Renters insurance: contents insurance for renters and tenants
Renters insurance is contents insurance for renters and tenants: it covers your own belongings against events like fire, storm, theft and (in most policies) flood, and it usually includes legal liability cover, which can protect you if you accidentally damage the landlord's property or someone is injured at your home. In NSW and Victoria it is always your choice: a rental agreement can't require a tenant to take out any insurance.
Your landlord's insurance covers the building and the landlord's own fixtures and contents. It does not cover your things, and it does not protect you from a claim the landlord or their insurer makes against you. That is the gap renters insurance fills. Our guide to contents insurance explains item limits and sums insured in more detail.
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General advice only. It doesn't consider your circumstances. Read the PDS and TMD before you decide.
Who insures what in a rental
Three policies can be in play in a rented home, and each covers different things. The renter's policy is the only one that protects the renter.
| Item or risk | Renter's contents policy | Landlord's policy | Strata policy (units) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your furniture, clothes, electronics | Yes | No | No |
| Landlord's carpets, blinds, appliances | No | Yes, as landlord contents | Sometimes, as fixtures |
| The building structure | No | Yes, for houses | Yes, for units and common property |
| Damage you accidentally cause to the property | Often, through legal liability | The landlord's insurer may pay, then pursue you | The owners corporation's insurer may pay, then pursue you |
| Injury to a visitor in your home | Usually, through legal liability | Only the owner's liability | Only for common property |
| Temporary accommodation if the home is unliveable | Usually, as a benefit | No | No |
Why the liability cover matters
Moneysmart makes the point that even a renter who thinks their belongings are not worth insuring may want contents insurance for the legal liability cover alone. If a fire starts from your heater or a bath overflows into the unit below, the damage is to someone else's property, and their insurer can pay the claim and then seek to recover the cost from the person responsible.
Liability cover under a contents policy responds when you are found legally liable for damage or injury, up to the policy limit. NRMA's home PDS, for example, specifically extends it to damage a tenant causes to the landlord's property, including the home, that has been left for the tenant to use. It does not cover damage you cause deliberately, and it is not a substitute for your obligations under the lease, such as leaving the property in the condition it was let in, less fair wear and tear.
What renters insurance usually covers
Most renters policies are simply contents policies sold with a renter's needs in mind. Look for these components.
- Your belongings at the rental address against listed events: fire, storm, flood where included, theft, malicious damage, escape of liquid, impact and others.
- Legal liability, $20 million in the NRMA and Suncorp home PDSs, for example.
- Temporary accommodation if an insured event makes the rental unliveable, capped by time or amount.
- Items in transit when you move, usually only for specific events such as a collision involving the removal truck.
- Optional: accidental damage, portable contents for items you take out, and specified high-value items.
Renters insurance in NSW
In NSW, whether you insure is your choice, and the law makes sure of it: a tenancy agreement can't include a term requiring the tenant to take out any form of insurance, such as home contents or public liability insurance. Nor can a landlord ask for insurance as security for allowing a pet; see pets in a rental below.
What the lease does decide is what you could end up paying for. In NSW, as in Victoria and Queensland, you're responsible for damage you cause beyond fair wear and tear, and the landlord can claim it from your bond or through the state tribunal. The liability cover in a contents policy is what can respond to that kind of claim, within its terms. The bond is capped at 4 weeks' rent, held by NSW Fair Trading through Rental Bonds Online, and disputes go to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
| State | Maximum bond | Who holds it | Where disputes go |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 4 weeks' rent | NSW Fair Trading, through Rental Bonds Online | NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) |
| Victoria | Usually one month's rent; higher limits can apply where rent is over $900 a week | Residential Tenancies Bond Authority (RTBA) | Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria, then the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) |
| Queensland | 4 weeks' rent for general tenancies, including any bond called a pet bond | Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) | RTA dispute resolution, then the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) |
Renters insurance in Victoria
In Victoria, a rental agreement can't require you to take out any form of insurance, and Consumer Affairs Victoria says it also can't make you pay, or be liable by default for, the rental provider's insurance excess. A term that tries to is invalid. Contents insurance is still worth weighing for your own belongings and the liability cover.
The bond is usually capped at one month's rent, with higher limits possible where rent is over $900 a week, and it's held by the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority. Bond disputes now go to Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria first, then VCAT if they aren't resolved. A rental provider who wants to refuse a pet must apply to VCAT within 14 days.
Renters insurance in Queensland
Queensland's tenancy law doesn't address insurance directly. Under the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act, a lessor can't make buying goods or services a condition of accepting you as a tenant, and the Residential Tenancies Authority says special terms in an agreement can't require you to buy goods or services, apart from carpet cleaning where you keep a pet. Neither says whether insurance counts, so ask the RTA if a lease seems to require it.
The bond is capped at 4 weeks' rent however it's named, including a pet bond, and the RTA holds it. Disputes go through the RTA's free dispute resolution, then QCAT. A request to keep a pet needs a reply within 14 days, or it's treated as approved.
