Renters Insurance in Georgia and Alabama

Your landlord's policy covers the building you live in, so we write renters insurance on an HO-4 policy that covers the furniture, clothes, electronics and tools you moved in with, shopping it across our carriers instead of selling one company's version of it

Get a Renters Quote

Most people call us the week a lease is signed, holding a page that says renters insurance is required and a phone number for a property manager who needs proof of it. Tell us what the lease asks for and we will write it and send the proof.

What an HO-4 Renters Policy Actually Covers

A renters policy is built in three parts, and each one answers a different way a rental goes wrong.

Family relaxing and playing together in a bright living room with a couch and large windows
  • Personal property covers what belongs to you inside the unit, including furniture, clothing, electronics, kitchen goods and the tools in the shed out back, none of which a landlord's policy will ever pay for.
  • Personal liability covers you if someone is hurt in your unit or if you damage the property itself, and it carries medical payments so a guest's emergency room visit does not become an argument.
  • Loss of use pays for a hotel room and meals if a fire or a burst pipe makes the place unlivable while it is being repaired.


There is one more choice inside the personal property part that decides what a claim is worth. A policy written on replacement cost pays what a new sofa or a new laptop costs today; a policy written on actual cash value pays what the old one was worth after years of use. We tell you which one your quote is written on before you buy it, not after you file.


Flood is not part of a renters policy anywhere in Georgia or Alabama. If you are renting in a low spot near Seventeen Mile River or anywhere water has come up before, ask us about it and we will look at what is available separately.


Is Renters Insurance Required in Georgia?

Georgia has no law requiring a renter to carry insurance. Your lease is a different matter. A landlord or property manager is free to make coverage a condition of renting, and many in Douglas and across south Georgia do, usually asking for a specific amount of personal liability coverage and for written proof that it is in force.


That proof is the part that stalls people, and it is the easiest part for us. Once your policy is written we can issue the certificate or proof of coverage your landlord is asking for and send it where it needs to go. If the lease names a dollar figure for liability, read it to us over the phone and we will write the policy to match it.


Alabama works the same way. The state does not require it, the lease can, and we write renters coverage on both sides of the line.

Man handing a key to a smiling couple in a bright room

What Renters Insurance Costs, and What Moves the Number

Renters insurance is among the least expensive policies we write, which is why the honest answer to the cost question is usually shorter than people expect. What it comes to depends on a handful of things we can adjust with you at the desk.


  • How much personal property coverage you want, which starts with a rough count of what replacing everything in the unit would take.
  • The deductible you choose, since a higher deductible lowers the premium and raises what you pay out of pocket on a claim.
  • Your claim history and how long you have carried coverage.
  • Whether the unit has a monitored alarm or other protective features a carrier gives credit for.
  • Whether the policy is written alongside your auto insurance.


We will not quote you a monthly figure off a web page. We run the numbers with each of our carriers and tell you what came back.

Put It With Your Auto Policy and Pay Less for Both

The practical reason most of our clients end up glad they bought renters coverage is what it does to the rest of the bill. Carriers discount auto insurance for clients who also carry a renters policy, and the discount on the auto side often covers a good share of the renters premium. If you are already insuring a car or a truck with us, adding renters is a short conversation and one bill instead of two.

Renting in Douglas and Coffee County

We have written policies for renters in and around Douglas since 1984, and the mix here has not changed much. Apartments and rental houses in town, students renting close to campus for a couple of semesters, families renting a house while they build or wait on a closing, and folks renting out toward Ambrose or Broxton with a shop full of tools that came with them.


We write renters coverage for people living in:

  • Douglas
  • Pearson
  • Ambrose
  • Broxton
  • Nicholls
  • Willacoochee
  • and all across Georgia and Alabama


Our office is at 116 Ashley St E in Douglas, and it is a short drive from most of the rentals we insure. You can call (912) 384-0114 Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, closed noon to 1:00 for lunch, and reach someone in Coffee County who knows the property managers asking for the certificate.

Family carrying boxes into a bright home, with a child holding a soccer ball in front.

An Independent Agency, Here Since 1984

Tanner Insurance Agency has been writing coverage out of Douglas since 1984, and the agency has changed hands twice with the same condition attached each time: the next owner had to have a presence in this community and a heart for it. Owner Bruce Purvis was born at Coffee Regional Hospital, came back to run the agency, and is raising his family here.


Being independent is what lets us shop a renters policy instead of presenting one. We compare what our carriers will do with your unit, your coverage amount and your auto policy, and we recommend the one that fits. Learn more about the agency and the people in the office.

Renters Insurance Questions We Hear Every Week

  • Is renters insurance required in Georgia?

    No, Georgia law does not require renters insurance. A landlord or property manager can require it as a condition of your lease, and many do, often specifying a minimum amount of personal liability coverage. If your lease requires it, we can write the policy and send the proof of coverage your landlord needs.

  • How much does renters insurance cost per month in Georgia?

    It is one of the least expensive policies most people own, and the premium depends on your coverage amount, your deductible, your claim history, and whether it is bundled with auto insurance. Rather than quote an average that may have nothing to do with your situation, we run your information through each of our carriers and tell you what each one came back with. Call (912) 384-0114 and it takes a few minutes.

  • Does my landlord's insurance cover my belongings?

    No. Your landlord's policy covers the structure, the roof, and the landlord's own liability, and it pays nothing toward your furniture, clothes, electronics or tools if there is a fire, a theft, or water damage. That gap is the reason a renters policy exists.

  • Is my roommate covered on my renters policy?

    Usually not. A renters policy covers the named insured and household relatives, so an unrelated roommate generally needs a policy of their own or has to be added as an additional insured where the carrier allows it. Tell us who lives in the unit and we will confirm how your carrier handles it before the policy is issued.

  • Does renters insurance cover things in my car or in a storage unit?

    Personal property coverage generally follows your belongings away from the unit, including items in your vehicle or in a storage building, though off-premises coverage is often capped at a percentage of your total limit. Theft of the car itself is an auto insurance matter, not a renters claim. We will walk through your limits so you know what applies where.

House-shaped black security icon with a keyhole and key symbol inside

Get Renters Coverage and the Proof Your Lease Asks For

Bring us the page from your lease, or just tell us where you are renting and what you own. We will shop it across our carriers, explain what the policy pays and how, and get the certificate to your landlord.

Get a Renters Quote

Or call our Douglas office at (912) 384-0114, or email info@tanner-ins.com.