Can a Landlord Require Renters Insurance?
Most states let landlords require renters insurance in the lease, but some limit it. Here is the rule in each state.
| State | The rule |
|---|---|
| Alabama | No statute. The Alabama Landlord and Tenant Act does not address renters insurance, so whether a landlord can require it is left to the lease. Ala. Code ch. 35-9A |
| Alaska | No statute. The Alaska Landlord and Tenant Act (AS 34.03) does not address renters insurance, so the lease controls. AS 34.03.010-34.03.380 |
| Arizona | No statute. The Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (A.R.S. §§ 33-1301 to 33-1381) does not address renters insurance, so the lease controls. A.R.S. §§ 33-1301 to 33-1381 |
| Arkansas | No statute. Arkansas landlord-tenant law (Ark. Code Ann. Title 18, chs. 16-17) does not address renters insurance, so the lease controls. Ark. Code Ann. Title 18, chs. 16-17 |
| Colorado | No Colorado statute bars a landlord from requiring renters insurance. The law does limit how it is used: a landlord may not require a tenant to file a claim with the tenant's renters insurance to cover repair costs that the landlord must pay under the habitability law, and may not file such a claim on the tenant's policy without the tenant's express written permission given at the time of the claim. C.R.S. § 38-12-505(13) |
| Connecticut | No statute. Connecticut's landlord-tenant chapter (ch. 830) does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so the lease controls. Conn. Gen. Stat. ch. 830 |
| Delaware | No statute. The Delaware Landlord-Tenant Code does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so the lease controls. 25 Del. C. chs. 51-59 |
| Florida | No statute generally allows or forbids requiring renters insurance; the lease controls. Two specific rules: a landlord who allows a waterbed (flotation bedding) may require the tenant to carry standard flotation insurance naming the owner as loss payee, and the required flood disclosure tells tenants that renters insurance does not cover flood damage. Fla. Stat. §§ 83.535, 83.512 |
| Georgia | Allowed if the lease says so. Georgia has no statute on renters insurance; the state handbook notes that some leases may require tenants to buy renters insurance and that a landlord's property insurance usually does not cover a tenant's belongings. Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook (rev. 8-29-24), p. 7 |
| Idaho | No statute. Idaho law leaves renters insurance to the lease: the Attorney General's manual lists insurance requirements (the tenant's duty to buy rental and liability insurance) among the terms a written lease should spell out, and encourages tenants to consider buying renter's insurance. Idaho Attorney General, Landlord and Tenant Manual (July 2026), pp. 4-6 |
| Illinois | No statute. The Illinois Landlord and Tenant Act (765 ILCS 705) does not say whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so the lease controls. For leases signed after the 2025 fee law took effect, every non-optional fee must appear on the first page of the lease or the tenant does not have to pay it. 765 ILCS 705/35(b) |
| Indiana | No statute. Indiana's landlord-tenant law (IC 32-31, chapters 1 and 3 through 9) does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so the lease controls. IC 32-31-1 through 32-31-9 |
| Iowa | No statute. Iowa Code chapter 562A does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so the lease controls. Iowa Code ch. 562A |
| Kansas | No statute. The Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (K.S.A. 58-2540 to 58-2573) does not address renters insurance, so the lease controls. K.S.A. 58-2540 to 58-2573 |
| Kentucky | No statute. Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (KRS 383.505-383.705) does not address renters insurance, so the lease controls. KRS 383.505-383.705 |
| Minnesota | No statute. Minnesota Statutes chapter 504B does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so the lease controls. Minn. Stat. ch. 504B |
| Mississippi | No statute. Mississippi's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-1 et seq.) does not address renters insurance, so the lease controls. Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-1 et seq. |
| Missouri | No statute — Missouri's landlord-tenant statutes do not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. RSMo Chs. 441 and 535 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Montana | No statute — the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not address renters insurance. A landlord may include lease terms not prohibited by the Act or other law. MCA Title 70, ch. 24 (no section on renters insurance); MCA 70-24-201(1) |
| Nebraska | No statute — Nebraska's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not address renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. Neb. Rev. Stat. 76-1401 to 76-1449 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Nevada | No statute — NRS Chapter 118A does not say whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. NRS Chapter 118A (no section on renters insurance) |
| New Hampshire | No statute — New Hampshire's landlord-tenant statutes do not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. RSA 540 and 540-A (no section on renters insurance) |
| New Jersey | Allowed as a lease term. The state's Truth in Renting guide lists a tenant's requirement to obtain renter's insurance among the provisions it recommends a lease contain. No state statute limiting such a requirement has been identified. NJ Department of Community Affairs, Truth in Renting guide ("Requirements of a residential lease," item 5(h)) |
| New Mexico | No statute — the Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act does not address renters insurance, so it is a matter for the rental agreement. NMSA 1978, Ch. 47, Art. 8 (no section on renters insurance) |
