Does Landlord Insurance Cover Tenant Damage?

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Yes! Your landlord insurance policy may cover tenant damage to your property. This type of insurance often includes dwelling coverage, which is beneficial as it provides protection against accidental or sudden damage to rental properties.

Yes! Your Landlord Insurance Policy MAY cover damage caused by a tenant

Jack Wingate

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), rental properties that are damaged by a covered peril such as hail, lightning, wind, snow, or fire may turn to landlord insurance to help with the cost of repairs.

If one of your renters has damaged your apartment due to a kitchen fire, the dwelling coverage that is part of your landlord insurance policy could help you in this scenario.

However, property owners may need to pay their deductibles before they can benefit from their insurance policies. Furthermore, these policies will often only cover losses that reach a certain amount, so it is important to be aware of these limitations beforehand.

What Is Covered By Landlord Insurance?

The insurance for landlords provides coverage that is quite similar to homeowners insurance. However, landlord insurance policies are made to specifically protect against certain risks.

Most of the landlord insurance policies offered today provide protection covering three types of losses:

Loss of Rental Income

If you are unable to rent out your property due to it being damaged by a covered event, you may look into your landlord insurance policy to help cover for loss of rental income.

You should contact your insurance firm first to see if your policy covers lost rental income. If not, you may have to add this coverage as an optional rider.

Property Damage

Offering benefits similar to dwelling coverage in a homeowner’s insurance policy, landlord insurance protects against damage to rental properties caused by covered perils like wind, hail, or fire. These policies also cover damage to personal property, such as:

FurnitureKitchen appliancesTelevisions

Typically, landlord insurance does not cover the personal property of the tenant. To be sure, it is always good to review the kind of coverage provided in your insurance policy.

If specific types of coverage, such as vandalism and theft, are not covered, contact your insurance agency to see if they can be incorporated as optional riders.

Liability

Landlord insurance policies have a medical or liability coverage clause that protects against legal claims if someone gets injured while staying on your property.

For instance, a tenant that accidentally breaks a bone on your rental property may sue you. When this happens, your landlord policy will prompt your insurance agency to settle with the tenant and pay the necessary expenses.

In cases where the guest of a tenant is injured while on your property, the renter’s insurance policy of the tenant would likely cover the associated costs.

Additional Forms of Protection

Apart from the three types of coverage listed above, your insurance provider may also offer additional forms of protection. These can be included in the core policy or as optional add-ons.

The following are the other possible types of protection that you can add to your landlord insurance:

Type of Additional ProtectionDescriptionBuilding Code CoverageWhen repairs or replacements are needed to an old rental property after being damaged, upgrades on aspects like ventilation and heating might be necessary. This is because building codes in your area may have changed since the rental was built. With this type of coverage, your insurance agency will assist in reimbursing you for the extra expenses.Non-Occupied Dwelling EndorsementYour insurance company may deny you coverage for claims that arise for rental properties that have been vacant for more than 30 days. This optional rider extends the time of coverage to the property.Heating or Air Conditioning Loss ReimbursementThis additional endorsement reimburses landlords for payments to tenants in case their heating or cooling systems break down.Additional Landlord Insurance Coverages

Other Types of Insurance for a Rental Property

Aside from your landlord insurance policy and the optional riders, you may also want to consider the following types of coverage for your rental:

Flood Insurance

One of the most prevalent and costly perils to any property is flooding, yet some landlord insurance policies exclude damage caused by floods altogether. Sometimes flood insurance is necessary, especially for properties located in flood-prone areas.

Properties situated in these areas should have flood insurance:

Highly urban environmentAreas prone to forest firesAreas where snow melts quickly

To protect your rental property from flood damage, it’s best to ask your landlord insurance company if they provide flood insurance. You should also take important steps to safeguard your rental from flooding.

Umbrella Insurance

There are limitations to the amount of money insurance policies can provide as coverage.

For instance, if your whole apartment is destroyed by a fire caused by old wiring, the expenses needed may be too much for your landlord’s insurance. When this happens, having an umbrella insurance policy at the ready can provide additional coverage that your landlord insurance cannot cover.

Coverage for an umbrella policy is often sold in increments of $1 million. The more assets you own, the more coverage you should purchase.

Consider getting umbrella coverage, especially if you own several rental properties.

Earthquake Insurance

Damages caused by an earthquake are typically not covered in a standard homeowner’s insurance policy. The same is true with most landlord insurance policies.

If you live in an area that is known for having earthquakes, or you simply want to keep your property protected in the future, you should consider getting an earthquake insurance policy.

What Is Not Covered By Landlord Insurance?

As you may already know, landlord insurance may cover many types of unexpected losses but it does not cover all situations. Issues related to maintenance as well as equipment breakdowns caused by wear and tear are usually not covered.

Intentional damage such as vandalism is also not typically covered. While the damage caused by a tenant to your furniture may be covered in your landlord insurance policy, walls that have been spray-painted by a disgruntled tenant may not.

Conclusion

Landlord insurance is important for property owners as it helps protect their rentals from sudden and unexpected situations. So, does landlord insurance cover tenant damage? Yes, it does.  

However, not all types of losses are covered by such an insurance policy. Intentional damage and appliance breakdown due to maintenance issues are typically not covered.

It is best to get in touch with a reputable insurance company to obtain optional riders that give your rental extra protection.