Which is the best rent guarantee insurance, and what does it cost?

Rent guarantee insurance is a UK-wide financial-services product, but the arrears risk behind it is shaped by different housing laws. In England, the 2026 arrears-possession position is now especially important when judging whether cover is worth paying for.

Which is the best rent guarantee insurance, and who offers it?

Two 2026 “best RGI” picks look like they disagree — Hamilton Fraser vs Total Landlord Insurance — but they do not, because Total Landlord Insurance is Hamilton Fraser’s own landlord-insurance brand. Latch names Hamilton Fraser as the best overall landlord rent guarantee insurance, citing cover up to £5,000/month and £100,000 legal expenses; August names Total Landlord Insurance’s rent protection as the strongest overall policy, citing the same £100,000 legal-expenses strength and claims service. Aviva, Alan Boswell, Let Alliance and NRLA-branded routes can still be worth comparing, but no regulator publishes a “best rent guarantee insurance” ranking, so the defensible comparison is limits, exclusions, tenant-referencing conditions, legal-expenses cover, excess, claims handling and whether the seller is FCA-authorised. In practice, the “best” policy is the one that will actually pay when your tenant stops paying, not just the one with the biggest headline rent limit.

How much does rent guarantee insurance cost?

Rent guarantee insurance typically costs about £10–£30 per property per month, with 2026 examples ranging from £9.95/month flat-priced to about £20/month for £3,000 rent cover, or from £168/year on some broker-led policies. There is no statutory UK price for landlord rent guarantee insurance: the premium is market-set, then Insurance Premium Tax is added at the standard 12% rate. Superscript is reported as charging £9.95 per property per month regardless of rent level; Assured Protect advertises £3,000/month rent cover for approximately £20/month, subject to property and tenant type; Clear Insurance Management advertises rent-guarantee policies starting from £168. Agent-bundled products can look cheaper or dearer because they are often charged as a percentage of rent or wrapped into a management package, while direct-bought rent guarantee insurance is more often a flat per-property price.

Can you buy rent guarantee insurance on its own, without landlord insurance?

Yes, you can buy standalone rent guarantee insurance, but some sellers only offer rent guarantee cover as an add-on to landlord buildings or contents insurance. Rent guarantee insurance is not legally required, so the law does not force it to be sold either way; the difference is commercial. A standalone rent guarantee insurance only policy suits landlords who already have buildings insurance elsewhere, or who want to compare rent protection without moving their main landlord insurance. A bundled policy may be simpler if the same insurer is already covering the property, but it can make comparison harder because the rent guarantee price is mixed into wider buildings, contents or legal-expenses cover. Before buying, check whether the policy requires professional referencing, a signed tenancy or occupation contract, no existing arrears at inception, and a specific claims-notification deadline, because those conditions decide whether “stand alone rent guarantee insurance” is useful when arrears actually start.

What rent guarantee cover does a letting agent arrange, and should you take it?

No law requires holding or arranging this cover; agents sell two products: FCA-regulated “rent protection insurance”, with Ombudsman and FSCS recourse and 12% Insurance Premium Tax, and unregulated “rent guarantee warranties”, without those protections. A letting agent arranging insurance is potentially carrying on a regulated arranging activity, and helping with an insurance claim is also a regulated activity, so the first check is whether the product is insurance or merely a warranty. Whether agent-arranged rent guarantee insurance is worth taking turns on local arrears risk: in England, the mandatory rent-arrears eviction threshold has risen to three months; in Wales, assured shorthold tenancies were abolished and Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 governs; in Scotland, three months’ arrears is a discretionary ground; and in Northern Ireland there is no arrears ground, only a shortened notice-to-quit route for substantial arrears. Agent-bundled cover is usually priced as a percentage of rent; direct-bought cover is usually flat-priced.

Last reviewed August 2026.

Sources

• Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, article 10 — “Effecting a contract of insurance as principal is a specified kind of activity.” Source
• Latch, “Best Rent Guarantee Insurance UK 2026” — “For the best overall rent guarantee insurance, Hamilton Fraser leads the market with the highest coverage (up to £5,000/month) and £100,000 legal expenses.” Source
• August, “Best Rent Guarantee Insurance UK Providers Compared” — “The strongest overall policy for most landlords in 2026 is Total Landlord Insurance's rent protection, on the strength of its £100,000 legal expenses limit and established in-house claims service.” Source
• HMRC, Insurance Premium Tax guidance — “a standard rate 12%” Source
• Money.co.uk, landlord rent guarantee insurance comparison — “Superscript's rent guarantee insurance is charged at a flat rate of £9.95, per property, per month, regardless of property type, tenant type and monthly rent.” Source
• Assured Protect, Rent Guarantee Insurance — “Protect up to £3,000 rental income, per property, per month, for approximately £20pm premium (subject to property and tenant type).” Source
• Clear Insurance Management, Rent Guarantee Legal Expenses Insurance for Landlords — “Rent Guarantee policies starting from £168” Source
• August, rent guarantee insurance dictionary — “It is not required by law, and no landlord is obliged to hold it.” Source
• Assured Protect, Rent Guarantee Insurance — “Some RGI policies can be standalone, others are a feature of a landlords buildings insurance policy.” Source
• MoneySuperMarket, rent guarantee insurance — “Take out either landlord buildings or contents insurance with added rent guarantee insurance.” Source
• Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, article 25 — “Making arrangements for another person (whether as principal or agent) to buy, sell, subscribe for or underwrite a particular investment which is—” Source
• Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001, article 39A — “39A. Assisting in the administration and performance of a contract of insurance is a specified kind of activity.” Source
• Goodlord, rent guarantee warranty vs rent protection insurance — “The Financial Conduct Authority regulates the sale and administration of Rent Protection Insurance.” Source
• HMRC Insurance Premium Tax Manual IPT03400 — “(b) the standard rate is 12 per cent.” Source
• Landlord OS, rent guarantee insurance — “Percentage pricing tends to apply where the cover is sold by a letting agent alongside full management; flat pricing is more common when you buy direct.” Source
• Renters’ Rights Act 2025, schedule 1 — “(b)in paragraph (b), for "two" substitute "three";” Source
• Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, section 239 — “(d)an assured tenancy (including an assured shorthold tenancy);” Source
• Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016, schedule 3 — “It is an eviction ground that the tenant has been in rent arrears for three or more consecutive months.” Source
• Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, article 14 — “(a)the tenant is in substantial arrears of rent;” Source