New Brunswick renting guide
Tenant insurance in New Brunswick
Tenant insurance is not required by law in New Brunswick, but your landlord can make it a condition of your lease. It covers your own belongings and your liability, which the landlord's insurance does not.
Do I need tenant insurance in New Brunswick?
For tenants
The law does not require you to have tenant insurance, but a landlord is allowed to require it as a term of your lease, so check what you signed. It is usually worth having anyway: it covers your belongings if there is a fire, theft, or water damage, and it covers you if you accidentally damage the unit or someone gets hurt. Your landlord's insurance covers the building, not your things or your liability.
For landlords
You cannot be made to provide it, but you can require a tenant to carry their own insurance as a lease term, since that is not a payment to you and is not prohibited. Asking for proof of insurance is common. Treat a missing required policy as a lease issue through the normal process, not a reason for self-help.
The key facts
- Required by law?
- No
- Can a landlord require it?
- Yes, as a lease term
- Covers
- Your belongings and your liability
- Landlord's insurance
- Covers the building, not your things
Common questions
Do I have to get tenant insurance?
Not by law, but your landlord can require it in your lease, so check. Either way it is usually worth it, it covers your own belongings and your liability, which the landlord's insurance on the building does not.
Sources
This is general information, not legal advice. For a decision on your situation, contact Tenant and Landlord Relations Office (formerly the Residential Tenancies Tribunal).
Have a specific question? Ask the rental assistant for a plain answer with a source.
