Landlord Insurance.
The moment someone else moves in, your homeowners policy stops being the right one.
A homeowners policy is written on the basis that you live there. Rent the property out without converting it and
a carrier can deny the claim or void the policy entirely. It is the most expensive paperwork mistake in property
ownership, and it is discovered at exactly the wrong moment.
The right policy also covers the thing that actually costs you
money: lost rent. On a serious fire or water loss the income gap usually exceeds the repair. Send us the
policy and the lease, and we will price it properly across a wide panel of carriers.
Occupancy is the whole question
Every property policy is priced and underwritten around who lives in the building. Change that and you have changed the risk, whether or not anyone told the carrier. The conversion itself is routine. Not doing it is not.
Homeowners assumes you occupy it
The policy is built for an owner-occupied home. Once a tenant moves in, the exposure is different and the contract no longer describes the property accurately.
Undisclosed rental is a real denial risk
Carriers do investigate occupancy after a large loss. A claim can be denied, and in some cases the policy voided from inception, which means no coverage at all rather than partial coverage.
Conversion is simple, and sometimes cheaper
A dwelling fire or landlord policy removes contents coverage you no longer need and adds loss of rent and owner liability. The premium frequently lands close to what you paid before.
Even one room changes things
Renting a basement apartment, a garage flat or a room on a long-term basis creates the same issue. Part-time letting still needs disclosure.
What a landlord policy actually does
It protects the asset, the income and you. Not the tenant, and not their belongings.
The dwelling
The structure itself, at replacement cost if written properly. The same roof-age rules and settlement questions apply here as on any home policy, and they matter just as much.
Loss of rent
Replaces rental income while the property is uninhabitable after a covered loss. This is the coverage landlords value most after a claim and think about least before one.
Owner liability
If a tenant or their guest is injured because of the property, this responds. Rental liability claims are common and they are the reason to carry a serious limit rather than a minimum one.
Other structures
Detached garage, fencing, sheds, parking structures. Usually a percentage of the dwelling limit by default, which is often too little on a multi-unit property.
Landlord contents
Appliances, window coverings, carpets and any furnishings you provide. Modest but real, and frequently omitted on furnished lets where it matters most.
Optional protections
Vandalism, tenant-caused damage beyond ordinary wear, ordinance or law coverage for bringing an older building up to current code, and equipment breakdown. Each is inexpensive and each closes a genuine gap.
The situations that create claims
Vacancy between tenants
Most policies restrict coverage once a property has been empty beyond thirty or sixty days, and vandalism and water damage are usually the first to go. A renovation or a slow season needs a vacancy endorsement arranged in advance.
Short-term rentals
Airbnb and similar letting is treated as a business exposure and is generally excluded from a standard landlord policy. Platform protection is narrower than owners assume, and a specific endorsement or purpose-built policy is required.
The property is in an LLC
The named insured must match the legal owner. A policy in your personal name on a property titled to an entity is a genuine dispute waiting to happen, and it is trivial to fix beforehand.
Tenants without renters insurance
Their loss becomes a claim against you far more often when they have no coverage of their own. Requiring it in the lease is the cheapest risk management available to a landlord.
Ordinance and law
After a large loss, an older building often cannot be rebuilt as it was. Bringing it to current code is expensive and standard policies cover it poorly without this endorsement.
Underinsuring the dwelling
Rebuild cost, not market value and not what you paid. Under-insuring triggers a coinsurance penalty that reduces even small partial claims, which surprises owners every time.
One property, or several
A single rental is usually written as an individual dwelling fire policy, and that is the right answer. It is simple, competitively priced, and easy to adjust.
Once you hold several, the picture changes. Multiple separate policies mean multiple renewal dates, multiple deductibles and multiple carriers to argue with after a storm that damages more than one. A commercial package or a scheduled portfolio policy consolidates them, usually reduces total premium, and gives you one renewal and one conversation.
The threshold is not a fixed number of doors. It depends on the mix, the ownership structure and the states involved. We look at the whole portfolio and tell you honestly which side of the line you are on, including when the answer is to leave things as they are.
And once you own rental property at all, personal umbrella coverage becomes considerably more relevant. Rental units generally have to be scheduled on it, which is another reason to look at everything together rather than one policy at a time.
Require renters insurance in the lease.
It costs you nothing, covers the tenant's belongings and liability, and removes a large share of the disputes that otherwise land on your policy. We can write it for your tenants directly and confirm it stays in force.
Set this up for my tenants →Lower the premium, and close the gaps
Rental property is written by a narrower set of carriers than owner-occupied homes, and appetite between them varies enormously by state, building age, unit count and claim history. A property one carrier will not touch is frequently well priced by another, and from inside a single company there is no way to see that.
Same coverage, lower cost
A genuine like-for-like comparison first, so you can see plainly whether you are overpaying for what you already hold.
Better coverage, similar cost
Then what it costs to add loss of rent properly, raise liability, and add ordinance and law. On older buildings that last one is frequently the difference between rebuilding and selling a lot.
The whole portfolio at once
Several properties priced together usually beat the sum of their parts, and one renewal date is worth something on its own.
And we tell you to stay
If the policy is already correctly written and competitively priced, we will say so. That happens, and it is worth more to us than a switch you would regret.
Send us your current policy in the chat, and we will price it against the market.
The policy rather than the premium. It shows your dwelling limit, whether loss of rent is present and for how long, your liability limit and your endorsements, which is everything needed to price accurately. No cost, no obligation.
Landlord insurance, answered plainly
Can I just keep my homeowners policy if I rent the house out?+
No, and this is the most consequential mistake landlords make. A homeowners policy is written on the basis that you occupy the property. Once it becomes a rental, the carrier can deny a claim or void the policy for misrepresentation. It needs converting to a landlord or dwelling fire policy, which is usually straightforward and sometimes cheaper.
Does my policy cover my tenant's belongings?+
No. Your policy covers the building and your liability as owner. Everything the tenant owns is their responsibility, which is exactly why requiring renters insurance in the lease protects both of you. It also reduces the chance of a tenant pursuing you after a loss.
What is loss of rent coverage?+
If the property becomes uninhabitable after a covered loss, this replaces the rental income while it is repaired. On a serious fire or water loss that can run many months, and for most landlords the lost income is the largest part of the claim rather than the repair itself.
Should I require renters insurance from tenants?+
Yes, and most professional landlords now do. It covers the tenant's belongings, gives them liability coverage if they cause damage, and materially reduces disputes and claims against your policy. Naming yourself as an interested party means you are notified if it lapses.
Is a short-term rental covered?+
Usually not by a standard landlord policy. Airbnb and similar arrangements are treated as a commercial or business exposure and need either a specific endorsement or a purpose-built short-term rental policy. The platform's own protection is generally narrower than owners assume.
How many properties before I need a commercial policy?+
There is no single number, and it depends on the carrier and the structure. Several single-family rentals can often stay on individual dwelling policies. Once you hold multiple units, an apartment building, or the properties sit in an LLC, a commercial package is frequently cheaper and simpler than many separate policies.
Does it matter that the property is in an LLC?+
Yes, and it needs to be written correctly. The named insured on the policy should match the legal owner of the property. A policy in your personal name on a property titled to an LLC can create a genuine coverage dispute at claim time.
What about vacancy between tenants?+
Most policies restrict coverage once a property has been vacant beyond a set period, commonly 30 or 60 days, and vandalism and water damage are frequently the first things excluded. If a unit will sit empty during a renovation or a slow letting season, that needs a vacancy endorsement arranged in advance.