Landlord Buildings vs Contents vs Fixtures and Fittings: What Goes Where?
Buildings insurance covers the structure and anything permanently fixed to it – fitted kitchens, bathroom suites, built-in wardrobes, integrated appliances.
Contents insurance covers what the landlord owns that isn’t fixed – freestanding white goods, furniture, carpets, curtains. Fixtures and fittings sit mostly under buildings, but a handful of items land differently depending on the insurer and how they’re installed. The one thing most landlords get wrong: a freestanding washing machine is contents, not buildings. An integrated dishwasher built into the kitchen units is buildings, not contents. Getting these mixed up means claiming on the wrong policy.
Key Takeaways
- →The quickest way to work out which policy covers something: turn the house upside down in your head. Everything that would fall out is contents. Everything that stays fixed is buildings. A sofa falls out. The fitted kitchen stays put. A freestanding fridge falls out. An integrated fridge built into the cabinetry stays put
- →Carpets are the most commonly misunderstood item. Most insurers put fitted carpets under contents, not buildings – even though they’re fixed to the floor. Some policies do treat them as buildings. Either way, they need to be somewhere on your policy. Leaving them off both is the mistake to avoid
- →White goods cause more confusion than almost anything else. Freestanding white goods provided by you as landlord are contents. Integrated appliances built into the kitchen are buildings. The same type of appliance, covered under completely different policies depending on whether it has a cabinet door in front of it
- →Your policy only covers items you own. If your tenant brings their own washing machine or fridge, that’s their responsibility to insure, not yours. If you supply it, it’s yours to protect. If they supply it, they need their own tenants contents cover
- →Leaseholders have a different situation. If you own a leasehold flat, the freeholder arranges buildings cover for the structure. You’re responsible for the fixtures and fittings inside your flat plus any contents you own. A lot of leasehold landlords don’t realise this and either buy buildings cover they don’t need or leave fixtures unprotected
💬 From the MMC Landlord Insurance Team | FCA Reg. 916241
“The scenario we see most often is a landlord who’s provided white goods – fridge, washing machine, dishwasher – and assumed they’re all covered under buildings. They’re not, unless they’re integrated into the kitchen units. Freestanding appliances sit under contents, which is a completely separate section of the policy. So when a freestanding washing machine floods the ground floor and needs replacing, they go to make a claim and find the answer depends on which type it was. It’s worth five minutes going through your inventory and being clear on what’s fixed and what isn’t.”
Most landlords know they need buildings insurance. A fair number know they should probably have contents cover too if they’re providing furniture or appliances. What trips people up is the middle ground – the fitted kitchen, the carpets, the washing machine in the utility room, the dishwasher built into the kitchen units.
These items all sit somewhere between the two policies, and which one responds when something goes wrong depends on whether the item is fixed in place or freestanding. Get it wrong and you find yourself claiming on the wrong policy at the worst possible time.
Here’s how the categories actually work in practice.
Buildings, contents, and fixtures and fittings – the basic split
Buildings insurance covers the structure of the property and anything permanently fixed to it. Contents insurance covers what you as the landlord own inside the property that isn’t permanently fixed. Fixtures and fittings – the items attached to walls, floors, or built into the kitchen – typically fall under buildings, but there are exceptions that catch landlords out.
The clearest way to think about it is the upside-down test. Mentally flip the property over. Everything that would fall to the floor is contents. Everything that stays attached is buildings. It’s not a perfect rule – carpets are technically attached but treated as contents by most insurers – but it handles the majority of cases correctly.
Where it gets interesting is the items in the middle. A freestanding washing machine would fall. An integrated dishwasher built into the kitchen cabinetry stays put. Same category of appliance, covered under completely different policies.
| Item | Typically covered under | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Fitted kitchen units | Buildings | Fixed to walls and floor – clearly buildings on all policies |
| Bathroom suite (bath, toilet, basin) | Buildings | Plumbed in and fixed – buildings on all policies |
| Integrated appliances (dishwasher, oven, fridge built into units) | Buildings | Physically built into cabinetry – treated as part of the kitchen structure |
| Built-in wardrobes | Buildings | Fixed to walls – buildings. Freestanding wardrobes are contents |
| Boiler and central heating | Buildings | Fixed installation – buildings. Note: breakdown cover is a separate add-on |
| Laminate and hard flooring | Usually buildings | Glued or nailed down – most insurers class as buildings. Check policy wording |
| Fitted carpets | Usually contents | Varies by insurer. Some put carpets under buildings. Either way, they need to be covered somewhere |
| Light fittings | Usually buildings | Fixed to ceiling – typically buildings, but decorative fittings vary. Confirm with insurer |
| Freestanding white goods (washing machine, fridge-freezer) | Contents | Freestanding = contents. Only covered if you have landlord contents insurance |
| Freestanding furniture (sofas, beds, tables) | Contents | All freestanding landlord-owned furniture needs contents cover |
| Curtains and blinds | Contents | Removable without damage – contents on most policies |
White goods – the section most landlords get wrong
White goods are where confusion turns into actual claim problems. A washing machine, fridge-freezer, or dishwasher can sit under buildings or contents depending on how it’s installed – and the difference matters enormously when something goes wrong.
The rule is straightforward once you know it. Integrated appliances – the ones built into kitchen cabinetry with a matching cabinet door on the front – are treated as part of the fitted kitchen and covered under buildings. Freestanding appliances – the ones that stand on their own and could be wheeled out – are contents.
