Alan Boswell is an insurance and financial planning group offering a variety of insurance options ranging from commercial and motor trade to, you guessed it, landlord insurance cover. With an impressive set of awards under their belt, you might be wondering: how good is their landlord insurance cover really?

Well, Alan Boswell are proud of their multi-award winning landlord insurance and for good reason. They were crowned Best Landlord Insurance Provider for the second year running at the 2019 National Landlord Investment Show awards, as well as having earned Gold-Trusted Merchant status by Feefo for their customer service.

So, what do the customers themselves have to say about their experience with Alan Boswell’s landlord insurance? Well, it seems they have certainly earned their awards. Many customers commend them on their excellent and knowledgeable customer service as well as their competitive prices.

But we know there is more to landlord insurance than customer feedback, such as what is and what isn’t included as standard, prices and importantly, how they compare to other landlord insurance providers on the market. In this review we’ll deep dive into Alan Boswell’s landlord insurance offer so see if they really are worthy of consideration.

In This Review

• Alan Boswell Landlord Insurance: Overall Review
  • Why choose Alan Boswell Landlord insurance?
  • Customer Reviews and Ratings
  • How much is Alan Boswell Landlord insurance?
  • What is and isn’t covered?
• How to Claim
• Alan Boswell Landlord insurance: discounts and savings
• FAQ’s

Alan Boswell Landlord Insurance Overall Review

The Alan Boswell Group have been in the game for a while, cementing themselves as one of the UK’s largest independent insurance broker and financial planning groups. They have been insuring property since 1982 working with a leading panel of insurers to provide flexible cover to suit a variety of landlord and property needs.

It may come as no surprise then, that Alan Boswell have earned top ratings for their features from independent analysts who consider it to be one of the highest quality landlord insurance offers on the market. As well as winning Best Landlord Insurance Provider for the second year running at the 2019 National Landlord Investment Show awards, Alan Boswell was also crowned Best Buy-to-Let Insurance Provider by BoughtByMany due to its generous standard cover.

In terms of customer satisfaction and experience, Alan Boswell continues to perform strongly. They score 4.8 out of 5 for customer experience and 4.8 out of 5 for their overall product offer on With a Feefo across over 800 reviews in the past year. When looking at their landlord insurance specifically, they score an impressive 4.8 out of 5 across 300+ reviews at the time of writing. Indeed, we have found they include benefits that many of their rivals offer as add ons.

Even when sifting through hundreds of customer reviews we struggled to find many negative experiences. Most offer glowing feedback, with not a single 1 or 2 star rating for landlord insurance at the time of writing!

Now, as we mentioned earlier, a good landlord policy is more than just positive customer feedback. We need to consider what is included as standard, what is available as an add-on to give you that extra layer of protection, and even what is missing from the package altogether. On top of this, we need to compare the price of the offer compared to others on the market to determine whether it really is a value offer.

Before we do this though, it’s important to understand that unlike some other landlord insurance providers such as DirectLine and Aviva, Alan Boswell works with a panel of insurers that underwrite its policies.

Essentially, each insurer decides who and what to cover, and at what cost. This can make it difficult to compare against other insurers, as when you request a quote from Alan Boswell you will be given a variety of different policy options each of which are underwritten by a separate provider. It sounds confusing at first, but don’t worry—let’s first take a look at the benefits of opting for Alan Boswell landlord insurance before we dive into what is and isn’t included.

Why choose Alan Boswell Landlord insurance?

Alan Boswell is proud of their standard landlord insurance policy offer, and it certainly includes some desirable features. Here are few key benefits we feel are particularly good for you to know:

Alan Boswell Landlord insurance reviews and ratings

Alan Boswell as a whole (i.e. not landlord specific) has earned exceptional ratings, scoring an almost perfect 4.8 out of 5 for customer experience and 4.8 out of 5 for their overall product offer.

Even when looking at their landlord insurance specifically, Alan Boswell appears to outshine many of its competitors. We think they offer a really solid set of features. Furthermore, they score an excellent 4.8 out of 5 on Feefo for their landlord insurance offer, indicating an overwhelming positive customer experience.

