The Best Landlord Insurance Companies
Allstate has the best landlord insurance overall thanks to comprehensive, customizable coverage options.
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Best landlord insurance companies
Best insurance for most landlords: Allstate
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Why it's great
Allstate's comprehensive coverage options make it our top insurer choice for most landlords, from construction to leasing.
Our findings show that Allstate has the best coverage options available for those who own and rent out their property. Allstate’s features include coverage for common concerns landlords have, such as property damage and loss of rental income. Allstate also offers protection against liability claims, interior vandalism and theft of furnishings that were provided in the unit.
Allstate’s comprehensive coverage of different rental situations includes several niche options, further highlighting the scope of its insurance plan. The company’s rental construction coverage can offer protections even before you complete the construction of your future rental property. Furthermore, Allstate provides coverage for the additional costs associated with stricter building codes in a rebuilding scenario.
Best landlord insurance for condos: Travelers
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Why it's great
Travelers offers coverage options that are especially useful for landlords of condo units.
The risks faced by landlords of condo units are different from the risks faced by those who own stand-alone houses or entire apartment buildings. Travelers offers coverage options that are especially useful if you have one unit (or a few units) in a larger complex.
For example, the condo insurance that Travelers offers to landlords includes loss assessment protections that compensate you if your condo association votes to charge condo owners an unscheduled assessment fee to cover any unexpected repairs to common areas. If you have a Travelers' policy, the income you earn from renting out your condo will not be interrupted by maintenance decisions that don’t fall within your control.
Best coverage for multiunit properties: Farmers
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Why it's great
Farmers makes it much easier to insure a property with more than one rental unit.
Farmers offers the ability to manage coverage of all of your apartment rental units as a single line item, a unique feature among most insurance policies. When managing multiple tenants, it can be complicated to keep up with everything; however, Farmers provides an opportunity to simplify the process. You could save considerable time and effort by having the option to combine insurance coverage for all of your rental properties into one item.
Aside from the advantage of having the power to consolidate your landlord coverage, Farmers also provides the support of a major insurance provider with robust service and coverages that protect you against the increased liability and building code risks that come with being the landlord of multiple properties. Additionally, Farmers will give landlords up to 18 months of coverage for any rental property income they miss out on due to a covered loss.
Best for full-time landlords: State Farm
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Why it's great
State Farm's bundle discount lets you save by combining rental property insurance with other key coverages for your property management business.
State Farm offers the greatest range of coverage options when it comes to bundling your landlord coverage with other insurance policies, helping to lower your insurance premiums in general. This option makes the most sense if you would like to manage all coverages required for your business through just one provider.
State Farm also offers customizable protection for your rental property, which includes coverage for workers' compensation, commercial auto and any other required components of your real estate business. If your full-time occupation is being a landlord, opting for a bundled insurance deal from a provider like State Farm can help save you both time and money.
What is landlord insurance, and when do you need it?
Like a standard homeowners insurance policy, a landlord insurance policy will cover damage to your property from things like fire or windstorms. But it also provides a few extra protections that regular homeowners don't need.
Most landlord-specific policies include loss of rental income and expanded coverage for injury liability — two less relevant factors for owner-occupied homes. Also, insurers charge more for landlord policies because tenants are more likely than owners to cause property damage.
The insurance you choose as a landlord should cover any event that would impact your bottom line. Whether you're leasing on a yearlong basis or hosting month-to-month stays, having the right insurance can help you weather the financial burden of irresponsible tenants and accidents that could cause you to lose out on rental income.
If you're a frequent Airbnb host, your high turnover rate may make it harder or more expensive to obtain a standard landlord policy. Airbnb does offer a Host Protection Insurance plan designed to address the insurance needs of its hosts, and some insurers offer special policies specifically for vacation rentals.
Methodology: How we picked the best landlord insurance
Our selection of landlord insurance providers is based on our evaluation of coverages that aren't covered by your standard homeowners insurance policy. In our view, the most common risks of being a landlord are tenant-related property damage and the loss of income from events that make a property unrentable. We evaluated the nation's top insurance companies based on how well their landlord policies address these risks and how much they charge for that coverage.
Besides comparing the major providers in terms of policy features and value, we also considered their relative customer satisfaction ratings. While this factor is relevant to any type of insurance, it's especially important when you're choosing a landlord insurance policy. Dealing with damage to a property that you rent to someone else is more complex than for a home that you own and occupy yourself. As a landlord, you'll want an insurance provider that's responsive in tricky situations.