Buildings insurance for leasehold properties
Who is responsible for buildings insurance in leasehold flats
If you own a leasehold flat, your lease should set out your responsibilities regarding insurance and those of your landlord (freeholder).
Usually the landlord will be responsible for arranging buildings insurance, and you’ll need to contribute to the cost through your service charge.
This is because when you own a leasehold flat, you do not own the structure of the building. Damage such as a fire or water leak could affect more than one flat. It’s important to have one policy that covers the whole building, including shared areas.
If you own a share of the freehold together with other leaseholders, then you’ll be jointly responsible for arranging and paying for buildings insurance.
If your lease does not include satisfactory conditions about buildings insurance, it’s possible to apply to a tribunal for a change to the lease.
If your landlord does not insure the building
If you’re not sure whether your building is insured properly, you have the right to ask your landlord for information about the buildings insurance policy.
Check the terms of your lease to make sure that your landlord is responsible for buildings insurance. If the landlord is responsible and they have not met their obligations to insure the building, they will be breaching the terms of the lease.
Contact your landlord to set out your concerns, and ask them to arrange insurance.
If this does not work, you could apply to a tribunal to appoint a manager, who would take over management of the building. The tribunal is likely to agree to your application if the landlord is not meeting their obligations such as arranging insurance.
It’s also possible to take legal action against the landlord in court to enforce their obligations under the lease, although this can be complicated and expensive.
- Last updated:
- 1 December 2025
- Next review:
- 1 December 2027
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