Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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UPDATED: Feb 24, 2015

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Even if you do not own the building where you live, it is likely you have valuable personal items which would be expensive to replace if they are stolen or damaged by fire or some other cause. Also, you still have potential legal liability to someone who is injured on property you occupy, even if you are not the property owner. A “Renters Policy” is essentially like a Homeowners Policy but without coverage for the buildings or structures. Because of this, Renters Policies usually cost far less than Homeowners Policies.

There usually are no legal or contractual requirements to have a Renters Policy, although it is possible that, by the terms of some leases, tenants may be required to have insurance to cover their liability exposure if someone is injured on the rented premises. Leases should be read very carefully to determine what insurance, if any, a tenant is required to have.