What home insurance should you set for rental

Question

We recently started to invest in rental for single family houses and I am curious on what's general guideline on the rental insurance. Currently for a 250k single family(new construction we have), I get an insurance like below pic.

(1) should dwelling match the home value in general?

(2) should medical payments be higher?

(3) should liability be higher?

(4) what's your general requirement for the rental insurance that tenant will purchase?

Sarah Brown · Answer

The dwelling won't match the purchase price of your property because part of that purchase was land.  The idea is to cover enough to rebuild the dwelling.

I would recommend finding a good insurance agent that you trust to protect you.  There are many things that can go wrong in owning and managing a rental.  Find an agent that is experienced in this arena.  As you grow, this will become extremely important.

Sam Li · Answer

@John Mocker Hi John. Thanks a lot for the details. Very informative!

John Mocker · Answer

Sam,

Just like you need an Attorney & CPA that is experienced in the areas you will be dealing with (real estate, tax, personal injury defense, eviction, construction, etc.) you should be seeking a professional Insurance Agent.  They should have experience insuring rental properties.  As you grow your business you may need them to have experience with Apartment buildings, Construction, Vacant land, Vacant Buildings, etc. so you should consider that as well when interviewing them.  I would seek recommendations from other investors, your CPA, Attorney, Contractors.  If there are any Real Estate Investors groups in your area that could be a good source as well.

Below is some info that I posted in the past. It may be helpful:

Here are some things to look for from an Insurance prospective:

1.Any in-ground tanks (active or inactive)

2.Any Knob & Tube or Aluminum Wiring

3.If built before 1978, does the building have Lead Safe certifications

4.Any wood stoves or secondary heating units. If so, were permits pulled & were they installed by a professional

5.Are any of the homes rented to students

6.Is there a flat roof

7.are there asbestos shingles

The Year that the following were updated (either partially or fully) would be good to know:

- Heating systems

- Roof

- Plumbing

- electrical

Some companies will not write properties with systems that have not been updated.

As long as you are living there, the proper policy for a 1-4 family is a "Homeowners" policyc. If the property is solely tenant occupied you will be looking for a Dwelling/Fire Policy (may be called a Landorrd policy or similar name) or a commercial policy such as a Businessowners or Package polciy.

Most homeowers or dwelliing/fire policies include:

1. Dwelling (Building coverage)

The limit should be based on the Replacement Cost of the building (cost to rebuild with

the same kind and quality excluding the foundation)

2. Contents (Personal Property): most homeowners policies give a set % of the Building

limit for Contents. Dwelling/Fire policies requrie that you request a limit for conents.

3. Detached Structures: for other buildings on the property (ie. sheds & detached garages)

Again, there is normally an included limit of 10% of the building limit. That can be increased

if needed.

4. Loss of Use / Loss of Rents: Normally, there is a 20% included limit. Loss of use is for

your additional expenses if you can not live there due to a covered claim (ie. Fire). The

Loss of Rents is for the loss of Rental income if the tenants can not occupy the house

after a covered loss.

5. Personal Liability: For claims due to Bodily Injury or Property Damage that you become

Liable for and which is covered under the policy. Companies normally offer limits up to

$500,000 but some offer $1,000,000. Buy the max.

6. Medical Payments: Provides coverage for an injury suffered on the premises. Does not

require proof that you were at fault. Used to keep small loses into becoming lawsuits.

Normally offered up to $5,000 but check to see if higher limits are available.

7. Deductible: This is not a coverage but rather your portion of a claim. Most better policies

will not have a deductible for either the Liability or Medical payments coverage. It will

apply to the other 4 coverages. You can select the amount of the deductible, usually

ranges from $500 to $5,000. The higher the deductible the lower your overall premium

but get quotes on all the deductibles you are interested in. Sometimes the incremental

savings from $1,000 to $2,500 or from $2,500 to $5,000 are too small to make the higher

deductible worthwhile. ***depending on how far the house is from the coast, you may

also be required to have a separate Wind or Hurricane deductible. Most times, the

deductible will be 2% to 5% of the building value. That is a significant amount

(on a $500,000 building that comes to $10,000 for 2% or $25,000 for 5%). A policy

with a higher premium may be a better deal if it does not have a wind deductible.

There are many endorsements that are available on the homeowners policy. Without

knowing the details I can not suggest which would be right to add on.

Several you should

pay attention to are:

- Ordinance & Law: Provides additional building coverage to deal with rebuilding cost

Increases due to changes in Zoning or Building laws

- Personal Injury Liability: Libel, defimation of character, wrongful imprisionment, etc. (normally recommended, especially if you are a landlord)

- Water Backup: For water damage due to the backup of Sewers or Drains.

- Personal Articles: Coverage for belongings that have a special or collectors value

such as Jewelery, Furs, Fine Arts, Collectibles, etc...

Good Luck & feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Sam Li · Answer

@Ruth Geller Thanks Ruth. I do have a liability of 500k while the medical is only 5k. What does they cover differently and should we increase medical as well?

Ruth Geller · Answer

@Sam Li - it should be the cost to rebuild not the market value.

Regarding Liability - I would recommend no less than $500K but it would be wise to have an Umbrella for at least $1M, especially if you own multiple homes.

Sam Li · Answer

@Sarah Brown Thanks Sarah! Is there some general guideline though, especially for the liability portion? That's more covering the tenants so I assume it should be more general?

What home insurance should you set for rental

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