What about contents insurance with a rental property?

What is covered under my contents insurance?

With contents insurance for a rental property, you are covered for damage to all your belongings in the house that are not attached to your home. Such as furniture, clothing, and possibly other valuables.
Damage to the kitchen is usually covered under buildings insurance because it cannot be moved without damage.
Basically, insurance companies use the following rules as to what is covered under a building or contents insurance policy:

• Building insurance: All parts of your home that you cannot remove without causing substantial damage.
• Contents insurance: Anything you can take with you without detaching it from the building and thereby damaging it.

Tenant interest in rental property insurance

In a rental property, you may have to deal with tenant's interest. This includes improvements that you have made to the home yourself, but also leave behind in the home when you move out. Think for example of improvements you have made to your bathroom or even a new kitchen. You paid for these improvements yourself and thus they are your property. However, do not take them with you when you move because they are attached to the home. Normally, things that are attached to the house are covered by home insurance. But with a rental property, you don't have buildings insurance. Therefore, by means of the tenant's interest, you can include these items in your contents insurance.

Need glass insurance on a rental property?

What about window damage in a rental property? Glass is often co-insured under the landlord's buildings insurance policy. To be sure exactly what you are insured for, always check with the landlord of the property first. Most likely the landlord will have mentioned in the contract what is and is not insured on the rental property. After that, you may decide to purchase your own separate glass insurance with your contents insurance.