Renters insurance
Renters insurance for your things, your liability and a place to stay
Your landlord's policy covers the building, not your laptop, your furniture or the neighbor's ceiling you flooded. A renters policy (form HO-4) covers exactly that. A licensed producer helps you choose it, in English or Russian.
ePremium. You buy and pay on the partner's secure page; an insurance company issues the policy. Questions about the policy: your licensed producer.
Who it is for
- Renting in Brooklyn
- Tenants in New Jersey
- Renting in Florida
- Your lease requires a policy
- Sharing with a roommate
- Students living off campus
- New to the US
- Pricey electronics and gear
What renters insurance covers
- Your things: furniture, electronics, clothes, a bike. The policy pays after fire, theft, a sudden leak and the other risks it lists. Things away from home, like a laptop stolen from your car, are usually covered too, with a separate limit.
- Liability: water from your bathroom ruins the apartment below, a guest slips in your place, your dog bites someone. The policy pays for your defense in court and the damage, up to the limit.
- A place to stay: if a fire or a burst pipe makes the apartment unlivable, the policy pays what you spend above normal on a hotel, a short-term rental and eating out.
- Medical payments to others: medical bills of a guest hurt in your home, regardless of fault, within a small separate limit.
- Proof for your landlord: the landlord or management company is listed as an interested party and is notified if the policy is canceled or not renewed.
How it works
- 1
Tell us about the apartment
ZIP code, the date you need coverage from, roughly what your things are worth (walk room by room and make a list) and what your lease asks for: the liability limit and the landlord's name and address.
- 2
Choose the coverage
The amount for your things, replacement cost or actual cash value, the deductible and the liability limit. We also tell you whether jewelry or expensive gear should be listed separately.
- 3
Policy and proof
The insurance company issues the policy and you pay the company. Your landlord is added as an interested party, and you get the declarations page to show the management office.
How an HO-4 policy is built
| HO-4 | Standard policy form for tenants: belongings covered against listed (named) perils, the building itself is not insured |
|---|---|
| Coverage C, Personal Property | Your belongings after fire, theft, vandalism, sudden and accidental water damage and the other listed perils |
| Coverage D, Loss of Use | Housing, food and other costs above your normal amount while the home is unlivable after a covered loss |
| Coverage E, Personal Liability | Legal defense and payment when you are legally responsible for someone's injury or property damage |
| Coverage F, Medical Payments to Others | Medical bills of guests hurt in your home, regardless of fault; not your own family |
| Flood and earthquake | Excluded, including storm surge. Flood cover for belongings: a separate NFIP contents policy up to $100,000, usually effective 30 days after purchase |
| Interested party (additional interest) | Gets notice from the insurer if the policy is canceled, not renewed or reduced; not the same as additional insured |
Sources: Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I), NAIC, the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance renters insurance guide, FEMA FloodSmart, Oregon Revised Statutes 90.222 (interested party). Coverage letters follow the standard form; a specific insurer's policy may use other names and limits.
Frequently asked questions
My landlord requires renters insurance. What do I show them?
Usually the declarations page (the page with your coverages and limits), with the landlord or management company listed as an interested party, also called additional interest. The insurer then notifies them if the policy is canceled, not renewed or reduced, but they get no coverage under it. If the lease asks for additional insured, that is a different, broader status, and not every insurer offers it on a renters policy.
My landlord has insurance. Why do I need my own?
The landlord's policy covers the building, not your belongings and not your liability to neighbors. After a fire or a leak, it will not pay for your furniture, your laptop or your hotel.
I flooded the apartment below. Does renters insurance pay?
Damage to the neighbors falls under personal liability when you are legally responsible for it, up to your limit and subject to exclusions. Your own things damaged by a sudden leak are usually covered as personal property. Slow seepage that went on for months is not covered by a standard policy.
Replacement cost or actual cash value: which one?
Actual cash value pays what the item is worth today, after depreciation; replacement cost pays for a new item of the same kind, usually after you buy it and send the receipts. Both subtract your deductible. Many insurers sell replacement cost as an add-on (endorsement), and it raises the premium.
Does renters insurance cover floods and hurricanes?
Flood, including storm surge from a hurricane, is excluded; wind damage from a hurricane is usually covered, sometimes with a separate hurricane deductible. Belongings can be insured against flood with a separate NFIP contents policy for up to $100,000: it usually takes effect 30 days after purchase, and things kept in a basement are generally not covered.
What does renters insurance not cover?
Flood, earthquake, slow seepage, wear and tear, pests and the car itself are excluded, and sewer backup is usually a separate add-on. A dropped phone or a cracked screen is usually not covered either, unless the insurer offers a broader comprehensive (open perils) form. Jewelry and other valuables often have a special limit, so expensive items are worth listing separately with a scheduled personal property endorsement (floater).
We rent together. Does one policy cover both of us?
Not automatically. A spouse living with you is usually covered, but a roommate or an unmarried partner usually is not unless named on the policy, and whether that is allowed depends on the insurer and the state. If it is not, each of you gets your own policy.
I'm a student. Am I covered by my parents' policy?
Sometimes, partly. A college student in a dorm who is still part of the parents' household is usually covered by their homeowners or renters policy, often for only part of the limit (the NAIC mentions a common provision of up to 10%). If you rent off campus, you will probably need your own policy.
Moving into a new rental?
Leave a request and we will match renters insurance to your lease and your things. The licensed producer is licensed in 22 states, including New York, New Jersey and Florida, and works in Russian and English.
The renters policy is issued by the insurance company: its terms, exclusions and price follow that company's rules, and you pay the premium to the company. The policy is placed by licensed property and casualty producer Dmitry Borovoy (NPN 22313558), who earns a commission on it. About the license