Are you renting an apartment? Does the landlord's property insurance cover the tenant's things?

By Bricksnwall | 2026-04-12

Rental guide: The landlord's insurance may cover damage to the property from things like floods or earthquakes, but it normally doesn't cover the tenant's things.

Rohan Ghosh took steps to preserve his money when he moved into a leased property in Kolkata. He chose a renter's insurance plan instead of expecting that the landlord's insurance would cover everything. He knew that his personal goods needed their own security. In his case, the landlord's coverage only covered the building.

He picked a plan that would replace his furnishings, gadgets, and other important items. He made a careful list of all the things in his home and figured out how much it would cost to replace everything at current rates, not including appliances that the landlord provided. He also made a list of expensive things, including his watch and camera, and included receipts and pictures to back them up.

A typical mistake people make when renting is thinking that the landlord's policy will cover a tenant's damaged property after a fire, leak, or break-in.

Ashwini Dubey, Head of Home Insurance at Policybazaar, states, "Because your landlord's insurance literally stops at the walls and structural fixtures, you have almost no risk of 'overlapping' coverage when insuring your personal property, i.e., the household items."

If you rent a place and anything happens to it, such a flood or an earthquake, the landlord's insurance usually covers it. But you are still responsible for your own things.

Your landlord's insurance only protects the building itself. If you want to safeguard just your personal things, you might want to look into getting home contents coverage as part of your house insurance policy. Adarsh Agarwal, Appointed Actuary at Digit Insurance, says, "As a renter, focusing on a content-only cover makes sure that your furniture, fixtures, TVs, electronics, air conditioners, kitchen equipment, and other things are completely protected without overlapping with the landlord's structure-only cover."

"Such insurance will cover personal belongings, furniture on a replacement basis (new for old), and valuables at an agreed value," explains Arti Mulik, chief technical officer of Universal Sompo General Insurance.

How to obtain enough coverage

Use a house inventory to figure out your baseline: Go through each area and figure out how much it would cost to buy everything new today, like gadgets, appliances, furniture, clothes, shoes, kitchenware, and so on. For example, if your landlord gave you a refrigerator or washing machine, don't include it in your inventory because their coverage covers it. Dubey responds, "If you bought it, put it in."

Set a time for high-value items: Write down a list of pricey jewelry, engagement rings, luxury watches, fine art, sculptures, musical instruments, and high-end gadgets. It is easier to file a claim and get it processed if you schedule it with proof of ownership, such as receipts or pictures of the item, and give the insurers a list of pricey things throughout the buying process.

Dubey says, "For items that don't have receipts, getting a valuation certificate from authorized people helps with both insuring them and making claims."

"It is always helpful to give a full list of contents along with their replacement values to make sure that both the insurer and the insured understand everything." "This helps things go smoothly and keeps things clear when it's time to settle a claim," Mulik explains.

All-risk coverage for more house insurance protection

For more protection, switch from "Named Perils" to "Open Perils" (All-Risk). Named dangers only cover damage from occurrences that are specifically listed in the policy, such fire, theft, vandalism, or burst pipes. Open hazards, on the other hand, protect your things from anything except what is clearly stated in the fine print. An open perils policy gives you a lot more piece of mind if you can afford it and it's available.

You may also think about the rent for the extra place to stay. Dubey explains, "This covers the cost of staying in another rented home if yours becomes unlivable after damage to the structure or interiors because of any insured perils."

Things to remember

When you buy home contents coverage, you have to tell the insurance company how much it would cost to replace all of your things. But this baseline protection usually doesn't cover certain high-value or specialized items. Some of these things are unset precious stones, manuscripts, bullion, and art.

This coverage only applies to things that are on the premises and are meant for personal use. So, things that are utilized for business or kept outside of the designated premises may not be safe from dangers like fire, natural catastrophes (floods, earthquakes, cyclones, landslides), or explosions.

Source: Hindustan Times