Let’s take a look at what Alan Boswell landlord insurance customers themselves have to say…

What does Alan Boswell Landlord insurance do well?

Positive ratings for Alan Boswell are not hard to come by, across their 300+ landlord insurance reviews (at the time of writing), 99% of them rated Alan Boswell with 4 stars or higher!

Specifically, customers are commending Alan Boswell on their flexible policies, competitive prices and non-standard property cover, likely a result of working with a panel of different insurers. Many also call out the fact they feel listened to, and that Alan Boswell is receptive to the specific needs of landlords when other providers are not so understanding.

"Quick and easy to purchase."

"Competitive prices compared with other brokers."

“Very competitive prices and easy and straightforward to set up, so helpful.”

“Excellent service and lots of knowledge. Felt happy paying for insurance.”

“Competitive price and policy specific to my needs.”

“My premises has a 100% flat roof which cuts down considerably the companies willing to offer Landlord insurance. However it provided more aspects of cover than I asked for as this was standard within the policy. It was almost £100 cheaper than comparison websites and cheaper than my current provider with better cover as standard.”

“Policy I purchased was well explained and left me feeling confident about facing the liabilities of being a first time novice landlord.”

“Just what I was looking for. Some brokers seemed to have a problem with a non UK resident taking out insurance on a UK let property.”

“Alan Boswell have on board all insurers necessary for the complexity of some of my properties. Nothing cannot be resolved.”

What could Alan Boswell Landlord insurance improve on?

Overall it appears customers have a positive experience, indeed we struggled to find many negative reviews at all! That being said, a handful of customers call out that communication could be improved, citing long wait times to be connected with an advisor, advisors failing to follow up in a timely manner and lack of documentation being sent.

Again though, we must reiterate that the reviews for Alan Boswell are overwhelmingly positive, and these improvements reflect a very small group of customers.

“At the moment, I haven't received any policy documents”

“Good service and prices but communication needs to be improved. Sometimes had to wait too long for a reply email”

“Incredibly difficult to get through to members of the team on the phone”

“Four days after purchase I have not received policy details”

How much is Alan Boswell Landlord insurance?

We have compiled quotes for a 1 bedroom flat located outside of London in a mid-sized town, with a rebuild value of £200,000. We found that for a no-frills policy with buildings insurance and property owners liability of £5 million as standard, the cheapest quote we received started from just £56 for the year (underwritten by AVIVA or Covea). The most expensive quote was £112 (£2m property owners liability, underwritten by SAGIC).

This means that even the most expensive quote we received is still considerably cheaper than the average cost of like-for-like quotes from Alan Boswell’s rivals, which is £195!

Costs can really vary so it's important to check prices from multiple sources and understand what's included

Of course, these quotes are intended to be used as a guideline, and your quotes may be higher or lower depending on your own individual circumstances. Also, remember that Alan Boswell works with a panel of insurers, meaning you’ll typically be given a range of different quotes, all of which may have higher or lower levels of cover.

Nevertheless, considering it is less pricey that many of its competitors, such as AXA and Endsleigh, you may be wondering if Alan Boswell’s standard landlord insurance cover offers you less protection. Let’s take a look at what is and isn’t included to see if the low price is worth it.

What is/isn’t covered by Alan Boswell's Landlord insurance?

As we mentioned earlier, Alan Boswell is slightly different as it works with a panel of insurers, meaning they can offer you a variety of different policies at competitive prices. This does mean that the coverage each policy offers might vary depending on who the insurer is, so to make it easier for you we have listed the key cover that you will find are often included:

Optional add-ons

These features tend to require an additional premium:

Exclusions: What isn’t included?

As with almost any type of insurance, landlord insurance often contains some exclusions that are good to be aware of so you don’t get caught out. Alan Boswell is no different, and we’ve outlined a few key ones below. Note, the full list is much longer, so make sure to read up on the exclusions to avoid getting caught out.

Another key point to remember as a landlord of a rented property is that if your property is unoccupied for longer than the period of time outlined in your policy, any damage or losses that occur within this time will often not be covered by your insurer. Be sure to check the details of your policy and your specific insurer so you know what the un-occupancy period is so you know when you are covered.

