Property Portfolio Insurance for commercial and mixed portfolios
One policy for the shops, offices, industrial units and mixed use buildings your company owns, with a single schedule and one renewal date. A specialist broker can compare portfolio terms for you.
- Every building on one schedule and one renewal
- New acquisitions picked up as you buy
- Group companies and lenders named on one policy
Reviewed October 2026 by the MyBusinessComparison.com editorial team
What is property portfolio insurance?
Property portfolio insurance is a single policy that covers several buildings owned by the same company or group. Each property is listed on one schedule with its own rebuild value and rent, while the buildings, loss of rent and owners' liability cover, the conditions and the renewal date are shared across the portfolio.
For a company holding a spread of commercial and mixed use property, the advantage is control. One set of terms replaces a stack of separate policies with different insurers, excesses and expiry dates, and the insurer prices the portfolio as a whole rather than judging each building in isolation.
A portfolio policy only stays effective if it is kept current. Acquisitions, disposals, vacancies, changes of tenant and refreshed rebuild values all need to reach the insurer, so most owners agree a simple reporting routine with their broker from the outset.
Property portfolio insurance at a glance
- Suits
- Companies and groups owning several commercial or mixed use buildings
- Structure
- One policy, one schedule, one renewal, individual values per property
- Usual sections
- Reinstatement of each building, rental income, owners' liability
- Useful features
- Automatic cover for acquisitions, group companies as joint insureds
- Insurers look at
- Spread of property types, tenant mix, vacancy and portfolio claims
- Kept current by
- Regular updates on purchases, sales, vacancies and values
What does property portfolio insurance cover?
The core cover mirrors a landlord policy, but the features that matter are the ones built for managing many buildings at once.
Buildings across the portfolio
Each property insured for its own reinstatement cost, with debris removal, fees and landlord's fixtures, under one set of perils and conditions.
Read more about commercial property insurance
Rent across every property
Loss of rent for each building after insured damage, with indemnity periods that can be set per property to match each lease.
One liability limit
Property owners' liability for every site under a single limit, covering the structures, shared areas, car parks and open land across the schedule.
Read more about public liability insurance
Automatic cover for acquisitions
Buildings you buy during the year are usually covered from completion up to an agreed value, provided they are declared within a set period.
Group companies and lenders
Holding companies and the separate companies that own individual buildings can be named together, with each lender's interest noted against its property.
Vacant properties within the portfolio
Empty buildings can stay on the schedule on agreed terms, rather than being moved to separate short term policies.
Read more about unoccupied property insurance
Terrorism across the schedule
Where leases or lenders require it, terrorism cover can be added for every property or only those in higher rated areas.
Read more about terrorism insurance
Values tracked over time
Many insurers apply index linking to sums insured, and a rolling valuation programme keeps rebuild costs current across the portfolio.
Cover that sits alongside a portfolio policy
- Commercial legal expenses: lease disputes, dilapidations claims and arrears recovery across the portfolio
- Directors' and officers' cover: claims against the directors of the property company or its holding companies
- Engineering inspection: lifts, boilers and plant across every building on one inspection contract
- Property developers insurance: sites under construction or major refurbishment, which sit outside a standard portfolio policy
Who needs property portfolio insurance?
It suits any organisation holding several buildings for investment or its own use. These are the owners portfolio policies are most often written for.
Letting a single building? One let property is usually simpler on a commercial landlord policy.
- Property investment companies: mixed holdings of retail, office and industrial property held for income
- Groups using a company per building: special purpose companies each owning one asset, brought together under a parent's policy
- Family property businesses: portfolios built over generations, often a mix of high street shops, offices and flats above
- Company pension schemes: schemes holding several commercial buildings, some let back to the sponsoring business
- Owners of mixed use parades: rows of shops with residential or office space above, where each floor is declared
- Industrial estate investors: multi-let estates and standalone units let to trade and manufacturing tenants
- Retailers owning their branches: operating businesses that own a chain of shop premises and need them on one schedule
- Pub and hospitality estates: estates of let or managed pubs, restaurants and hotels owned by one company
- Charities, trusts and endowments: investment property held to generate income for the organisation
- Landed estates: farm buildings, let commercial conversions, village shops and offices on one rural estate
- Developers holding completed stock: finished commercial units let or held for sale while the next scheme starts
How much does property portfolio insurance cost?
Insurers rate the portfolio as a whole and then adjust for each building. The balance of the schedule matters as much as any single property.
Mix of property
A spread of offices and modern industrial units rates differently from a schedule heavy with older buildings, listed property or units in flood zones.
