Insurance for landlords
Protect Your Rental Property with Landlord Insurance
We provide important coverage for property owners who rent their property out to others, whether it’s their house, condo, or townhome. Landlord insurance is often referred to as rental property insurance in BC, and as a landlord, you should always be prepared for the unexpected.
While renting out your property to others can be a useful source of income, it is important that landlords protect this revenue source by ensuring they have an insurance policy designed to protect their property and their rental income, should they be confronted with a sudden loss.
Certain homeowner insurance policies provide coverage for renting out a portion of your home but they will usually only do so if the homeowner occupies a portion of that same property. If a landlord decides to rent out the entire property, insurance companies require a Rented Property insurance policy.
What Does Landlord Insurance Cover?
Landlord insurance covers a variety of items depending on whether the property in question is a detached home or a stratified condo. Here’s a summary of standard coverages included in a landlord insurance policy that will help protect you and your rented home as well as a few optional add-ons for extra peace of mind.
Property
For those renting out their condo, this part of the coverage provides protection, up to $500,000 for improvements and betterments conducted on their condo unit, should they experience a claim. For those renting out their entire home, this part of the coverage protects the dwelling, up to $1,200,000 on a Replacement Cost basis, as well as any detached private structures up to 10% of the dwelling limit.
Landlord’s Contents
Whether you’re renting out your Condo or your Home, you need coverage for the possessions you leave in the residence you rent out. This could be anything from the appliances that come with the home, like a washer, dryer, refrigerator, and stove, to a fully furnished house, that comes with numerous couches, tables, beds, dressers, and more. This portion of your Landlord policy provides coverage for those elements.
Rental Income
Arguably the most important reason why people own a rental property, is to earn additional income from it. But what if your home experiences a flood or a fire, and requires your tenants to be displaced, causing you to lose the rental income? Your Landlord Insurance policy will provide coverage, to a predetermined limit, for the loss of rental income due to a covered loss.
Premises Liability
Premises liability insurance protects landlords against potential lawsuits that may arise from injuries sustained by visitors to your rental home. Some simple examples may include friends or acquaintances who slip and fall on your stairs. Landlord’s owe a duty of care to their tenants and maintain the come and protect anyone who sets foot on the premises.
Types of Landlord Insurance in BC
There are different types of Landlord insurance and each tends to have a different degree of risk associated with it. As a result, different coverages are recommended depending on the specific situation.
Rental Home Property
Primarily designed to protect a detached single (family) home or a building that’s set up to accommodate more than one family living separately, this type of Landlord insurance is typically meant for long-term leases or predetermined rental agreements.
Rented Condo Insurance
Another common form of landlord insurance, which is quite similar to Rented Home Insurance coverage is Rented Condo Insurance. This is where the landlord owns a condo that he/she rents out to tenants, most often on a longer-term basis.
Insurance for Airbnb Rentals
Due to the increasing number of people renting parts of their home out, often on a short-term basis via Airbnb, this policy offers short-term rental coverage for places booked through Airbnb and requires a slightly different policy to be in place, compared to the previous two.
Our Online Landlord Coverage Details
Our online landlord insurance policy offers comprehensive landlord insurance offering that our BC customers love. It features a series of industry-leading coverages, elevated coverage limits, and it’s backed by superior, locally operated claims service. We have featured some of the key components of our online landlord policy below:
Rented Condo Coverage Type
Limit of Coverage
Condo All-Inclusive Protection
$250,000 to $500,000
Improvements and Betterments
Contingent Coverage
Loss Assessment
Condo Deductible Protection
Up to $75,000
Landlord Contents
Up to $100,000
Premises Liability
Up to $2,000,000
And More!
Rented Home Coverage Type
Limit of Coverage
Dwelling
$250,000 to $1,200,000
Detached Private Structure
10% of Dwelling Value
Landlord Contents
Up to $100,000
Fair Rental Value
20% of Dwelling Value
Premises Liability
Up to $3,000,000
– Coverages subject to eligibility and may change at any time.
Enhance Your Coverage with Optional Add-Ons & Customizations
Water protection
This coverage provides broader water damage protection in the case of loss or damage caused by and happening at the same time as surface water, groundwater or sewer back up event. The coverage limits are the same as those available for Sewer Backup but may not be available to all BC residents, and is subject to the policy deductible.
Earthquake
Earthquakes are common in BC, with an average of 3,000 reported each year. To cover any damage caused to your home as a direct result of a seismic event, you can add earthquake coverage to your homeowners insurance policy.
Other Customizations
In addition to a number of important add-ons, our online Homeowners policy provides you with a number of flexible and customizable coverage options. For example, you can select your policy deductible, home deductible protection limit, personal property limit, and even schedule special items such as jewelry, bicycles, and other items.
