What Is Renters Insurance, and What Does It Cover?
Posted on January 28, 2022.
Renters insurance can be a smart (and affordable) investment, but it doesn't cover everything.
Key takeaways
- Renters insurance is designed for those who don’t own their own home.
- A renters policy covers your belongings if they’re stolen or destroyed. It also pays out if you cause harm to other people or their property.
- Renters insurance covers disasters such as fire, theft and windstorms, but generally doesn’t cover flooding or earthquakes.
One of the perks of renting is that it’s your landlord’s responsibility, not yours, to insure the building and make repairs. But as a tenant, you’re not off the hook completely. Your landlord’s insurance won’t pay to replace your belongings if a storm destroys the building or a thief breaks into your apartment. If you want coverage for these and many other disasters, you’ll need a renters insurance policy.
What is renters insurance?
Renters insurance covers your personal belongings in case of theft, fire and other disasters. It can also pay your legal expenses if you’re sued for causing harm to others.
Also known as tenants insurance or an HO-4 policy, renters insurance is similar to homeowners insurance but designed for people who don't own their own place. At roughly $14 a month on average, renters insurance is much cheaper than homeowners insurance, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. That's because it covers only what’s inside your home and not the structure itself.
Renters insurance definition
Renters insurance is a policy for people who don't own their own home. It covers your personal belongings in case of disaster and pays out if you're found at fault for injuries or property damage to others.
What does renters insurance cover?
A standard renters policy includes four types of coverage.
- Personal property: Covers your clothing, furniture, electronics and other belongings.
- Loss of use: Pays for hotel stays, restaurant meals or other expenses if you have to live elsewhere while your home undergoes covered repairs.
- Liability: Pays out if you're responsible for injuries to other people or damage to their property
- Medical payments: Covers injuries to other people in your home, regardless of fault.
Personal property
Most renters insurance reimburses you for the loss of items such as clothing, smartphones and other personal belongings due to 16 specific events:
- Fire or lightning.
- Windstorm or hail.
- Explosion.
- Riot or civil commotion.
- Damage caused by aircraft.
- Damage caused by vehicles.
- Smoke.
- Vandalism or malicious mischief.
- Theft.
- Volcanic eruption.
- A falling object.
- The weight of ice, snow or sleet.
- Accidental discharge of water or steam from within certain household systems or appliances.
- Sudden and accidental tearing apart, cracking, burning or bulging of certain household systems.
- Freezing of certain household systems or appliances.
Certain sudden, accidental damage from artificially generated electric currents.
Your personal belongings aren’t just covered when they’re in your home, but also when you’re out and about. So if your bike is stolen outside a store, your renters insurance policy will cover you — with a couple of caveats. First, your deductible will apply. Second, there may be a limit on how much coverage you have outside your home (typically 10% of your total personal property limit).
How it works: Lightning hits your apartment building and starts a fire that burns through your living room. Your renters policy will pay for your damaged belongings, including things like your couch and TV, minus your deductible.
Loss of use, or additional living expenses
If you can't live in your home after a disaster covered by your policy, renters insurance coverage generally pays for you to live elsewhere during repairs. It can cover expenses like hotel bills, restaurant meals and other costs above what you would normally pay.How it works:
After the fire in your living room, you need to move out for a couple of weeks while your apartment is cleaned up and fixed. Your insurance company can help pay for your motel stay. It can also cover the cost difference between making your own meals (as you normally do at home) and eating out every night (as you do while you're living at the motel).Liability insurance If someone is injured in your rental and sues you, a lawsuit could wreck your finances for years. The liability portion of your renters insurance policy covers you in these events, paying out for someone else’s bodily injury on or off your property. (One exception: If you injure someone in a car accident, your auto policy would handle the expenses.)
Renters liability insurance also covers damage you and your family accidentally do to others' belongings.
Your renters policy may pay out if your dog bites someone. However, some insurers exclude dog bites or certain breeds from renters policies. If you have a dog, check with your agent to be sure you’re covered.
Renters insurance typically covers legal representation in a lawsuit and any money awarded to the other party.
How it works:
You start filling your tub for a bath, then get distracted by an argument between your kids. By the time you get things settled down, your tub has overflowed. The water seeps through the ceiling, ruining a leather sofa in the apartment below. Your downstairs neighbor sues you. Your renters policy could cover your legal bills plus the $2,000 awarded to your neighbor for the loss of her couch.Medical payments
Like liability insurance, this coverage pays out if someone is injured on your property. What's the difference? Medical payments coverage will pay no matter who’s at fault for the injury, while liability insurance is triggered only if you’re found responsible. Liability coverage also tends to have much higher limits.How it works:
A visiting friend trips over your son's toy truck and lands on her wrist. Luckily it's just a sprain, but your medical payments coverage can reimburse her for her X-ray and urgent care appointment.Optional renters insurance coverage
In addition to the standard coverage listed above, you can usually pay a little extra to customize your policy with endorsements that add more coverage. Here are a few of the most common.
