Block of Units Insurance for Non-Strata Properties
Backed by Over 25 Years of Experience
Call Us: 1300 900 207
What Is a Non-Strata Block of Units?
A non-strata block of units, sometimes referred to as a block of flats, is a residential building with more than one dwelling, held under a single title and owned outright by one person, company or trust, rather than divided into separately titled lots under a strata plan. There’s no owners corporation, no body corporate fees, and no shared decision-making with other lot owners; the whole building, every unit and every square metre of common area, is one owner’s asset and one owner’s responsibility.
This covers Torrens title (the standard form of individual property ownership in Australia), company title (where occupation rights sit with shares rather than a registered lot), and community title arrangements. It’s also the right structure for built-to-rent developments held under single ownership, where every unit is rented out rather than sold individually. The form the ownership takes isn’t what matters for insurance purposes, whether a strata plan exists is.
What Does Block of Units Insurance Cover?
- Building: Covers the entire structure, common areas, driveways, fencing and external buildings like garages or laundries, under one policy.
- Public Liability: Up to $30 million cover for injury or property damage in shared areas, stairwells, driveways and carports.
- Fixtures and Fittings: Covers items you supply as landlord, air conditioning, ovens, carpets, blinds and light fittings within each unit.
- Optional Add-Ons: Loss of rental income, malicious or accidental tenant damage, theft, rent default, legal expenses and motor burnout can typically be added.
Who Needs This Cover?
- You own a duplex, triplex or multi-unit building on one title
- The property is not strata subdivided
- You manage the property directly or through a property manager
- Tenants lease individual units, and you collect separate rent per dwelling
- You operate a built-to-rent development held under a single ownership structure
5 Star Google Reviews
We are proud to provide trusted business insurance solutions, backed by 5-star Google reviews. Experience peace of mind with coverage tailored to your needs and exceptional customer service you can rely on.
Four Landlord Policies Don't Equal Total Protection
One of the most dangerous assumptions an owner of a single-title block can make is that separate landlord policies on each unit add up to full protection. They don’t. Landlord insurance typically covers only inside the four walls of the specific tenanted unit, common areas, stairwells, driveways, shared laundries, sit outside every one of those individual policies. A dedicated block of units policy treats the entire title as one insured risk, with a single public liability limit covering the whole property, including everywhere those individual policies don’t reach.
Why Some Mainstream Insurers Decline This Risk
Major direct insurers have been tightening their appetite for multi-unit residential blocks, some won’t quote at all, others cap sums insured well below what these properties are actually worth to rebuild. This isn’t arbitrary, a block of units is assessed as aggregated risk, a single event can affect several tenancies at once, and rising rebuilding costs combined with more frequent severe weather claims have made this a genuinely harder risk for direct insurers to price. Our panel’s depth and appetite for this specific risk category means we can generally place cover regardless of block size, where mainstream insurers cap out is often exactly where our options begin.
Torrens, Company or Community Title, All Non-Strata For Insurance Purposes
Two buildings can look identical from the street and need entirely different policies. What decides it is whether a strata plan exists, not what form the ownership takes. Torrens title (one owner, one registered title), company title (occupation rights sit with shares, not a registered lot) and community title arrangements are all treated as non-strata for insurance purposes, none of them have an owners corporation to arrange strata cover on your behalf.
Property Inspections Aren't Just Good Practice, They're a Condition of Cover
Documented property inspections, at the start of a tenancy, when a tenant vacates, and at least annually for longer tenancies, are a genuine underwriting requirement on this type of policy, not just sensible risk management. Claims for tenant damage, pet damage or malicious acts can be reduced or declined if you can’t produce inspection records showing reasonable care was taken in tenant selection and ongoing management.
Which Policy Do You Need?
The title decides, not the building’s appearance.
| Your Situation | Title Structure | Policy Route |
|---|---|---|
| You own every unit in the building | Single title, no owners corporation | Non-strata / block of units policy |
| Units are owned by different people | Registered strata plan with owners corporation | Strata insurance arranged by the owners corporation |
| A company owns the building, residents hold shares | Company title | Non-strata style policy in the company’s name |
| Duplex or dual occupancy, both dwellings yours, never strata registered | Single title | Block of units policy |
| You’ve insured each unit with a separate landlord policy | Single title | Consolidate into one policy, separate policies leave common areas exposed |
Why Standard Policies Don't Fit
| Policy Type | Suitable for Entire Block? | Covers Common Areas? | Covers Multiple Tenants? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landlord Insurance | No | No | No |
| Strata Insurance | No (requires strata title) | Yes | Shared |
| Block of Units Cover | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Your Trusted Business Insurance Partners, Wherever You Are
For immediate response please give us a call.
