The short answer: your landlord's policy covers the building and the landlord's liability as the owner. It does not cover your belongings. That is what a renters policy is for: your personal property, plus liability coverage for you, at a limit you choose.
What your landlord's policy does, and does not, do for you
A landlord policy (often called a dwelling fire policy) is written for the owner. It covers the structure, the owner's liability, and often the rent the owner loses if a covered loss makes the place unlivable. Your couch, your laptop, your clothes and everything in your kitchen are not on it. Those are yours, so they belong on your own renters policy.
That is also why many landlords ask tenants to carry renters insurance. When landlords quote with us, we ask them whether their lease requires it. If your lease does, check that your policy is in place before move-in day.
What a renters policy covers
- Your belongings. Furniture, electronics, clothes, kitchen things: the personal property you would have to replace if it were lost in a covered event.
- Your liability. A renters policy also carries liability coverage for you, and you choose the limit. The landlord's liability coverage is for the landlord as the owner, not for you.
- Valuables, if you schedule them. Standard policies cap some categories, like jewelry, at small amounts. A scheduled personal property rider lists specific items (a ring, a watch, a guitar, a camera) at their appraised value, and can cover loss types the standard policy never does, like simply losing it.
How much personal property should you cover?
Walk through your place and add up what it would cost to replace everything: furniture, electronics, clothes, kitchen. Most people land higher than they expect. Pick the band closest to that number on our discovery sheet, or choose "Not sure, help me estimate" and we work it out with you. If one item is worth a lot on its own, tell us and we can schedule it separately.
What to tell us when you quote
- The type of place. Apartment, condo or townhome, single-family house, or a room in a shared home.
- Roommates. Who lives there matters, so the sheet asks.
- A dog. Pets are a liability question as much as anything, so disclose honestly.
- A business run from home. Say so up front, so we can look at whether it needs its own coverage.
- High-value items. Anything you want scheduled.
- Past renters claims and your current policy, if you have one.
Picture it
You rent a second-floor apartment and never got around to renters insurance, because the building is insured, right? A fire starts in the unit next door. The building gets repaired on the landlord's policy. Your furniture, your clothes and your laptop, smoke-damaged and soaked from the sprinklers, are not on that policy at all. Replacing them is up to you.
Now picture the other version. When you signed the lease, you spent a few minutes on our discovery sheet. You walked through the apartment, added up what it would take to replace everything, and picked a liability limit. When the fire happened, you had your own policy to call about your things, not just the landlord's policy on the building around them.
Getting it in place
Renters coverage can often start the same day once the discovery sheet is complete and the quote is accepted. If you have a car or other policies with us, or could, ask about pricing them together. Our guide to bundling explains when that helps. And if you are the one renting a place out, our landlord vs. homeowners guide covers the owner's side.
This is general education, not a guarantee of coverage. Coverages, availability and rates vary by carrier and state, and can change at any time.