Renters Insurance Clause
in Your Lease
How this page is sourced
Statutes verified against primary state sources
Every statute cited here was read in its published text before this page went live: on the state's own site where that site can be reached, otherwise on a republished copy of the code. Court decisions are quoted from the published opinion and linked to it, so you can read the original yourself.
Primary sourcesNot legal advice
Content verified against primary state statutes before publicationLast updated: October 2026
What it actually means, what Oklahoma law says, what's specific to Oklahoma City - and exactly what to do. In plain English.
Quick Summary - What You Need to Know
- Our record of Oklahoma law finds no renters insurance requirement and no coverage figure for tenants.
- A term excusing, limiting or indemnifying liability for upkeep of the unit is unenforceable (§ 113(A)(4), (B)).
- A landlord who knows of flooding in the past five years must disclose it in writing (§ 113a(A)).
- Serious fire damage you did not cause lets you leave, giving written notice within one week (§ 122(A)).
- Our record of the Oklahoma City Municipal Code finds no renters insurance rule for tenants.
Count it for your dates
7 days: when does it end?
What it means: Give the landlord written notice by this date to end the rental agreement. Applies to a tenant whose unit is substantially impaired by fire or other casualty that the tenant, family, pet or guest did not deliberately or negligently cause; a tenant who stays instead pays reduced rent (Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 122(A)). Calendar arithmetic only; check how the section counts days before you rely on a date.
Copy and send: Before you sign the lease, after reading the insurance clause and the sentences around it
Questions about the insurance clause
Fill in the brackets and keep a copy of what you send.
How Oklahoma compares
Typical required liability coverage, state by state
$100kNo figureGuide coming soonYou are here
See all 26 cities as a chart
Figures are the state rule, or the stronger city ordinance where one exists. Verify the current law for your own situation before relying on it.
Understanding the Renters Insurance Clause
This page is for Oklahoma City renters whose lease tells them to buy renters insurance and who want to know what Oklahoma law says about it. The dollar figure is only half of the clause.
The sentence beside it may say the landlord answers for none of your losses, or ask you to cover the landlord's own liability. That is where Oklahoma law speaks, so read those sentences closely before you sign, and raise any you do not like in writing.
What renters assume
A lease line saying the landlord is not responsible for my property means the landlord never pays, whatever happens.
What is actually true
Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113(A)(4) bars a lease term agreeing to the "exculpation, limitation or indemnification" of liability for acts or omissions in operating or maintaining the unit. § 113(B) says such a provision "is unenforceable."
Of the 26 rows in the comparison further down this page, eleven are drawn at $100,000 and fifteen have no bar. Oklahoma City is one of the fifteen.
Eight of them read No state requirement: Philadelphia, Boston, Las Vegas, Newark, Detroit, Minneapolis, Kansas City and Indianapolis.
The other seven carry a no-figure label with a note. Washington notes void liability waivers, Baltimore void indemnity clauses, Milwaukee a waiver that voids the lease and Louisville indemnity terms that are unenforceable.
Columbus notes the lease in control and Charlotte the tenant's choice of carrier. Oklahoma City's label, No figure; indemnity clauses unenforceable, rests on Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113(A)(4).
That is a rule about the sentence that shifts liability, not the size of a policy, and a scale drawn in coverage dollars has nowhere to put it.
Renters Insurance Clause Example - What the Wording Looks Like in Oklahoma City, OK
The sample clause below is real lease language - a court quoted it word for word, and then ruled on it. What the judge decided is at the bottom of this block.
Find the equivalent paragraph in your own lease and read the two side by side. The wording will differ; the moving parts rarely do.
THE INSURANCE IS TO PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR YOUR PERSONAL POSSESSIONS. CHATHAM HILLS APARTMENTS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PROPERTY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT.
Quoted from the published opinion in Whitledge v. Klein, 348 Ill. App. 3d 1059 (Ill. App. Ct. 4th Dist. 2004). Judicial opinions are not subject to copyright; the lease language is reproduced in limited part for commentary under 17 U.S.C. § 107.
What the 4 highlighted phrases mean
“PROTECTION”
The lease calls the policy protection, and in Oklahoma the demand for it comes from the lease: our record of Title 41, with a text search of Title 36, finds no requirement to carry renters insurance and no coverage amount. The act's own protection for belongings is a disclosure. Under Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113a(A), a landlord who knows the premises “has been flooded within the past five (5) years” must say so “prominently and in writing” in any written rental agreement.
See the example
“FOR YOUR PERSONAL POSSESSIONS”
A renters policy covers what you own. Oklahoma's casualty section covers the home and the money you paid for it. Under § 122(A), a fire or other casualty may substantially impair enjoyment of the unit without the tenant, family, pet or guest deliberately or negligently causing it. The tenant may then vacate and give written notice “within one (1) week thereafter” to end the agreement.
See the example
“APARTMENTS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PROPERTY”
This is the sentence to set beside Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113(A)(4). A rental agreement may not provide that either party agrees to the “exculpation, limitation or indemnification of any liability arising under law for damages or injuries to persons or property”. That covers acts or omissions in the operation or maintenance of the dwelling unit or premises, and § 113(B) says such a provision “is unenforceable.”
