Renters liability coverage
Updated for plan year 2026
In plain terms
Personal liability coverage on a renters policy pays when you are legally responsible for injuring someone or damaging property, including damage to the apartment or building: a kitchen fire or an overflowing tub that soaks the unit below. It covers the other party's costs and your legal defense up to your limit, and it follows you away from home.
A plain example
You leave a candle burning and scorch the unit. The landlord's insurer rebuilds and then bills you for causing it; your renters liability coverage answers that bill instead of your savings.
Why it matters
Everyone buys renters insurance for their stuff, but liability is what protects your income and savings from a five- or six-figure claim. Base limits often start at $100,000; bumping to $300,000 usually costs little.
A common point of confusion
'The landlord's insurance covers me.' It covers the building and the landlord, not your responsibility for damage you cause.