What is tenant interest?

Examples of common tenant interests

Tenant's interest covers alterations made to the rental property by you or a previous occupant that are not easy to remove. These permanent improvements are the responsibility of the tenant themselves.

Such modifications are often costly and therefore wise to include in your insurance. They do not fall under ordinary household contents, such as movable items, but under the fixed fittings of the home. This concerns items that are normally covered by buildings insurance . Because you, as a tenant, do not have buildings insurance yourself, these modifications fall under tenant's interest within your contents insurance.

Tenant's interest automatically insured up to a certain amount

Although tenant's interest is automatically included in many contents insurance policies, a maximum amount often applies. In many cases, for example, this is 10% of the total insured value of the contents.

Please note: this amount may vary by insurer and is sometimes insufficient for major modifications, such as solar panels or a luxury kitchen. Therefore, it is important to check to what extent your insurance covers the modifications you have made to your home.

Insuring tenant's interest through your contents insurance

Do you want to properly protect your modifications? Then it is important to actively include tenant's interest in the calculation of your contents insurance. Check the policy conditions to see if:

Don't forget to adjust your insurance for interim renovations or new investments as well. Think of installing solar panels, new kitchen cabinets, or a new floor that you glue to the ground.

Increase tenant's interest in case of insufficient coverage

If the standard coverage for tenant's interest is not sufficient for your situation, you can often have the insured amount increased. You do this by contacting your insurer or intermediary. You cannot take out separate supplementary insurance for this; the increase takes place within your existing contents insurance.

This way, you avoid having to pay part of the costs yourself for permanent and valuable personal modifications in the event of damage, such as a kitchen renovation or solar panels. Clearly report your modifications so that the insurance can provide appropriate coverage.