Landlord Insurance

It is property and liability coverage for a home or unit you rent to someone else. It insures the building, the rent you would lose after a covered loss, and your liability as the owner. It is not the same as homeowners insurance, which assumes you live there.

A homeowners policy assumes the owner occupies the home and covers their personal belongings. A rented property carries different risks, so a homeowners policy can be the wrong fit or even void a claim. Landlord insurance is built for the rental use and usually adds loss of rent.

It depends on the property's location, age, construction, the coverage limits, and whether it is a single unit or a small multi-unit. Landlord policies often run somewhat higher than a comparable homeowners policy because of the added liability and loss-of-rent coverage. We quote it against your actual property rather than a flat rate.

No law requires it, but a lender almost always does, and renting a property on a standard homeowners policy risks a denied claim. For most owners it is the difference between a covered loss and paying out of pocket.

Yes, and you can make it a lease requirement. Your landlord policy does not cover a tenant's belongings, and renters insurance also carries liability that can keep small tenant-caused incidents off your policy. We can explain how to word the requirement.

See Renters Insurance

Most policies include fair rental value coverage, which pays the rent you would have received while a covered loss makes the unit uninhabitable during repairs. It does not cover rent lost because a tenant stops paying. We confirm the limit fits your actual rent.

Your policy does not cover a renter's furniture or possessions. That is their renters policy, which you can require in the lease.

See Renters Insurance

Both are excluded from a standard landlord policy and need separate coverage, which matters in California.

See Flood Insurance

Deferred maintenance and gradual deterioration are upkeep, not an insured loss.

A unit left empty for an extended period can change or suspend coverage. Tell us if it will sit vacant.

We are licensed in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, and applications in Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan are with those states now. We do not quote a state before its license is issued. Start a quote and we will tell you where you stand before you spend time on it.

You answer a short set of questions, and a licensed broker at Menlo reads them, maps your operation to a class, and shops it with the carriers we are appointed with. There is no instant bind and no black box. You talk to a person before anything is quoted.