
Ask HN: For landlords – How do you ask your tenants to buy renters insurance? - eastdark
Most apartment complexes require tenants to buy renters insurance; while for individual landlords, how do you ask your tenants to buy renters insurance?
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taylodl
You put it in the lease. The owner is not responsible for the personal
belongings of the tenant. Your lawyer or broker should be able to assist you
with the language or if you're on your own there are example leases online -
though personally I'd run all contracts by a lawyer. It only costs a few
hundred bucks and you have a sample lease you can use again and again (reuse
FTW!)

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eastdark
Thx! I see. So I won't be financially responsible for the losses. But I'm more
curious that if the tenants' loss will indirectly cause trouble to me (if they
become broken and are not willing to move out?), will it be a better situation
if tenants are willing to have renters insurance in place? If it is, how do
landlords effectively persuade the tenants to do that?

I rented out my property and the current tenant from Europe bought the renters
policy even before I brought up it. But I also encountered someone who never
followed up on that.

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aphextim
I've seen it as part of the lease terms/requirements.

Generic copy/pasta from a few searched netted me this to put in the lease
terms to refute your responsibility for their loss.

>LESSEE is responsible for his own insurance on personal property. LESSOR
shall have no liability for loss, damage or destruction thereof. Lessor may
remove and store at the expense of the LESSEE all property found contained
herein, after move-out or abandonment of the unit by LESSEE.

Follow it up by a preface under the "Use and Care of the Premises"

>Said premises shall be used by LESSEE solely for residential purposes.
Further, LESSEE shall not permit any unlawful or immoral practices to be
committed upon the premises, including, but not limited to, drinking by
persons under the legal age of twenty-one, selling tickets to parties where
drinking by persons under the legal age of twenty-one may occur or the use of
a controlled substance by any person may occur wherein that substance or
substances is bought, sold or given gratuitously, nor use the premises in a
manner which is offensive, noisy or dangerous which may result in an increase
of the insurance rate thereon. Further, the use of the premises by LESSEE
shall be in a manner consistent with the rights of other residents of said
building in accordance with any Federal, State or local laws or ordinances so
as not to cause undue disturbance. Nor to allow any other persons to occupy
premises hereby rented, excepting casual visits of friends or guests to a two
(2) day stay. NO OTHER PERSON(S) SHALL OCCUPY SAID PREMISES FOR MORE THAN TEN
DAYS, IN TOTAL, DURING THE TERM OF THE LEASE.

Key part of that statement I found was

>nor use the premises in a manner which is offensive, noisy or dangerous which
may result in an increase of the insurance rate thereon.

Just my two cents, I am not a lawyer

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eastdark
Thx! Interesting. If those terms are put in the agreement, the landlord seems
to be released from the liability financially. However, if the tenant cannot
afford the losses, it may cause indirect troubles to the landlord, right? I'm
wondering if there is any incentive for the landlord to encourage his tenants
to have renters insurance...

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trcarney
I've had apartments make me list them as an interested party on my renters
insurance. The landlord then would get informed if the policy was cancelled or
lapsed due to lack of payment. That would also be something to look into.

