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Using Your USAA Renters Insurance

Learn how your coverage works, how to get proof of insurance and more.

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Get proof of insurance

It’s also known as a certificate of insurance.

When You May Need It

A leasing company or the owner of a house you’re renting may ask you to provide proof of insurance when you start or renew your lease.

How You Can Get It

You can ask us to mail a paper form to you, but you’ll get it right away if we fax or email it. You can also get your proof using the USAA Mobile App.

Who Else Can Get It

We can send it to any additional interested party at the start of your policy term. If your coverage changes, it may be good to review or add an additional party.

Understanding what’s covered‍ ‍ See note 1

Your renters policy may cover certain situations you haven’t thought about. Learn about what renters insurance covers.‍ ‍ See note 2

Power Failure

The food in your refrigerator is spoiled because the power goes out.

Theft

Your laptop is stolen from your car while you’re traveling on vacation.

Wind and Water Damage

A storm damages your patio furniture, or a pipe bursts and floods your apartment.

Flood and Earthquake Damage

Floodwaters ruin your clothing, or an earthquake damages your TV.

Claims Against You

A neighbor slips on your wet floor, gets injured and sues you to recover their medical costs.‍ ‍ See note 2

Coverage types and amounts

It’s important to help protect what you have and your financial security.

Personal Belongings

Take stock of what you have and decide how much you’d need to replace it all. Don’t forget about the stuff you have in storage. We’ll help cover your things at today’s cost with no depreciation after a covered loss.

Liability

Lawsuits and medical bills can be costly. Consider the amount of coverage you’d need if you’re held liable for someone’s injury or damage to their belongings.

Loss of Use

If a covered event leaves your home unlivable, this helps pay for temporary housing and increased expenses. It includes costs for things like hotel stays or apartment rent, food, laundry, moving, and pet boarding.

Learn about renters coverage

Extra protection for your electronics

Electronics coverage offers protection beyond the standard renters policy for items like computers, tablets, mobile phones, wearable tech, gaming systems and TVs.

For as little as 14 cents a day,‍ ‍ See note 3 you can get covered for things like drops, spills and lost electronics.

If your stuff gets damaged, we’ll pay the cost to repair it, or we may replace it with a new item up to your policy limits. You just pay the deductible.

Learn about electronics coverage

How the claims process works

Steps to complete How the claims process works

  1. Tell us what happened.

    You can report a renters claim quickly online or by using the USAA Mobile App.

  2. Get an estimate.

    We’ll review your coverage, check out the damage and give you an estimate.

  3. Receive a payment.

    After we approve the claim, we’ll send the covered amount minus your deducible.

  4. Get items repaired or replaced.

    Use the money to replace your items or pay a contractor for repairs.

Learn more about filing claims

How deductibles work

A deductible is what we subtract from your claim's total payment amount.

The average deductible starts at about $250. After we subtract the deductible, we'd cover the rest to repair or replace your things.

How renewal works

In most cases, we’ll automatically start your policy renewal about two months before the end of your policy date. We’ll send you a new policy declarations page within 30 days of renewal.

If you’re on an automatic payment plan, we’ll tell you when your payment will come out of your account.

What happens to your renters policy when you move

Your renters insurance goes with you when you move. Just remember to update your policy with your new address and check that it still meets your needs.

If you buy a house, we make it easy to change to a USAA homeowners policy. Make sure your homeowners policy is active and your things arrive at your new home before you cancel your renters insurance.

Military member benefits

  • We'll waive the deductible on claims for military gear and uniforms.
  • If you live in military housing, you can save on your renters policy premium.
  • War coverage is automatic for your stuff that’s damaged, destroyed or abandoned due to war outside the U.S.
  • You can make payments around your military pay schedule.

Other protection to add

Your renters policy has limitations. Adding other types of coverage and policies may help bridge the gaps.

Valuable Personal Property Insurance

For as little as $2 a month, Valuable Personal Property insurance, or VPP, provides extra coverage for items like jewelry, guns and more. And there's no deductible.

Learn about VPPInsurance

Umbrella Insurance

Sometimes your renters insurance can’t cover all the medical bills from someone’s injury. Umbrella insurance protects you from liability beyond the limits of other policies.

Learn about umbrellainsurance

Using renters insurance FAQ

Whether you can add someone who lives with you to your policy can depend on a number of reasons. For example, are they a relative? Are they married to you or are you engaged to them?

We recommend that a roommate purchases their own renters policy.

If they don't have insurance, you may be able to get them covered under your policy with what’s called a cohabitant endorsement.

You can also add a landlord as an additional interest on your policy. If you want to add your apartment complex, you need to have the name of the property management company.

Yes. Flood damage is caused by rising water, or floodwater, coming from outside your property. Water damage could be from a burst pipe or rainwater coming in through a hole in the roof. It’s damage unrelated to outside floodwaters.

Flood coverage usually doesn’t come standard with renters insurance, but it’s included with a USAA Renters Insurance policy.

It depends. If you use a professional moving company and have a bill of lading or another form of shipping or storage contract, then renters insurance may cover your things if they’re lost or have some kinds of damage.

But it won’t cover stuff that you move or store on your own. Keep in mind that your renters insurance also won’t cover breaking, marring or scratching caused by the moving company.

You may want to consider buying the moving or storage company’s coverage for added protection.

Renters insurance resources

Why get computer and laptop insurance?

Article: 5 minutes

Read article: Why get computer and laptop insurance

Do I need insurance for my college dorm or apartment?

Article: 6 minutes

Read article: Do I need insurance for my college dorm or apartment

Why you need renters insurance, especially in the military

Article: 7 minutes

Read article: Why you need renters insurance, especially in the military

Help protect your belongings and more with renters coverage.

View your policy

Related footnotes:

  1. Coverage descriptions are brief and subject to the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. Read your insurance policy for details. Applications subject to underwriting.

  2. The coverage examples or scenarios included above are intended to show the types of situations that may result in claims. They shouldn’t be compared to an actual claim. Whether or to what extent a particular loss is covered depends on the facts and circumstances of the loss, the terms, and conditions of the policy as issued and applicable law.

  3. Countrywide average price for policyholders who have $1,000 in coverage as of January 2025. Rates may vary by location and risk. Rates are subject to change.

Related footnotes:

  1. Membership eligibility and product restrictions apply and are subject to change.

  2. Property and casualty insurance underwritten by United Services Automobile Association (USAA), USAA Casualty Insurance Company, USAA General Indemnity Company, Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company, NOBLR Reciprocal Exchange, based in San Antonio, Texas; USAA S.A. (Europe), and USAA S.A. UK Branch (United Kingdom) and is available only to persons eligible for property and casualty group membership. Each company has sole financial responsibility for its own products.

    Coverages subject to the terms and conditions of the policy.

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