Natural disasters and rental units
<p>I am familiar with rental units needing to be habitable; maintained in good condition by landlord.</p>
<p>What happens if act of nature causes rental unit to become uninhabitable?</p>
<ul>
<li>Tree falls on complex and opens up rental unit roof.</li>
<li>Hurricane blows out windows.</li>
<li>Heat is out during sub-freezing conditions due to winter storm for extended period.</li>
</ul>
<p>Would these types of events be covered by renters insurance, or landlord's property/commercial insurance? I would see seeking alternate accommodations being warranted in above circumstances.</p>
<p>Other than notifying landlord, are there any other tenant obligations?</p>

<p>Renters insurance typically only covers the tenants possessions, not the structure itself, the owner will need home owners insurance for that. Likewise home owners insurance does not typically cover rental tenants possessions.</p>
<p>It depends on location but usually you as a tenant have a duty to notify and the owner has a duty to repair. If the abode is not habitable, this is usually covered in the terms of the lease and can result in lease termination or just not having to pay rent while the house is uninhabitable.</p>
<p>The owner may be able to do things like:</p>
<ul>
<li>Provide temporary covering for an exposed roof</li>
<li>Temporarily cover windows with plywood</li>
<li>Provide indoor safe alternative fuel heaters</li>
</ul>
<p>This all really depends on where the rental unit is located and the terms of the lease as well as the specific coverage in your renters insurance. I don't believe most homeowners insurance would cover a tenant hotel stay during repairs. Some leases allow for it, it's probably something you can get through renters insurance.</p>

<h2>Read the lease</h2>
<p>At common law, the landlord must provide habitable premises and the tenant must pay rent. If the landlord can’t or won’t then they are in breach and liable for damage the tenant suffers as a result. The fact that the root cause is a circumstance beyond either party’s control is immaterial.</p>
<p>However, almost every lease will define what are commonly called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_majeure" rel="nofollow noreferrer">force majeure</a> events and what happens if they occur. Often such events give one or the other or both parties the right to terminate the contract or for rent payments to be suspended while the premises are uninhabitable.</p>
<h2>Read you policy</h2>
<p>Whether an insurance policy will reimburse you for losses for these events depends on the policy. Landlord’s insurance will often cover lost rent while the premises is repaired. A tenant will usually just have contents insurance which will replace damaged goods; such policies may have optional coverage for relocation costs.</p>

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