Renters Insurance - Enforcing and If Covers Tenant Damage to Your Home

[Vanessa Leal]

Hi All,

I was wondering how a landlord can enforce the requirement that a tenant purchase and maintain renters insurance with a certain limit of liability throughout their tenancy. What if they move in and don't get it, or they buy it but then cancel it after showing you proof of purchase?

Can a landlord buy the insurance on their behalf and bake it into the cost of the monthly rent to ensure it's purchased?

Also, if the tenant causes a fire in the home (God forbid) due to their negligence, will the renter's insurance cover the damages without me having to use my homeowner's policy? 

What if the tenant pretty much destroys the home (walls messed up, carpets destroyed, etc), can the landlord make a claim for these repairs with the renter's insurance policy under the "liability" section upon tenant move-out?

Thanks for your help! 

Somewhat New Landlord