| North Carolina | Allowed, with limits. If a lease requires the tenant to carry insurance on the leased premises, the landlord cannot require the tenant to buy it from a particular insurance company or agent. If the tenant does not show proof of the required coverage within three business days after the landlord asks, the landlord may buy the coverage and charge the tenant its actual cost plus an administrative fee of no more than $50 per year. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46(l) |
| North Dakota | No statute — North Dakota's lease chapter does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. N.D.C.C. ch. 47-16 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Ohio | No statute — Ohio's Landlord-Tenant Act does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. Ohio Rev. Code Chapter 5321 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Oklahoma | No statute — the Oklahoma Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. 41 O.S. §§ 101-136 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Oregon | Allowed, with limits. A written rental agreement may require renter's liability insurance, with coverage of no more than $100,000 per occurrence or the customary local amount, whichever is greater. The landlord must tell applicants in writing beforehand, must carry comparable liability insurance itself, and may not require a particular insurer or that the tenant name the landlord as an additional insured. A landlord may not require renter's insurance from a tenant whose household income is at or below 50% of area median income, or in a unit subsidized with public funds such as tax credits, HOME or CDBG funds, project-based federal rent subsidies or tax-exempt bonds (tenant-based Housing Choice Vouchers alone do not trigger this exception). ORS 90.222 |
| Pennsylvania | No statute — Pennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, P.L. 69, No. 20, 68 P.S. § 250.101 et seq. (no section on renters insurance) |
| Rhode Island | Allowed, but it must be disclosed. If a landlord requires a tenant to obtain renters insurance, the requirement must be stated in the lease, or given to the tenant in writing if there is no written lease. Separately, the landlord must carry its own general liability insurance of at least $100,000 for people injured on the premises due to the landlord's negligence and give the tenant a copy of the declaration page with the lease and at each renewal. R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-15(a)(4)-(5), 34-18-22(a)(7) |
| South Carolina | No statute — South Carolina's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. S.C. Code Title 27, Chapter 40 (no section on renters insurance) |
| South Dakota | No statute — South Dakota's lease chapter does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. SDCL ch. 43-32 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Texas | No statute directly addresses whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. Texas law does regulate a related product: if a landlord offers a fee in lieu of a security deposit, the tenant must be offered the choice of a regular deposit, and any insurance the landlord buys with the fee may cost the tenant no more than its reasonable cost of obtaining and administering it. Tex. Prop. Code ch. 92 (no section on renters-insurance requirements); § 92.111 |
| Utah | No statute — Utah's Fit Premises Act and security-deposit law do not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the rental agreement. Utah Code Title 57, Chapters 17 and 22 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Vermont | No statute — Vermont's Residential Rental Agreements chapter does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the rental agreement. 9 V.S.A. chapter 137 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Virginia | Allowed, with conditions. A landlord may require renter's insurance as a condition of tenancy as specified in the lease, and may also require damage insurance. The landlord must tell the tenant in writing that the tenant may buy a separate policy instead of the landlord's; a tenant who does must give written proof and keep it in force. Premiums the landlord collects are treated as rent, not a security deposit. If premiums are collected before the tenancy starts, the total of all security deposits plus damage-insurance and renter's-insurance premiums cannot exceed two months' rent. Va. Code §§ 55.1-1206, 55.1-1208(A)(7) |
| Washington | No statute directly addresses whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. Landlords must tell tenants in writing that the landlord's insurance does not cover the tenant's belongings and that the tenant should consider buying renter's and flood insurance. RCW 59.18.060(13)(a)(ii) |
| West Virginia | No statute — West Virginia's landlord-tenant article does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the lease. W. Va. Code ch. 37, art. 6 (no section on renters insurance) |
| Wisconsin | No statute — Wisconsin's landlord-tenant statute (ch. 704) and DATCP's rental rules (ATCP 134) do not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the rental agreement. Wis. Stat. ch. 704; Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 134 (no provision on renters insurance) |
| Wyoming | No statute — Wyoming's residential rental property law does not address whether a landlord may require renters insurance, so it is a matter for the rental agreement. Wyo. Stat. §§ 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211 (no section on renters insurance) |
Can I sue my landlord? (by state) · Glossary
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.