Who is St George Underwriting Agency (SGUA), and How Do We Support Brokers?

Since 1991, St George Underwriting Agency (SGUA) has been a go-to specialist underwriting agency specialising in rental property insurance across Australia. Whether your client is a landlord or property investor, SGUA offers comprehensive insurance coverage to help you manage and protect your client’s assets with confidence.

In this article, we’ll take you through what SGUA does, the types of insurance policies we offer, and how we actively support brokers with streamlined solutions designed to future-proof your clients’ portfolios.

Who is SGUA?

SGUA (St George Underwriting Agency) is an Australian underwriting agency offering tailored property insurance products for a wide range of residential property owners. We provide peace of mind by covering the potential risks of renting or owning investment properties.

With over 30 years in the industry, SGUA has built a reputation for its stability and consistency in the market. Clients and brokers alike trust our fair and flexible underwriting approach, competitive pricing, and dedication to customer support. We stand out for being broker-friendly and offering an online platform that simplifies policy management.

Whether you’re managing a long-term rental, a holiday property, or a secondary residence, SGUA provides the landlord protection insurance Australia needs to stay covered in every scenario.

What Insurance Products Does SGUA Offer?

SGUA’s insurance solutions are designed to protect against the financial risks involved in owning a rented property. Our policies cover everything from theft, accidental loss or damage to rent default and legal liability.

Landlord Insurance

Landlord insurance from SGUA is a comprehensive solution designed for owners with tenanted properties. It includes coverage for loss of rental income due to tenant default, legal liability if someone is injured on the property and tenant damages.

Holiday Property Insurance

This option is ideal for short-term rentals or properties used as secondary residences. It provides a tailored approach that addresses the unique risks of holiday letting, including accidental damage, theft coverage, vandalism, and legal costs. This type of cover ensures you’re protected even when different guests occupy the property for short stays.

Building Insurance

This cover focuses on the structure of your investment property, safeguarding against natural disasters, fire damage and accidental damage. It’s an essential policy for landlords who want to ensure the property itself is fully protected in the event of a covered event or insured peril. Building Insurance can be combined with Landlord Insurance and Holiday Property Insurance, creating complete protection for the property.

How SGUA Supports Insurance Brokers

At SGUA, we understand that insurance brokers are looking to do business faster and with less manual processing. That’s why we’ve invested in an efficient online platform that enables quoting, policy alteration, and cover placement within minutes. This system allows brokers to handle more clients, reduce wait times, and increase business volumes with ease.

Our quick quoting system enables brokers to generate accurate landlord insurance quotes quickly and efficiently. The process is transparent, showing details such as minimum premiums, coverage limits, and available customisable cover so brokers can make informed recommendations to their clients.

We also offer flexible policy management options. Brokers can manage multiple properties and client portfolios from a single online dashboard, significantly cutting down administrative time. Whether it's updating a lease agreement, modifying policy limits, or managing claims, everything is accessible in one place.

Our insurance solutions are designed to be fully customisable. Brokers can tailor policies based on the tenant's profile, weekly rent, or specific risks the landlord wants to protect against, such as rent default, tenant damages, or legal costs associated with disputes.

SGUA provides access to a dedicated broker support team. We understand the value of having quick, expert assistance, especially when helping clients understand their insurance policies or when navigating complex claims. Our team is responsive, knowledgeable, and committed to your success.

Our solutions are scalable. Whether your client owns one rental property or a large portfolio of residential properties, our products and services scale with their needs, ensuring consistent and comprehensive coverage.

Why SGUA Is Trusted by Property Owners and Brokers

As a long-established AU insurance company, SGUA continues to stand out because of our reliability, consistency, and forward-thinking approach. We are proud to be an underwriting agency that provides all the key cover options landlords need.

Whether it's a fire, storm, or theft, we’re here to make sure landlords aren’t left footing the bill. Our flexible policies can adapt to changing circumstances, including having the same tenant over time or high turnover guests.

Future-Proofing Property Portfolios with SGUA

SGUA is your partner in protecting your insured’s investment property. With robust, flexible landlord insurance Australia trusts and a broker-friendly digital platform, SGUA continues to deliver the service, support, and stability that property owners and brokers need.

Give your clients peace of mind with SGUA. We’ll ensure their insurance needs are covered, all while offering a seamless experience to our valued broker partners.Looking for more information or a quote? Visit our website and discover how SGUA can help you protect what matters most, or contact us today.