What insurance do you need when renting?
Most renters need contents insurance with legal liability cover, and little else from a home policy, because the landlord insures the building. Around it, think about three things.
- Your belongings and liability: a contents policy, with portable cover for anything valuable you carry, such as a laptop or bike.
- Your car: a contents policy doesn't cover vehicles, so a car needs its own car insurance.
- Your pet: damage your own pets cause is commonly excluded from contents policies, even with accidental damage cover, so budget for it.
Pets in a rental
Each state sets its own rules for pets and bonds, and the money at stake is what a contents policy usually won't cover. In NSW, from 19 May 2025, a landlord can't ask for a higher bond or rent, or any other security such as insurance, as a condition of allowing a pet, and can refuse a pet only on set grounds, such as a high probability that it will cause more damage than the bond would cover. In Victoria, rental providers can't ask for an additional pet bond. In Queensland, the maximum bond applies to all bonds however they are named, including a pet bond, and the RTA says damage caused by an approved pet is the tenant's responsibility and isn't fair wear and tear. In Western Australia, a pet bond of up to $350 can be charged for fumigation and pet-related damage.
Your pet's own vet bills are a separate insurance question: our guides to dog insurance and pet insurance cover them.
Share houses and moving out
In a share house, each tenant's belongings are generally their own responsibility. A policy covers the people and property its PDS defines, which is usually the policyholder and their family or household, so housemates may each need their own policy. Theft by a housemate or someone you invited in is commonly excluded because there was no forced entry.
Renters move more often than owners, which is when contents are most exposed. Check whether the policy covers items in transit, whether the cover moves with you to the new address from the day you move, and tell your insurer the new address before you move, because the premium is set by postcode.
How to compare renters insurance
Start with a sum insured based on replacing everything at today's prices, then compare policies on the same sum insured and excess. Read the Key Facts Sheet for the events covered, check the item limits for anything expensive you own, and decide whether you need portable cover for the laptop, phone or bike you carry every day. The cheapest policy is often cheaper because it pays indemnity value instead of new for old, has low item limits or leaves out flood. Our guide to home and contents insurance explains how to read a Key Facts Sheet.
General advice only. This information doesn't take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether the product is right for you and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before you decide. We don't compare every product in the market, and we may earn a commission if you take up a product through our links.
What to watch for
- Your landlord's policy does not cover your belongings or your liability.
- Theft without forced entry, including by housemates or guests, is often excluded.
- Pet damage to the rental is usually excluded, even with accidental damage cover.
- Update your address before moving day, and check how items in transit are covered.
- Low item limits on laptops, jewellery and bikes. List valuable items individually.
Common questions
Is renters insurance the same as contents insurance?
In practice, yes: renters insurance is contents insurance bought by a tenant. It covers your belongings and usually your legal liability, but not the building, which the landlord insures. Compare it the way you would any contents policy, on the same sum insured, excess and options.
Is renters insurance worth it?
Price replacing everything you own at today's prices, then weigh it against the premium and excess. Many renters also value the legal liability cover, which can respond if you accidentally cause damage to the building or injure someone, a risk the landlord's policy does not cover for you.
What will renters insurance cover?
Your belongings against listed events such as fire, storm, theft and, in most policies, flood, plus legal liability and usually temporary accommodation. Accidental damage and cover for items away from home are normally optional extras.
What doesn't renters insurance cover?
The building and the landlord's fixtures, wear and tear, gradual damage, damage caused by your pets, theft without forced entry in many policies, and items above the policy's category limits unless you list them.
Does my landlord's insurance cover my belongings?
No. Landlord insurance covers the building, the landlord's own contents such as carpets and appliances, loss of rent and the landlord's liability. Your belongings need your own contents policy.
How much is renters insurance in Australia?
The ACCC's latest figures put the average contents-only premium at $531 in 2024-25, across all contents policies, not renters alone. Your price depends on your sum insured, postcode, security, claims history and excess, so compare quotes on the same sum insured and excess, then compare what each covers.
What insurance do you need if you are renting?
Usually contents insurance with legal liability cover, since the landlord insures the building. Add portable cover for valuables you carry, insure any car separately, and remember that damage by your own pets is commonly excluded.
Can my landlord make me get renters insurance?
Not in NSW or Victoria. A NSW tenancy agreement can't include a term requiring the tenant to take out any form of insurance, and Consumer Affairs Victoria says a Victorian rental agreement can't require a renter to take out any form of insurance either. Queensland's law doesn't address insurance directly, and other states set their own rules, so check with your state's tenancy authority.
What should I tell my insurer when I apply or make a claim?
Answer every question honestly and carefully. For consumer policies entered into or renewed since 5 October 2021, the Insurance Contracts Act requires you to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation, judged partly on how clear and specific the insurer's questions were. When you claim, describe what happened as accurately as you can without guessing at the cause, and keep photos, receipts and reports. The Act lets an insurer refuse a fraudulent claim.