Industrial unit warranties for multi-let estates and trade counters
Latent defects insurance for light industrial units, trade counters and small business units - registered as one scheme, with each unit normally certified so it can be sold or let on its own.
- Instant response
- Insurer quotes usually within one working day of your proposal
- UK FCA Regulated Broker
- No broker fee to pay
- Trade counters to big-box logistics
Estates and terraces
One scheme, many units
A multi-let estate is usually built as a handful of terraces or blocks, then sold or let unit by unit to very different occupiers - a plumbers' merchant, a small manufacturer, a storage business, a trade counter. Each buyer or tenant, and anyone lending to them, is likely to want to know how the structure is covered.
An industrial unit warranty is arranged for the scheme as a whole, with the provider inspecting as the terraces go up. Each unit is then usually given its own certificate at completion, so the cover can follow that unit when it changes hands. Some providers cover the scheme under one policy instead, so check how yours works.
Registering the estate before work starts on site is the simplest route, and it lets later phases be added as they come forward.
Types of unit
Industrial and commercial units we arrange cover for
Light industrial units
Small and mid-sized units for workshops, light manufacturing and storage, often in terraces with shared roofs and walls.
Trade counters
Units with glazed frontages, customer areas and yard access, built for builders' merchants, parts suppliers and similar businesses.
Multi-let estates
Estates of units in several blocks, often phased, where each unit is sold or let separately.
Business and enterprise parks
Mixed schemes of small industrial and business units, including starter units for new firms.
Self-storage and small warehouses
Single-storey storage buildings and small warehouse units on an estate or standing alone.
Owner-occupied units
A single unit built for your own business, where cover helps protect the building you rely on and can help on a later sale.
Things to know
Getting cover right on a multi-unit scheme
- Phasing. Tell the provider how the estate will be built. Later phases can often be added to the registration as they start.
- Shared elements. Terraces share roofs, gutters and separating walls. A defect in one unit can affect the next, which the provider will consider when it looks at the design.
- Selling unit by unit. Buyers' solicitors and lenders are likely to ask for the certificate. Having cover registered from the start helps avoid delays at sale.
- Small schemes. Minimum premiums and fixed inspection fees mean a short terrace can cost more as a percentage than a large estate.
- Tenants on repairing leases. Where the tenant is responsible for repairs, an assignable policy is a real selling point.
- Fit-out. Mezzanines, services and tenant fit-out are usually outside the core structural cover, so check the wording if they matter.
Building an estate of units?
Register it before work starts and each unit can normally go to market with its own certificate.
Industrial unit warranty questions
Does each industrial unit get its own certificate?
Usually, yes, though it depends on the provider. The scheme is registered as a whole, and many providers certify each unit at completion so the cover can pass with that unit when it is sold or let. Others cover the scheme under one policy. Shared roofs, gutters and walls are dealt with in the policy wording.
Can a phased industrial estate be covered?
Often, yes. The first phase is registered before work starts and later phases are added as they come forward. The provider will want to know the overall plan at the outset.
Is latent defects insurance worthwhile on a small terrace of units?
It depends on who is buying or letting the units and what they ask for. Minimum premiums can make a small scheme cost more as a percentage, so it is worth an indication early. See costs.
Are trade counter frontages and roller shutters covered?
Glazing, doors and shutters are treated differently from policy to policy, and some are excluded. The quotation and policy wording set out what is included for your units.
Get a quote for your units
Tell us how many units, how they are grouped and where the scheme is up to. We will come back with the underwriters likely to cover it.
- Takes under a minute
- Instant reply by email with your reference
- Insurer quotes usually within one working day of your completed proposal
- Sites anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Free and no obligation
Already filled in a proposal form? Email it to us or send it on WhatsApp with any drawings you have and we will take it from there.