Replacement cost coverage
A standard renters policy pays to replace your belongings based on their “actual cash value.” That means if your ruined sofa is 10 years old, your claim check would probably only be enough to buy a used sofa. To get a new one, you’d pay the difference yourself.With replacement cost coverage, you’ll get the cost of replacing your lost items with new ones. So if your 10-year-old sofa is ruined, you’d receive enough from your insurer to buy a brand-new one.
Scheduled personal property
Renters policies typically cap the amount they’ll pay for valuable items such as jewelry, firearms and electronics. To get coverage for items that are worth more than this limit, you may want to add a scheduled personal property endorsement.Say you’ve inherited a diamond ring from your grandmother. Your insurance company will likely ask you to get it professionally appraised and then add separate coverage for the ring onto your policy (for an extra cost).
Identity theft coverage
Some insurance companies offer optional coverage for expenses associated with identity theft. This may include credit monitoring services, coverage for legal fees and help replacing your documents.
What renters insurance doesn’t cover
Every insurance policy has exclusions, and renters insurance is no exception. Below are a few things renters insurance won’t pay for.Flood damage
Most renters insurance won’t cover damage from flooding. If your home is at risk, you’ll have to pay for repairs yourself or purchase separate flood insurance. (One exception is USAA, which includes flood coverage as a standard part of its renters policies. USAA insurance is available only to active military, veterans and their families.)Nerdy tip:
You can get flood insurance that’s backed by the federal government or buy coverage through an independent company. Learn how to find the best flood insurance.Earthquake damage
Earthquakes also won’t be covered by the majority of renters insurance policies. (Again, USAA is an exception.) You can buy earthquake insurance separately or as an add-on to your renters policy.
Infestations
Most renters insurance won’t cover bedbugs, mice or other infestations.However, you may be able to get bedbug coverage with an Assurant renters policy, depending on where you live. Another option is Jetty, which offers insurance only at participating properties but includes $300 worth of bedbug coverage in its basic policies.
Your roommate’s belongings
Most renters insurance won’t cover your roommate’s stuff unless the two of you share a policy, which not all states or insurance companies allow. In most cases, it’s best if you each get your own renters policy.Is renters insurance required by law?
No, but some landlords require proof of renters insurance before you sign a lease, or within a certain time period. Usually, though, it’s your call.If your worldly possessions amount to a futon, a coffee maker and a toothbrush, you probably don’t need renters insurance.
But for most renters, it can be a smart (and surprisingly affordable) investment. Having renters insurance could prevent you from paying out of pocket to replace everything that could be damaged or stolen: jewelry, TV, computer, furniture, clothing and so on. A landlord’s insurance policy won’t pay your living expenses while the building is under repair, but renters insurance generally does.
Nerdy tip:
College students may not need renters insurance if their parents’ homeowners policy provides adequate coverage for dependents’ possessions. Check the policy to be sure; in many cases such coverage applies only to students living in on-campus housing. It may also be limited to a certain dollar amount.How much renters insurance do I need?
The amount of renters insurance you need depends on how much stuff you have and what your savings and other assets are worth. The more you have to lose, the more insurance you need.Before buying renters insurance, take stock of your belongings to decide how much personal property coverage you need. Several home inventory apps are available to help you catalog your possessions. This can also be useful if you ever file a claim.
Liability limits typically start at $100,000 and top out at $500,000. You’ll want at least enough to protect your current assets, including savings and any vehicles, because they're part of your net worth and could be seized in a lawsuit.
How much does renters insurance cost?
Though renters insurance is generally about $14 a month, the average renters insurance cost varies from state to state. Most insurance companies offer a discount if you bundle your auto and renters insurance policies. They might also reduce your rate if your apartment has a security system, smoke detectors or deadbolt locks.If you’re looking for more ways to save money, consider raising your deductible. That’s the amount that will be subtracted from an insurance claim check. br For example, if you have a $1,000 deductible and a claim for $5,000 in property damage, your insurance company will pay $4,000. The higher your deductible, the cheaper your premium. br When deciding on a deductible amount, ask yourself: How much can you pay out of pocket after a disaster? Keep in mind that you’ll pay the deductible each time you file a claim for personal items. Your rate is likely to increase after each claim, so weigh carefully whether to file one for an amount close to the deductible.