[Home Insurance for Tenants] How to choose tenant insurance? Check out highly rated home insurance now.

Everyone has probably heard of home insurance, but in fact, as an owner or a tenant, the type of home insurance you take out differs according to your status. Most people think that only owners need to purchase home insurance, but tenants also have this need. However, the focus of home insurance for tenants is different; the main considerations are the protection of household contents, liability for the unit’s fixtures and fittings, and personal accident cover. This article is based on the actual needs of tenants to help them find highly rated home insurance.

When tenants choose home insurance, they usually only pay attention to the contents inside the home, or the tenant’s personal accident cover. In fact, tenant home insurance has other uses.

Many people think that any accident occurring at a property is the landlord’s responsibility, but this is actually a misunderstanding. If the property is a rental unit and the tenant’s negligence causes injury to others, for example if an aluminium window detaches and falls, or an accident occurs inside the unit, the tenant may also be liable. However, if the tenant has purchased home insurance, the third-party liability cover included in the policy can cover this responsibility.  

To help tenants choose suitable home insurance, 10Life has established a scoring methodology for home insurance based on tenants’ protection needs, and rates over 30 home insurance policies on the market according to three major categories: home contents cover (65%), legal liability cover (20%) and personal accident cover (15%). 

Home insurance premiums are generally assessed based on the property type, building age, property usage, gross floor area (square feet) and scope of cover. Excluding the premium factor, among more than 30 home insurance products, from a tenant’s perspective, Zurich’s “Your Choice Home” Insurance Plan (Standard) received full marks for home contents cover, legal liability cover and personal accident cover, so 10Life’s overall rating is a perfect 10 out of 10. In addition, three other products achieved an overall score of 9.1 or above, namely products from QBE, Dah Sing and Prudential.

In addition to general household contents, home insurance can also provide protection for the deposit paid by tenants. In accordance with common rental practice in Hong Kong, when a tenant enters into a tenancy agreement with the landlord, the tenant will usually pay two months’ rent in advance as a deposit. If the tenancy ends and the interior fixtures and fittings remain in good condition, the landlord will refund the full amount to the tenant. However, some home insurance policies offer protection for the deposit. For example, MSIG iHome Home Insurance Plan A will provide compensation if the landlord becomes bankrupt and is unable to repay the rent deposit paid by the tenant.

Note: This article was last updated on 8 June 2026.  

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.