Tenant insurance, explained without the sales pitch.
Your landlord’s insurance covers the building. It does not cover your things, and it does not cover you. Tenant insurance is one of the cheapest policies there is, and one of the few most people genuinely need.
Get tenant insurance See what’s coveredYour belongings, your liability, and somewhere to live meanwhile
Renters, students and anyone sharing a home
Where you live and roughly what your things are worth
What does tenant insurance actually cover?
Three things. Your belongings, if they are stolen or destroyed, furniture, clothes, electronics, a bike. Your liability, if you accidentally cause damage or someone is hurt in your home. And your living costs, if the place becomes unlivable and you have to stay somewhere else while it is repaired. The building itself is the landlord’s problem, not yours.
If a fire starts in your unit and spreads, you can be held responsible for damage to the whole building. That is a claim far larger than everything you own, and it is the part almost nobody thinks about.
The part people underestimate is liability. If a fire starts in your unit and spreads, you can be responsible for the damage to the whole building.
Three covers, one small policy.
Your belongings
Everything you own inside the unit, and usually your things outside it too, a laptop stolen from a car, a bike taken from a rack.
Your liability
Damage you cause to the building or a neighbour’s unit, and injury to a visitor. The largest exposure and the one nobody thinks about.
Somewhere to live
Hotel and extra living costs if a fire or flood makes the place unlivable while it is repaired.
Water damage
Overland water and sewer backup are separate options, not automatic. In a basement suite they matter more than anywhere.
High-value items
Jewellery, instruments, camera gear and bikes often exceed standard limits and should be listed individually.
Roommates and students
A policy usually covers the people named on it, not everyone in the flat. Students away from home may be covered on a parent’s policy, worth checking rather than assuming.
How much cover do you actually need?
Most people guess low, because they add up what they would replace rather than everything they own.
Walk the room
Add up what it would cost to buy everything again, new. Clothes and kitchen contents alone surprise most people.
Photograph it
A video walkthrough on your phone, kept in the cloud, is the best claim evidence there is and takes two minutes.
Do not skimp on liability
It costs very little to move from a basic limit to a higher one, and it is the number that protects you from a genuinely life-changing claim.
A situation we see.
A candle left burning in a basement suite spreads to the floor above. The tenant’s belongings are the small part. The liability for damage to the rest of the building is the part that follows them for years.
This is a small policy, and we still take it seriously.
Because renters become homeowners.
Tenant insurance earns a brokerage very little. Plenty of brokers treat it as a nuisance, and it shows in the service. We take it because it is genuinely useful, because the people buying it are often young and being told very little, and because a renter today is a homeowner, a landlord or a business owner later.
You will get the same explanation and the same broker as anyone else. That is the whole philosophy of the place.
What renters ask us.
My landlord requires tenant insurance. Is that allowed?
Yes, it is a common and reasonable condition in a tenancy agreement in BC. It protects both of you, your things and your liability, and the landlord from claims arising out of your unit.
Does my landlord’s insurance cover my belongings?
No. It covers the building and the landlord’s interest in it. Your furniture, clothes, electronics and your liability are entirely yours to insure.
I have roommates. Can we share one policy?
Sometimes, but it needs to be set up deliberately, usually everyone must be named. If one person is on the policy and another causes the damage, that is where disputes start.
Is my bike covered if it is stolen from outside?
Often yes, up to a limit that may be lower than the bike is worth. If it is an expensive bike, list it specifically rather than relying on the general limit.
I am a student living away from home. Am I covered on my parents’ policy?
Sometimes, within limits, and only in certain circumstances. It is worth five minutes of checking rather than assuming, and if you are not covered, your own policy is inexpensive.
Is flooding covered in a basement suite?
Not automatically. Overland water and sewer backup are separate covers and they matter most exactly where people assume they are included. Ask specifically.
Renting? This takes ten minutes.
Tell us where you live and roughly what you own. Walk into any branch or send us a message.