Can You Be Evicted for Not Having Tenant Insurance?

This guide is part of our series on tenant rights and tenant insurance. 

There’s a lot to consider when moving into a new apartment. Transporting all your belongings, scouting the local neighborhood, and setting up an entire new apartment takes a lot of work and planning. One thing that sometimes gets overlooked is tenant insurance. 

Landlords don’t always require a renter to get tenant insurance – but, when they do, it’s an additional consideration for you to keep in mind at what is likely to already be a busy time. It might be tempting to skip this step, but doing so can have repercussions for a renter. 

Could You Be Evicted for Not Having Tenant Insurance?

It is possible to be evicted for not having tenant insurance, if a landlord requires you to have it as part of your contract with them. While it’s not a legal requirement to have a tenant insurance policy, if a landlord makes it a contractual part of your lease agreement, you’re obligated to get a policy. If you don’t, you could face eviction. 

Whether a landlord can act on a missing tenant insurance policy depends on whether it's clearly written into the lease agreement. If it is, it usually only pertains to the personal liability portion of your insurance. That means getting something like contents coverage (for your personal belongings) is optional (although most policies include some level of contents coverage as standard). 

If you’re found to not have tenant insurance, despite being asked to, the landlord could move forward with trying to evict you. In practice, this usually plays out the way most lease issues do, starting with a written notice and a window of time to sort it out, rather than anything sudden. 

All this said, the more useful question isn't really about enforcement at all. It's about why having tenant insurance coverage in place is worth it – regardless of whether anyone's checking.

Why tenant insurance is worth having

Whether your landlord does or doesn’t ask you to get a policy, tenant insurance is often an important consideration for renters. It exists to provide financial support which covers a wide range of everyday situations renters regularly face. For that reason, it's often considered a practical thing to have, regardless of whether you’re required to get it or not. 

Some of the benefits to getting a tenant insurance policy are:

• Personal belongings. Furniture, electronics, clothing, and other items in a rented unit are generally the tenant's own responsibility to replace if something happens to them, whether that's a fire, a water event, or theft. A policy with contents coverage for your personal property means the cost of replacing them doesn't always have to be paid entirely out of pocket.

• Liability protection. If a guest is injured in your unit, or if something in the unit causes damage to a neighbouring space, a tenant can be held responsible for the resulting costs. Liability coverage is the part of a policy built specifically to address that kind of situation, including costs connected to a legal dispute if one arises.

• Additional living expenses. If the unit becomes temporarily unlivable, whether from fire, water damage, or another event your insurance covers, this type of coverage generally helps with the added cost of staying somewhere else in the meantime. Things like temporary accommodation, meals above your usual budget, or additional commuting costs are often covered. 

• Independence from a landlord's policy. A landlord's own insurance is generally built around the structure of the building, not a tenant's belongings or personal liability. Having a separate policy means a tenant isn't relying on coverage that was never designed with their financial situation in mind.

• Affordability relative to the protection involved. Tenant insurance tends to be one of the more affordable types of coverage available, especially relative to the range of costs it can help address, which is part of why it's often seen as good value for what it provides. An average policy provided by APOLLO* costs around just $21, as of 2026. 

How to Get Tenant Insurance

Setting up a policy tends to be a fairly quick process, involving a few common steps:

• Understand what needs to be covered. This usually starts with a rough idea of the value of personal belongings in the unit, since that tends to shape the personal property portion of a policy. That’s easier said than done, so try to use online tools and calculators to work out how much coverage you might need. 

• Decide on a liability amount. Policies generally offer a few different liability coverage levels, and choosing one often comes down to weighing the added cost against the added protection. Most of the time, liability options will be $1 or $2 million.

• Pick a deductible amount. Your deductible is the amount which is taken off a claims payout before you receive it. This out-of-pocket cost is included in almost any tenant insurance policy, and often ranges from a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand. The higher it is, the cheaper your policy tends to be, while a lower deductible often means higher premiums. 

• Provide some basic details. Setting up a policy typically involves sharing information like the unit's address, the move-in date, and whether the building has any relevant safety features, such as smoke detectors or sprinklers.

• Align the start date with the lease. Coverage is generally set to begin around the same time as the lease itself, so there isn't a gap between moving in and having a policy in place. Also decide if you want to pay in monthly or annual installments. 

• Keep proof of coverage handy. Once a policy is active, having a copy of the confirmation or certificate on hand makes it easy to share with a landlord if it's ever requested. Online insurers now make this easier than ever, often providing dedicated customer portals where you can view and better understand the details of your tenant insurance agreement.

Whether a missing tenant insurance policy could lead to eviction is really a question about lease enforcement, and the answer tends to depend on the specifics. The more practical point is that tenant insurance covers a lot of ground, belongings, liability, and temporary living costs, at a relatively accessible cost, and setting it up is usually a straightforward process.

Whether or not a lease requires it, having a policy in place tends to be the more sensible way to approach the risks that come with renting.

The information provided on this page is intended for general educational purposes only and does not constitute insurance advice, a recommendation, or an offer to sell insurance. Every individual's insurance needs are unique and depend on personal circumstances. We encourage you to consult with an independent licensed insurance broker in your province who can assess your specific situation and recommend appropriate coverage. 

*Apollo Insurance Agency Ltd. o/a APOLLO is a licensed insurance intermediary operating across Canada (excluding Quebec and the territories). Coverage is subject to policy terms, conditions, and exclusions.