In practice, this means a landlord with a freestanding washing machine in a utility room and no landlord contents cover has an uninsured appliance. If it floods the floor or needs replacing after a fire, there’s nothing to claim against.
Who provides it decides who insures it
Your landlord insurance – buildings or contents – only covers items that belong to you. If your tenant brings their own washing machine into the property, that’s their appliance. Their responsibility to insure under tenants contents cover, not yours.
The reverse applies too. If you supply a fridge-freezer, it’s yours to protect under your landlord contents policy. Your tenant’s insurance won’t cover it. This is one reason a clear inventory at the start of every tenancy is worth having – it documents exactly what belongs to whom and removes the ambiguity when something needs replacing.
What landlords are legally required to provide
By law, you have to give tenants the means to cook. That means providing a hob and oven, or a combined cooker. This is a requirement under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.
Everything else – fridge, freezer, washing machine, dishwasher – is optional. Many landlords provide them because it makes the property more attractive, but there’s no legal obligation. If you do provide them though, you’re taking on responsibility for their condition, and you need the right cover in place.
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Carpets – why they’re the most disputed item in landlord insurance
Ask ten landlords where their carpets sit and you’ll probably get a mix of answers. The honest position is that it varies by insurer, and policies don’t always make it obvious.
Most UK insurers treat fitted carpets as contents, even though they’re fixed to the floor. The logic is that carpets can be lifted without damaging the building itself – so they behave more like contents even if they’re technically attached.
Some insurers class them under buildings instead, particularly if they’re professionally fitted and bonded to the subfloor. A few policies put them in a grey area and cover them under whichever section applies to the damage.
What this means practically: don’t assume your carpets are covered. Check the specific wording on your policy, find out which section they sit under, and make sure the sum insured for that section actually reflects what it would cost to replace them. Quality carpets in multiple rooms can add up to several thousand pounds – which is significant if they’re not properly included.
Laminate and hard flooring tends to be cleaner. Most insurers class these as buildings because they’re glued or nailed down and can’t be removed without damage. But again – check the wording rather than assuming.
Leaseholders: your situation is different and often misunderstood
If you own a leasehold flat that you rent out, the freeholder is almost certainly responsible for arranging buildings insurance on the block. You don’t need – and in most cases shouldn’t be buying – a separate buildings policy for the flat.
What you are responsible for is the fixtures and fittings inside your flat – the fitted kitchen, bathroom suite, built-in wardrobes – plus any contents you’ve provided for the tenant. This sits under landlord contents insurance, which will include a fixtures and fittings element to cover the items the freeholder’s buildings policy won’t reach inside your individual flat.
The most common mistake here is paying for buildings insurance you don’t need, while leaving your fixtures and fittings without cover. Or assuming the freeholder’s policy covers everything, including the kitchen units and bathroom you refitted five years ago. It doesn’t. The freeholder covers the structure. Your internal fit-out is down to you.
Worth checking your lease carefully. Some leases specify exactly where the freeholder’s responsibility ends and yours begins. If it’s not clear, ask the managing agent or freeholder directly before you buy your own cover.
What tenants are responsible for insuring
Your policy doesn’t extend to your tenant’s belongings. Full stop. Everything they bring into the property – their own furniture, electronics, clothing, and any appliances they own – is their responsibility to insure under tenants contents insurance.
This matters in both directions. You’re not liable if their laptop gets stolen from a property you own. But equally, if your fridge-freezer breaks down and floods the ground floor, damaging their personal belongings in the process, they’ll need their own insurance to claim for what belongs to them. Your policy may cover the structural damage and the fridge itself, but not their possessions.
A good tenancy agreement makes this explicit. It should document what items the landlord is providing, make clear that tenants are responsible for insuring their own belongings, and include an inventory that’s agreed at the start of the tenancy. That inventory is genuinely useful at claim time – it removes any dispute about who owns what.
A practical checklist for getting the cover right
Before you renew or set up your landlord policy, it’s worth going through the property with this in mind:
Buildings sum insured
Based on rebuild cost, not market value. Should include the fitted kitchen, bathroom suite, built-in storage, boiler, fixed flooring, and any permanent structural elements you’ve added.
Freestanding appliances
List every freestanding appliance you own and provide. Washing machine, fridge-freezer, tumble dryer, freestanding cooker. All need to sit under your contents sum insured.
Carpets and floor coverings
Check your specific policy wording. Find out whether carpets sit under buildings or contents, and make sure the sum for that section covers full replacement cost room by room.
Furnished vs unfurnished
Unfurnished properties where you’ve provided no furniture or freestanding appliances may not need contents cover at all – your buildings policy covers the fixtures. Furnish the property and contents cover becomes necessary.
Tenant’s own items
Items brought in by your tenant are not covered by your policy in any form. Make sure the tenancy agreement is clear and that tenants understand they need their own cover for their belongings.
Inventory at every tenancy
A signed, photographed inventory agreed at check-in is the best protection against disputes. It documents what belongs to you, its condition, and what the tenant accepts responsibility for.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. Policy wording varies between insurers and individual items may be classified differently depending on the specific policy you hold. Always check your policy documents and confirm grey-area items directly with your insurer before you need to make a claim. MyMoneyComparison.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), registration number 916241.
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