Our team continues to work remotely but you are welcome to arrange an appointment with one of our consultants.
Find The Right Cover
Complete the form to request a QUOTE. Call us at 1300 900 207 for an immediate response.
Block of Units Cover Types Explained
Building
Covers the physical structure of the entire block, walls, roofing, driveways, fencing and external buildings such as garages or laundries, sized for the full structure, not calculated using a single-dwelling home insurance tool.
Public Liability
Covers your legal liability if someone is injured or their property is damaged on the property, particularly important given tenants, visitors and their guests all share the same common areas, stairwells, carports and driveways.
Fixtures and Fittings
Covers items you supply as landlord within each unit, air conditioning, ovens, carpets, blinds and light fittings, distinct from anything a tenant brings themselves.
Loss of Rental Income
Covers the income you lose across affected units if an insured event makes them uninhabitable, typically arranged as an optional add-on rather than an automatic inclusion. Many direct insurers cap this at a standard 12 months, our panel includes options extending to 24 months, genuinely useful where a larger block or a full rebuild is likely to take longer than the standard term allows.
Theft by Tenants or Guests
Covers loss from theft by a tenant or their visitors, a genuine gap in a standard building policy, which typically only responds to theft by unknown third parties.
Rent Default
Covers lost rent if a tenant stops paying, abandons the property, or is legally evicted, subject to bond money being collected and reasonable steps being taken to recover the loss first.
Legal Expenses
Covers reasonable legal costs incurred recovering amounts owed by a tenant, or in the process of a legal eviction.
Motor Burnout
Covers damage to an electric motor in domestic equipment burnt out by electric current, commonly excluded once a motor passes a certain age, worth checking the specific limit that applies.
What's Not Covered By Block of Units Insurance?
- Tenant’s Own Belongings: Personal property a tenant brings themselves sits outside the policy, that’s their own contents insurance to arrange.
- Wear and Tear: Gradual deterioration through normal use isn’t an insured event.
- Undeclared Structures or Uses: Alterations, additional buildings, or a change in how the property is used that hasn’t been disclosed to your insurer.
- Unoccupied Periods Beyond the Agreed Term: Most policies apply a stricter excess, or exclude cover entirely, once a property has sat unoccupied beyond a set number of consecutive days without your insurer’s written agreement.
- Claims Where Reasonable Tenant Screening Wasn’t Followed: Documented inspections and basic tenant screening are typically a condition of cover, not just good practice.
Get in Touch
Simply fill in the form below and we’ll be in touch shortly, or feel free to call and tell us about your specific requirements.
-
Suite 10B, Level 10, 2 Corporate Court, Bundall QLD 4217
-
PO Box 7005, Mount Crosby QLD 4306
Our team continues to work remotely but you are welcome to arrange an appointment with one of our consultants.
Please complete the form to submit an enquiry.
Is this different from landlord insurance?
Yes. A landlord policy typically covers one rental dwelling, and its liability cover is generally limited to areas used exclusively by that tenant, it doesn’t extend to areas shared with other units, like a communal stairwell or driveway. If you own multiple attached units on one title, you need broader coverage that treats the whole building, including every shared area, as one insured risk.
Why have some major insurers declined to cover my block?
Multi-unit blocks are increasingly assessed as aggregated risk, since a single event can affect several tenancies at once, and rising rebuilding costs plus more frequent severe weather claims have made mainstream insurers more selective. This is exactly the gap specialist non-strata markets exist to fill.
What's the difference between Torrens title, company title and community title?
Torrens title is the standard form of individual property ownership in Australia, one owner, one registered title. Company title means occupation rights sit with company shares rather than a registered lot. Community title is a related but distinct structure. All three are treated as non-strata for insurance purposes, the real test is whether a strata plan exists, not which of these applies.
Do I need a professional valuation for the building?
We recommend it. Rebuilding costs for multi-unit properties are higher than single dwellings, and a formal valuation helps you avoid being underinsured.