How does Alan Boswell Landlord Insurance Compare to Competitors?

To better understand the value of Alan Boswell Landlord insurance you need to look at it in the context of other available options. We compared it to other plans in the market so you can see which may be more suitable for you.

Alan Boswell Landlord Insurance vs LV= Landlord Insurance

One of the UK’s leading providers, LV= specializes in many different insurance areas. This multi-award winning provider receives glowing customer feedback so is certainly a firm favourite amongst experts and customers alike.

Though some customers have noted higher renewal fees and lack of rewards for loyal customers, we found LV= to be one of the cheapest providers we sampled from so it might be worth taking a look. Even with its low price LV=’s coverage certainly packs a punch — its extensive cover includes £5m landlord liability, accidental damage, malicious damage by tenants as well as loss of rental income as standard.

Bottom Line: Don’t be fooled by lower premiums, LV= is certainly another great option for price-savvy landlords looking for a value offer without compromising on cover.

Alan Boswell Landlord Insurance vs Direct Line Landlord Insurance

Direct Line is one of the UK’s largest and most reputable insurers, and their landlord insurance products have some of the best features available on the market. With over 250,000 existing landlord insurance policy holders it is certainly a popular choice and has won multiple awards to boot. Its comprehensive cover includes buildings, contents and landlord liability included as standard.

Like Alan Boswell, Direct Line offer a range of optional add-ons such as malicious damage by tenants, loss of rental income and legal expenses meaning you can curate the right policy for your needs. Direct Line also offer some discounts for new and existing landlords, such as a 10% multi-property discount if you’re looking to insure 15+ properties!

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for award-winning coverage from a reputable insurer then Direct Line may be another option to consider — their extensive range of policy add-ons also gives you the freedom to tailor your policy to suit your specific needs.

Alan Boswell Landlord Insurance vs CIA Landlord Insurance

Specializing in non-standard property and tenant types, CIA works with a panel of leading insurers to ensure you get the right level of coverage. This means it is excellent for comparing cover and prices, however, this does also mean it can vary depending on the insurer who has underwritten your policy. At the lower end, our research found CIA to be one of the cheapest options on the market, but at the highest end we found it to be one of the most expensive, so it's certainly worth taking a look!

Nevertheless, CIA offer a high level of standard cover — typically this includes buildings, contents, accidental damage, loss of rental income and employer's liability. CIA also offers rent guarantee which provides an added layer of financial protection should you want it.

Bottom line: with excellent customer feedback, CIA could be perfect for landlords looking for comprehensive cover with the freedom to tailor their cover to suit their needs. CIA is also an excellent contender for landlords renting non-standard properties or to more risky tenants.

How to make a claim on Alan Boswell Landlord insurance

As we mentioned earlier, unlike some other landlord insurers, Alan Boswell works with a panel of experts which means that any policy you take out may be underwritten by any one of these providers. For this reason, you will deal directly with the insurer named on the statement of your insurance should you wish to make a claim on Alan Boswell landlord insurance so make sure you are familiar with who this is.

You can find all the information you need on Alan Boswell’s website, but we’ve listed them below as well for your reference.

Alan Boswell Group

Policies underwritten by Aviva

Policies underwritten by Covea

Policies underwritten by SAGIC

Before you decide to make a claim, we recommend that you read your policy wording carefully to ensure that you are indeed covered. If you are, you may be asked to provide certain details and documentation such as your policy number, photographic evidence of your loss or damage, receipts and invoices so it’s always a good idea to have these handy, or be prepared to acquire these if necessary to avoid delay.

Alan Boswell landlord insurance: Discounts and savings

Alan Boswell offers some good incentives and savings if you choose to take out additional cover alongside your landlord insurance policy. For example, additional Legal expenses cover will cost you from £35 if purchased alongside their main landlord insurance policy versus £55 if you purchase this as a stand alone policy.

Similarly, if you decide to opt for Landlord rent guarantee alongside your main policy this will cost you around £150 for the year, saving you a whopping £75 compared to the stand alone policy price.

FAQ’s