A rental situation could be mean:

• A one-time rental
• A home sharing situation such as AirBNB.
• A long-term continuous rental.

Each situation above results in a different answer to the question.

• For a one-time rental situation, there may not be any consequence.
• A home sharing exposure may be addressed with an endorsement to your existing homeowners policy - or - a rewrite to a company that will accommodate that exposure.
• A long-term continuous rental situation would likely require the home be rewritten to a landlord or rental policy.

It’s important to know that homeowners insurance policies are different in their policy wording and the endorsements available to cover the rental exposure.

Homeowners policies do not anticipate the home being used as a rental property. Put another way… homeowners policies are explicitly written for owner-occupied dwellings. Policies may include exclusions and limitations if the house is used as a rental. Those exclusions can affect property and liability coverage parts.

Because policies have unique contractual language and endorsements, the answer to your questions is best answered by your agent or company representative.

Given the uniqueness of a rental exposure and the solutions available are numerous, this may be an opportune time to seek the services of a knowledgeable Independent Agent. An Independent Agent (IA) represents multiple carriers and programs. An IA pro can pick from the options available and tailor a situation to your unique house renting needs.

You can find an Independent Agent near you by using Trusted Choice’s agent finder here: Find an Agent