Not the same as landlord insurance on a house.A rented single-family home or condo is a personal lines product — see landlord insurance. A strip mall, office building, warehouse or mixed-use block is commercial, rated on the building, the tenants and the lease. This page is the commercial one.

What it usually covers

The building itself

And anything you own inside it, such as common-area fixtures and equipment.

Liability as the owner

Injuries in common areas, parking lots, stairwells and sidewalks are the owner’s exposure, not the tenant’s.

Loss of rents

Income while the building is untenantable after a covered loss.

Ordinance or law

Where rebuilding has to meet current code rather than what was there before.

The tenant mix is the thing

A building full of professional offices and a building with a restaurant, a nail salon and an auto shop are different risks at the same square footage. Cooking, chemicals, welding and late hours all move the quote, and a vacancy moves it further.

What underwriters ask about

Who the tenants are, and what each one does in the space
How much of the building is occupied and how much sits empty
The age of the roof, the wiring, the plumbing and the heating
Whether leases require tenants to carry their own liability and name you as additional insured
Any habitational portion, since apartments above shops change the rating

Start the lessor's risk application

The tenant schedule and the building detail do not fit a short form, so this one is quoted from the full application.

Start the application →

Also see commercial property, general liability, or landlord insurance for a house or condo.

Insurance for the commercial landlord