Landlord insurance and tenants – how property use affects your cover

This guide answers common questions about landlord insurance, tenants, and property use — including how family arrangements or business activities can change your cover.

Do I need to notify you when my tenants change?

You don’t need to notify us every time a new tenant moves in. But to stay covered under your landlord insurance, you must meet the landlord obligations:

• Choose tenants carefully
• Keep records of pre-tenancy checks
• Complete inspections at least every 3 months, and at every change of tenants (with written records and photos kept on file)

You can review these in more detail on our landlord obligations guide.

“Tools like myRent can help with tenant checks, tenancy agreements, and ongoing property management — it’s a handy way to stay organised and meet your landlord obligations.”

If the change involves a different type of tenancy – for example, switching to short-term guests or another arrangement that could affect your cover – please let us know so we can check you’re on the right policy wording. You can also compare our options on the ‘help me choose’ page

My family member ‘rents’ the house – what kind of policy do I need? 

If a family member lives in the home and pays rent under a tenancy agreement, you’ll usually need landlord insurance. This gives you cover for things like loss of rent or intentional damage by tenants. Read more on our landlord insurance page.

If it’s a second dwelling on your property that a family member lives in permanently and you don’t want/need specific landlord benefits such as loss of rents , this usually requires a separate own home policy for each dwelling. More details are here: second dwelling – family lives in it.

Examples:

• Your brother pays rent and you want to cover that rent income → landlord insurance
• Your parents live in a granny flat rent-free → own home insurance

What if my tenant wants to run a business from my rental?

Your tenant is responsible for arranging their own commercial insurance to cover their business activities. This is separate from your landlord insurance and not something we provide. See our guide: When do I need commercial insurance? 

If the business changes the way the property is used (for example, a salon, office, or childcare), it could affect whether we can provide cover.  Get in touch with us if you’re unsure – we’ll be happy to review your situation with you. 

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Related articles

• When do you need commercial insurance?
• Landlord obligations
• Have a second dwelling that your family lives in?
• Help me choose the right insurance
• Landlord insurance for multiple rentals