Insurance for Real Estate Investors and LLC Property Owners
Once a rental portfolio is held in an LLC, or includes commercial and mixed-use buildings, personal landlord policies stop fitting. The entity needs to be the named insured, the liability needs to follow the entity structure, and the umbrella needs to sit over all of it without leaving the owner exposed personally.
What usually goes wrong
- Tenant and visitor injuries on the property
- Fire and water damage, plus lost rents during repairs
- Mismatched named insureds after moving properties into an LLC
- Earthquake exposure on older buildings
- Liability claims that exceed primary limits
The coverage we typically build
- Commercial PropertyBuildings, equipment, inventory, and improvements, valued at what it would really cost to replace.Details
- General LiabilityInjury and property damage claims from customers, clients, and the public. The policy most contracts require.Details
- Commercial UmbrellaExtra liability limits above your GL, auto, and employers liability, usually at a lower cost per dollar.Details
The gap we see most
Owners move properties into LLCs for liability protection, then leave the insurance in their personal names. After a claim, the carrier finds that the insured on the policy no longer owns the building. We line up the named insureds, the loan requirements, and both umbrellas, personal and commercial, so the structure protects what it was built to protect.
Own rentals in your own name? See rental property insurance for individual landlords on Trella Insurance.
Stories from real estate & property owners
Illustrative stories: what each business came in for, and what the review found.
A Condo Board Voted on a Special Assessment. Then an Owner Sued the Board.
A forty-unit condo association's volunteer board approved an expensive envelope repair. An owner who disagreed filed suit against the board members personally, and the association's D&O limit turned out to be the smallest number in its program.
D&OPropertyUmbrellaReal estateEight Rentals, Three LLCs, and Insurance Still in the Owner's Personal Name
A couple moved their eight rental properties into LLCs for liability protection, then left the insurance exactly where it was. The review found named insured problems that could have cost them a claim.
PropertyUmbrellaGLReal estateThe Mixed-Use Building With Apartments Upstairs and a Bar Downstairs
An investor bought a three-story building with retail on the ground floor and six apartments above. The previous owner's insurance didn't account for the tenants below, and the review found why a bigger umbrella was the right answer.
UmbrellaPropertyGLCommon questions
Do I need commercial insurance for a rental held in an LLC?
It depends on the property and the carrier, but the LLC should be the named insured or an additional named insured. Many investors with several properties in LLCs move to a commercial package or a portfolio policy.
Will my personal umbrella cover my LLC rentals?
Often not, or only if the LLC is specifically scheduled. This is one of the most common coordination gaps between personal and commercial coverage.
Insurance for real estate & property owners, reviewed line by line.
Send us what you have. We review it line by line against your leases and contracts, and tell you plainly what is missing. Free, and no obligation.