurance and are available through online providers, such as ourselves.

The cover provided may vary by policy but will typically protect your buildings, fixtures and fittings and, if you opt for this element of protection, your contents too. It may also provide protection for third party liability claims – always a possibility when you have people in and around your property.

Of course, not only things such as the cover detail may vary between providers. You may find that the conditions and exclusions will also vary such as how much excess the policy carries, the maximum levels of cover and what the policy provides by way of protection for higher-value items such as PCs and electronics etc.

Having the most suitable form of landlords insurance, in the sense that it’s a good match to your circumstances, is important.

Your property is a major asset and provides you with income. If anything adversely affects it, you may therefore suffer a double-whammy.

Putting at risk your ability to deal with that due to inadequate let property insurance might be something that’s well worth missing!