Tenant profile
The share of tenants in higher fire risk trades, such as hot food, vehicle repair or woodworking, shapes the overall rate.
Total values
Combined rebuild values and rent roll set the size of the premium, and accurate figures for each building keep claims payments whole.
Vacancy across the schedule
A few empty units are expected; a large proportion standing vacant changes how insurers view the whole portfolio.
Portfolio claims record
Insurers study losses across all properties over several years, along with the action taken after each one.
Excess and structure
Choosing a higher excess, or placing a difficult property separately, can improve the terms on the rest of the schedule.
What property portfolio insurance does not cover
Portfolio policies are broad, but these gaps catch owners out when the schedule falls behind reality.
- Acquisitions above the automatic cover limit, or not declared within the agreed period
- Buildings that have become vacant without the insurer being told, beyond the standard unoccupancy allowance
- Major refurbishment, extension or redevelopment work, which needs contract works cover or a developer's policy
- Loss of rent caused by tenant default or insolvency, rather than insured damage
- Shortfalls where sums insured have not kept pace with rebuild costs and the insurer applies average
- Tenants' own contents, stock and trading losses
- Gradual deterioration, defective maintenance and wear and tear across any building
One portfolio policy or separate property policies?
Owners usually move to a portfolio policy as their holdings grow. Here is the practical difference once several buildings are involved.
| Feature | Portfolio policy | Separate policies |
|---|---|---|
| Renewals | One date for every building | A renewal for each property through the year |
| Cover consistency | Same perils and conditions across the schedule | Terms vary by insurer and property |
| Buying a building | Often covered automatically up to a limit | A new policy needed before completion |
| Pricing | The portfolio is rated as a whole | Each building priced in isolation |
| Difficult properties | Can be balanced within the schedule or placed separately | Each one has to stand on its own |
| Administration | One schedule to update and audit | Several documents, excesses and contacts |
How to arrange property portfolio insurance
A clean, complete schedule of properties is the key to good portfolio terms.
Build the schedule
Address, owning company, use, construction, rebuild value, rent and tenants for every building.
Mark the exceptions
Vacant buildings, listed property, flood or subsidence history and anything under refurbishment.
Gather lease and lender terms
Insuring covenants, rent cover periods, terrorism requirements and each lender's details.
Collect the claims record
Losses across the whole portfolio over recent years, with what was done afterwards.
Agree how updates will work
Set the acquisition limit, how disposals and vacancies are reported and when values are reviewed.
Several buildings to insure?
Share your schedule of properties and a specialist broker will test it with suitable insurers.
Compare quotesProperty portfolio insurance FAQs
How much does property portfolio insurance cost?
Pricing reflects the combined rebuild values and rent roll, the mix of buildings and tenants, vacancy levels, locations and the claims record across the portfolio. Because insurers rate the schedule as a whole, a well balanced and well documented portfolio usually earns more consistent terms.
How many properties do I need for a portfolio policy?
There is no single threshold. Insurers set their own minimums, and some will write a portfolio from a small number of buildings. The more properties you hold, the more the shared renewal, single schedule and acquisition cover tend to help.
Can properties owned by different companies go on one policy?
Yes, in most cases. Where a group holds buildings in separate companies, the parent and each owning company can be named as joint insureds. The schedule shows which company owns each property so claims are paid to the right party.
What happens when I buy or sell a building?
Most portfolio policies cover new purchases automatically up to an agreed value, as long as you declare them within a set period. When you sell, the building comes off the schedule and the premium is usually adjusted for the unexpired period.
Can different lenders be noted on the same policy?
Yes. Each lender's interest is noted against the property it finances, so the right lender is told of any cancellation or large claim. Give the broker every lender's name and loan reference.
Can a portfolio include flats above shops and offices?
Yes. Mixed use buildings are common in commercial portfolios. Insurers will want each floor's use declared, details of the ground floor trades and how the residential parts are separated and accessed.
Will one problem building affect the whole portfolio?
It can. A property with a poor claims record, a high risk tenant or flood exposure may push up the overall rate. A broker may suggest a higher excess for that building or placing it separately to protect terms on the rest.
Can vacant buildings stay on a portfolio policy?
Usually, on agreed terms. Insurers expect some vacancy in a commercial portfolio but will set conditions such as regular inspections, draining water systems and securing the building, and may restrict the perils covered after a period.
How do I get a property portfolio insurance quote?
Send a request through the quote button and a specialist broker will follow up. A complete property schedule listing values, rents, tenants, vacancies, lenders and losses lets them go to insurers without delay.
Ready to compare property portfolio insurance?
Every building your company owns on one schedule, with terms that keep pace as the portfolio grows.