I was ready to sign the lease, except for I noticed that it requires me to provide proof of insurance for contents and liability, so then the landlords are not responsible for anything happened to me in the house. Also he mentioned that this is required by his insurance company to insure his property as he has been sued before by a tenant that was injured in his property.

I just wonder if that is common as I don't think I know anyone that has applied for insurance to rent a room.

Also they were really **** about not letting me move from the room that's being renovated to the room that I intend to rent for sepetember, even though neither of the two rooms has a lease with anyone for the summer.(They just got this place) And the insist me to move back to my previous one when it is done renovating.

That's stupid. Offtopic, but I find it even more BS how some of these stupid landlords ask for References LOL WTF it's as if we're not paying them rent and we're just staying for free.

Some places either a) ask to show proof of liability insurance or b) sign a waiver indicating that you are not going to get liability/tenants insurance. Rental units do not cover tenants' contents in the event of damage. The insurance is simply structural, so I think it may just be a way to say that you will not sue them in case a tree hits the house and belongings get destroyed. I have contents insurance and it costs 150 for a year, so in the grand scheme of things it's worth it.

I will say it's sketchy that they aren't flexible in letting you choose to stay in a room that's not being renovated.

Just did a quick search since I was curious, and I found this from RBC:

"While your landlord most likely has property insurance on the actual building in which you live, your landlord's policy does not provide financial protection for your personal belongings, upgrades you have made to the home/unit, or your own personal liability to others"

Basically, I don't think the landlord can do that, let alone with his reasoning. If you get hurt from the house, you can still sue him whether or not you have insurance and your insurance will not protect him. On the other hand, if a friend was to sue you since your computer fell on his leg and shattered his leg or something like that, then the insurance will protect you from being sued. I really don't see how he benefits from this.

Definitely, definitely, definitely get tenants insurance. You don't realize how much your stuff is worth until you get broken into or your house burns down. Your landlord's insurance DOES NOT COVER YOUR STUFF. Can you afford to suddenly replace your computer, your entire wardrobe, any DVDs or games you own, your textbooks, etc.? It adds up ridiculously fast. When I was 12 someone broke into my house and stole about three duffel bags of stuff - it cost ten grand to replace.

Originally Posted by Snowman

Just did a quick search since I was curious, and I found this from RBC:

"While your landlord most likely has property insurance on the actual building in which you live, your landlord's policy does not provide financial protection for your personal belongings, upgrades you have made to the home/unit, or your own personal liability to others"

Basically, I don't think the landlord can do that, let alone with his reasoning. If you get hurt from the house, you can still sue him whether or not you have insurance and your insurance will not protect him. On the other hand, if a friend was to sue you since your computer fell on his leg and shattered his leg or something like that, then the insurance will protect you from being sued. I really don't see how he benefits from this.

I saw that from RBC as well, buying insurance for my self doesnt really change his responsibility towards me. They just changed their mind saying that I can sign a waiver I guess they finally realize how hard to get tenant if insurance is required. Plus why would I spend over $100 to insure just 1K of stuff? If take my laptop and wallet with me then it only leave the heavy textbooks and clothes that may not fit him to take...

Renters insurance (and references for that matter, landlords commonly get burned through bad tenants) is standard for most non-student house rentals.

It's also a REALLY good idea because it covers your stuff and protects you from liability in case you get sued. It also happens to be dirt cheap for most people in apartments or student houses because we don't really have much stuff to insure. I think I pay like $12 a month through TD.

Tenant insurance is a GOOD idea and I think it shows that your landlord is actually responsible. Most landlords don't ask because they don't care, their insurance never covers your stuff so if the house burned down you'd be SOL but the landlord would be reimbursed. That's why tenant insurance is a good idea. It's also cheap.

They may be asking you to move to your original room because you a) signed a lease for that room or b) they charge different amounts of rent for each room.

Also talk to your parents and ask if they one - have home insurance (which is most likely if they are homeowners) and two - have you covered under their policy. My parents' house insurance covers any children who may be living away from home and their contents wherever they should choose to reside.

I was covered under their insurance in my house in hamilton and I've just moved downtown Toronto and I was asked to do the same so I just provided proof from their insurance company that I'm covered at my residing address.

Hope that helps but either way like everyone else has mentioned, getting the insurance is definitely beneficial.