Hutch Underwriting has rolled out a landlord insurance product for the Australian market, available through SCTP and Ebix Sunrise Exchange.
The policy is aimed at owners of residential properties – including standalone houses, terraces, duplexes, and non-strata units – leased on either short-term or long-term arrangements.
Coverage options include building, contents, or a combination of both, with additional protection for legal liability and digital risks.
Optional benefits can extend to theft by tenants, rent default, and loss of rent.
Cyber cover is automatically included, offering up to $10,000 for expenses related to data breaches or cybercrime.
Quoting is based on property address, supported by an underwriting question set intended to deliver instant acceptance on most submissions.
Where a referral is required, cases are managed under Hutch’s existing service protocols.
Hutch CUO and co-founder Dominique Vagi said the streamlined process was designed to help brokers manage workloads while providing access to cover that reflects modern landlord exposures.
“We know brokers are juggling time, referrals, and client expectations,” she said. “So, we developed a question set that takes the guesswork out of underwriting and gives brokers modern cover options without the complexity.”
The landlord insurance provides up to $2 million in building cover and up to $400,000 for contents. Flood and accidental damage are included where available.
Additional features include $70,000 for chemical decontamination, $20,000 for rent default, and legal liability protection up to $20 million.
Hutch has highlighted the cyber element as relevant for situations affecting rent collection or the handling of tenant information.
“A cyber loss might not be visible from the outside. But for a landlord, it can derail everything from rent collection to tenancy data. That’s why every policy includes cyber cover, with no bolt-ons or tech-speak,” Vagi said.
The launch coincides with changes to Hutch’s leadership team.
Melodi Emadi has been appointed head of distribution, a new position that will oversee broker relationships and manage distribution across the company’s products. Emadi previously oversaw Hutch’s residential strata portfolio.
Gayle Harmar has taken on the role of head of personal lines, responsible for underwriting across residential strata and landlord policies. Harmar, who has more than two decades of underwriting experience in both Australia and the UK, contributed to the development of the new landlord product.
The release comes amid renewed discussion on landlord risk management.
Research commissioned by QBE Insurance in April 2025 found 16% of landlords either inspect their properties only annually, do not conduct inspections, or are unsure of inspection timing.
Among those surveyed, 38% conducted inspections quarterly, 46% every six months, 13% annually, and 3% not at all.
Issues uncovered during inspections included accidental damage, water leaks, malicious acts, and pet-related damage, with some properties linked to illicit activities such as drug manufacturing.
QBE’s 2024 claims data identified storm and water damage as the leading causes of landlord claims.
The insurer said maintaining inspection records can help prevent losses and provide evidence when submitting claims.
The research also showed that 38% of landlords could cover expenses for no more than six weeks without rental income. Only 56% held landlord-specific cover.
Thirty-four per cent reported rent arrears and 30% experienced tenant-caused damage, with 17% of these losses uninsured, often due to the absence of features such as rent default cover.
