Can A Landlord Require Renters Insurance? 
Both Michael and Dan have provided useful information here . I would like to add a personal circumstance that I have often shared , in hopes that it will increase awareness of the importance of this coverage . As both Gentleman have indicated , a landlord can require that the renter 's policy be a term within a lease . Absent a State law that would preclude inclusion of such a clause , it can be a requirement . I saw the value of this important insurance coverage first-hand , when my two Sons had a severe kitchen fire in their apartment in Raleigh , NC a few years ago . Fortunately , no one was hurt but the apartment became totally uninhabitable as a result of the fire and smoke damage . Because my Sons were astute enough to have purchased a renters policy -LRB- they finally listened to their Father ! ... -RRB- they were reimbursed for all of their burned and smoke-damaged possessions . Additionally , they received full reimbursement for living expenses elsewhere , while restoration was being completed . When the landlord sued them for negligence related to the cause of the fire ... which was quickly thrown-out in court , as a frivolous allegation , the insurance carrier provided them a defense for the negligence claim , including the presence of a defense lawyer during the formal hearing . All-in-all , it cost my Sons their very affordable premium and a small loss deductible to get back to their lives . Without the renters policy , they would have been ` hurting ' for a long time ! 