Tenant Insurance
Tenant insurance typically covers damages from fire, flood, and liability. Liability in this case means that if someone gets injured at your apartment and they sue you will not have to pay the damages, your tenant insurance will. Tenant insurance also covers some types of extensive damage to the property that would not be covered by the security deposit.
When you are deciding whether or not to get tenant insurance, make sure you check whether the lease says it’s required or it’s your responsibility. If your lease specifies that you are responsible for tenant insurance, it doesn’t mean you have to purchase it. It means that if you purchase it you will have to pay for it, and that you are not covered by the landlord’s insurance.
Many landlords include tenant insurance as a requirement for renting the unit. Tenant insurance is not required by law, so your landlord cannot evict you for not having tenant insurance. However, if your lease rules require tenant insurance you could be evicted for a breach of the lease rules.
-
Many landlords will refuse to rent to a tenant who doesn’t have tenant insurance. Similarly, a landlord’s insurance will not cover damages to your possessions unless you sue the landlord for those damages.
-
Without tenant insurance the landlord could charge you personally for the costs of damages to your unit. DLAS always recommends getting tenant insurance if it’s financially feasible. Most tenant insurance policies are between $15-40/month.
-
Tenants who experience losses as a result of their landlord’s negligence cannot claim the losses from their insurance coverage and sue the landlord for compensation. (Johnson v. Sarty, 2019 NSSM 17)
If a tenants’ personal property is damaged because of damage to the premises, the landlord is not responsible unless they have been negligent. (Realco Management Ltd. v. Llewellyn, 2004 NSSM 26)