SGUA Closings: Updated Process

New procedure around closings

Effective 14 April 2025, closings will no longer be monitored and bound by SGUA staff on our system. All new business, renewals, endorsements and cancellations must be bound and finalised by you on our system.

Important note:

Please also ensure the commission selected on our system (default 15%) matches that entered on your broker system.

We understand that for some Brokers it is a compliance requirement to send through the closings. This can be achieved by attaching the closing to the policy on our system, under the attachment section with the description ‘Closing’. Watch a short demo on how to do this here.

If you have any queries, please contact us on 1300 697 482.

If you would like to refer to the Terms of Trade, they are easily accessible here.

Decoding Differences: Is Landlord Insurance The Same As Building Insurance?

Property insurance can be a complex product, with many investors struggling to understand the difference between landlord and building insurance. While both are essential for property owners, they serve distinct purposes. In this blog, we’ll discuss the differences between landlord and building insurance and answer key questions about their coverage and necessity.

What is landlord insurance?

Landlord insurance is tailored specifically for property owners who lease their property to tenants. This type of insurance covers the risks associated with renting, which typically aren’t included in standard building insurance. It can include coverage for:

Loss of rental income — If the property becomes uninhabitable due to an insured event (e.g., a fire), landlord insurance may cover the lost rental income.
Tenant-related damage — Covers malicious damage caused by tenants or their guests.
Liability protection — If a tenant or visitor sustains an injury on the property due to negligence (e.g., slipping on a poorly maintained staircase), landlord insurance can cover legal costs and compensation claims.

What is building insurance?

Building insurance covers a property's physical structure, including its walls, roof, floors and often permanent fixtures such as plumbing, electrical systems and built-in appliances, like solar panels. It also covers the cost of repairs or rebuilding if the property suffers sudden and unforeseen damage caused by fire, storms, vandalism or certain other perils.

For example, imagine a severe storm causes a tree to fall onto the roof of the property, leading to extensive damage. In this scenario, building insurance would cover the costs of repairing the roof and any additional structural damage caused by the impact.

Key differences between landlord and building insurance

Now that we understand landlord and building insurance, it’s important to distinguish between these two types of insurance to ensure comprehensive protection for the investment property.

Landlord insurance is designed to address the unique risks associated with renting out the property for an extended period of time, such as loss of rental income or damage caused by tenants. Building insurance primarily protects the property's physical structure, including the walls, roof and permanent fixtures, such as plumbing and electrical systems.

If the property becomes uninhabitable due to an insured event like a fire or flood, building insurance won’t cover the loss of rental income. However, landlord insurance often includes this type of protection, ensuring you’re not financially impacted while the property is being repaired.

Check out our table below for an overview of these key differences:

Feature	Landlord Insurance	Building Insurance
Primary Coverage	Risks related to leasing, such as rental loss and tenant damage.	Physical structure and permanent fixtures.
Tenant-Related Coverage	Covers tenant damage and legal liabilities.	Not covered.
Rental Income Protection	Included if the property is uninhabitable due to an insured event.	Not included.
Applicability	Essential for landlords to lease their property.	Essential for all property owners.

Answering key questions — landlord insurance vs. building insurance

Given their stark differences, property investors are naturally curious about the best policy for their needs. In a nutshell - landlord insurance is highly recommended if you’re renting out the property, even if you already have building insurance. Building insurance doesn’t cover tenant-related risks, such as loss of rental income or liability for tenant injuries, which landlord insurance does.

Why both policies matter for landlords — our final thoughts

So, which policy is the right solution for your clients? Put simply, a combined policy is best.

While building insurance is crucial for protecting the physical structure of the property, landlord insurance complements it by addressing the unique risks landlords face. Having both policies can ensure the following:

Comprehensive coverage for the property and financial interests.
Peace of mind knowing you’re prepared for both structural damages and tenant-related issues.
The ability to recover financially from unforeseen incidents without compromising your investment.

Choose the right landlord and building insurance policy for your clients with SGUA

At SGUA, we understand the unique needs of rental property owners and have more than 30 years of experience as an experienced insurance underwriter. We offer policies that safeguard property structure and the risks associated with leasing, covering a range of events from natural disasters to tenant-related issues.

Unity and integrity are at the forefront of who we are, as we aim to deliver top-notch customer service to our clients. If you’re a broker seeking the best insurance options for your clients, SGUA is your trusted partner. To obtain a building or landlord insurance quote with SGUA, please contact us today.