Buildings insurance for blocks of flats is usually arranged by the freeholder or RMC and recovered through the service charge. The schedule is the document that pins down what is and is not covered. Most leaseholders have never seen one. Most directors who have a copy have never read it line by line. This page explains what is in a schedule, what to check, and the questions to put to your broker.
Insurance comes with several documents and they are not interchangeable. The certificate proves you are insured. The schedule shows what you are insured for. The policy wording defines the terms.
Short summary, usually one page. Names the insurer, policy number, period of cover, and (sometimes) the property address. Mortgage lenders ask for this. It does not show the detail.
Detailed listing of what is covered, sums insured, excesses, named perils, conditions, and special endorsements. Usually 3 to 8 pages. The most useful single document.
The full standard terms (often 40 to 80 pages) defining each term used in the schedule and setting out exclusions, claims procedure, and limits. Read in conjunction with the schedule.
Issued ahead of renewal. Shows the renewal premium and any material changes the insurer is making to terms. Read carefully: this is when cover quietly drops out.
"Please send me the current schedule, the policy wording, and the renewal notice." If only the certificate is offered, push back. The certificate is not enough to assess cover.
Once you have the schedule, the checks below are the ones most likely to surface a gap or overpayment.
"What is the rate per £1,000 of sum insured?" and "What is the broker commission?". The first lets you benchmark the premium against comparable buildings. The second tells you whether the broker is on a fair fee or extracting volume from your block.
Underinsurance. The sum insured has not been updated since the building was insured years ago. With construction cost inflation, the gap can be 30% to 50%. At claim time, "average" applies and the insurer pays only the proportion that the sum insured bears to the actual rebuild cost. Painful surprise.
Wrong insured party. The policy is in the freeholder's individual name (when the freeholder is a company), or in a defunct company name after a directorship change. Check against Companies House.
Hidden warranty. A warranty that the EICR or FRA must be in date for cover to apply. If the certificate is overdue, cover is technically void from the date of expiry.
Excessive commission. Broker commission on block insurance has historically been high; figures in the 20% to 30%+ range have been commonly reported in industry surveys and FCA market reviews. Disclosure rules now require broker commission to be made transparent on request. If your broker is reluctant to disclose, that is a signal.
Wrong building description. The building is listed as "modern construction" when in fact it has timber-framed elements, or as "non-flat-roofed" when it has a flat roof. Misdescription can void the policy at claim time.
Get the schedule, run the 12-point check, then act on what you find.
The full guide to buildings insurance for blocks of flats: cost benchmarking, broker commission, and how to switch.
Open the guide →If terrorism is excluded by default, when to add Pool Re or commercial cover.
Read the guide →The audit asks for the schedule details and benchmarks them against comparable buildings.
Run the audit →The Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) is the government-funded, independent body that provides free initial advice to leaseholders, RMC and RTM directors, and freeholders in England and Wales. They are the natural first call for anything statute-heavy.
The Building Trust assistant can route you to the right page, explain a clause, or get you started with LEASE-iQ. First question is free.
Want a written, clause-cited answer in 24 hours instead? Talk to us →