Landlord Insurance Documents: What Evidence Insurers May Ask For

Landlord insurance — buildings cover, contents, rent guarantee, legal expenses — sits at the intersection of two evidence regimes. When you take out cover the insurer will ask what you have. When you make a claim the insurer will ask for receipts of everything you previously said you had. The gap between the two is where most refused claims happen. This guide explains what landlord insurers expect to see, and how to keep your evidence file in one place.

What landlord insurers typically require

• Building details: rebuild value, year built, construction type, roof type, flat-roof percentage, number of storeys
• Tenancy type: AST/APT, HMO, holiday let, lodger arrangement (insurers price these very differently)
• Number of occupants and households: drives whether HMO loading applies
• Current Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) and EICR: a current certificate is almost always a policy condition
• EPC band: some insurers price-load below band C
• Smoke and CO alarm confirmation: statutory minimums; expect an attestation question
• Right-to-Rent compliance: increasingly asked, especially by specialist landlord insurers
• Tenant references: for rent guarantee insurance, full referencing pack at start of tenancy

Buildings cover vs landlord-specific

An ordinary home-buildings policy is not enough. The moment you let the property to a third party (other than a family member at no rent), most household policies are voided. You need explicitly-titled landlord buildings cover or landlord-combined cover. Insurers will ask you to evidence the tenancy with a redacted copy of the tenancy agreement at claims time.

Rent guarantee insurance paperwork

• Full tenant referencing pack obtained before the tenancy starts (employer reference, previous landlord reference, credit check, ID)
• Signed tenancy agreement on the insurer's accepted template — many policies are voided by 'non-standard' tenancy clauses
• Evidence the deposit was protected within 30 days and Prescribed Information served
• Rent ledger showing the date the first arrears arose (most insurers require notification within 30-60 days)
• Any breach correspondence — Notices to Quit, formal arrears letters, Section 8 notices

Compliance records insurers may ask for

• Annual Gas Safety Certificate (every 12 months from previous certificate)
• EICR (last 5 years, or at change of tenancy)
• EPC (last 10 years)
• PAT testing for any landlord-supplied appliances
• Smoke and CO alarm test logs
• HMO licence (if applicable) plus renewal correspondence
• Local authority licensing — selective or additional licensing
• Right-to-Rent check evidence (photocopy of tenant ID, dated)
• Information Sheet serving evidence (England, post-31 May 2026)
• Any local authority improvement notice, hazard awareness notice, or correspondence

Track everything with one document

The Landlord Portfolio Tracker (£29) is a single Excel file that captures every compliance touchpoint with traffic-light reminders. Gas, EICR, EPC, smoke/CO, PAT, Right-to-Rent, deposit protection, HMO/selective licensing — all in one place. Up to 10 properties, jurisdiction-aware across the four UK nations. Open it at claims time and the insurer's file is already built.

Useful adjacent resources

• Landlord Certificate Requirements UK — CP12, EICR, EPC, fire safety in plain English
• Deposit Protection Rules UK — the 30-day window, Prescribed Information, evidence to keep
• Right-to-Rent Check UK — the IDSP route, manual checks, retention period
• Annual Compliance Checklist — the 12-point annual walk-through