See the example
“IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT”
An accident can start on either side of the lease, and Oklahoma's subsection is written for both: it speaks of the acts or omissions “of either party, their agents, servants or employees”. For damage the tenant causes, the sections we read rely on a duty and the deposit. § 127 requires the tenant not to “deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, impair or remove any part of the premises”.
See the example
The endorsement did not stop the tenants' lawsuit. Answering certified questions, the Illinois Appellate Court held that section 1 of the Illinois Landlord and Tenant Act (765 ILCS 705/1) voids not only exculpatory lease clauses but also, “by clear and necessary implication,” lease language that shifts the landlord's own negligence onto the tenant through a required renters-insurance or indemnity arrangement. The court's reason is the sentence to remember: “an indemnity clause in a lease has the same effect as a lease exculpatory clause: the landlord does not pay.” So the renters-insurance endorsement did not require dismissal of the tenants' fire-damage negligence suit, and the tenants' insurers, standing in the tenants' shoes, got the same statutory protection the tenants had. For a renter the point is narrow and useful: being made to buy a policy is one thing, and being made to buy the landlord's way out of its own negligence is another.
How this state's law treats this clause
One court, one lease, one state. That answer is not automatically yours, and your lease may be worded to land differently. Use this to know what to look for and what to ask - your state's tenant hotline or a local tenant attorney can answer it for your document.
Oklahoma Law on Renters Insurance Clause
- A lease cannot shift liability for negligent upkeep.
Read the law's words
Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113(A)(4) says a rental agreement may not provide that either party "Agrees to the exculpation, limitation or indemnification of any liability arising under law for damages or injuries to persons or property caused by or resulting from the acts or omissions of either party, their agents, servants or employees in the operation or maintenance of the dwelling unit or the premises of which it is a part". Section 113(B) says such a provision "is unenforceable." - Flood history has to be disclosed, and the remedy covers the tenant's belongings.
Read the law's words
Section 113a(A) says that if the premises "has been flooded within the past five (5) years and such fact is known to the landlord", the landlord must say so "prominently and in writing" in any written rental agreement, and failure entitles the tenant "to recover the personal property damages sustained by the tenant from flooding of the premises." - Fire or other casualty can end the lease.
Read the law's words
Under § 122(A), if the unit is damaged by "fire or other casualty" so that enjoyment is substantially impaired, and the tenant, family, pet or guest did not deliberately or negligently cause it, the tenant may vacate and give written notice "within one (1) week thereafter" to end the agreement, or stay and pay rent reduced "in proportion to the diminution in the fair rental value". Section 122(B) then requires the landlord to return recoverable deposits and "all prepaid and unearned rent." - Damage a tenant causes is backed in the sections we read by the deposit and a claim for damages, not a policy.
Read the law's words
Section 127 requires the tenant not to "deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, impair or remove any part of the premises". Section 115(B) lets the landlord apply the deposit to "the amount of damages which the landlord has suffered by reason of the tenant's noncompliance", and § 115(G) says the section "does not preclude the landlord or tenant from recovering other damages".
Sources include Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113(A)(4); Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113(B); Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113a; Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 122; Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 127; Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 115(B); Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 115(G); Okla. Stat. tit. 11, § 14-101.1 - statutes change; verify the current text for your situation.
No section we read in Oklahoma's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Okla. Stat. tit. 41, or in parts of Title 36, the Insurance Code, requires a tenant to carry renters insurance or names a coverage amount. That leaves the paragraph you signed as the document that answers it. Four rules bear on this clause:
- No exculpation or indemnity (§ 113(A)(4) and (B)). A lease term by which either party agrees to excuse, limit or indemnify liability for acts or omissions in operating or maintaining the unit is unenforceable.
- Flood disclosure (§ 113a(A)). A landlord who knows the premises flooded within the past five years must say so prominently in any written rental agreement. Failure lets the tenant recover flood damage to personal property.
- Fire or other casualty (§ 122). If a casualty the tenant, family, pet or guest did not deliberately or negligently cause substantially impairs the unit, the tenant may vacate and end the agreement with written notice within one week, or stay at reduced rent. Recoverable deposits and prepaid, unearned rent come back.
- Damage you cause (§§ 127, 115(B), 115(G)). You must not deliberately or negligently damage the premises. The landlord may apply the deposit to damages from your noncompliance, and other damages claims stay open.
Check the current text on oscn.net before you rely on it.
What's Specific to Oklahoma City
Our record of the Oklahoma City Municipal Code finds no renters insurance requirement for tenants. No section in our record of that code uses "renters insurance" or "renter insurance", and Chapter 24, the Housing and Property Maintenance Code, does not mention insurance.
Okla. Stat. tit. 11, § 14-101.1(A) bars a city ordinance that regulates the amount of rent, and we take no position on how it would apply to any city insurance rule. The published code may lag recent legislation, so confirm it before relying on the absence of a city rule.
Good. A clause that names the amount and the kind of policy shows exactly what you agreed to carry.
§ 113a(A) requires a landlord who knows of flooding within the past five years to say so "prominently and in writing" in the lease.
§ 113(B) makes a term excusing or limiting liability for operating or maintaining the unit unenforceable.
§ 113(A)(4) covers indemnification as well as exculpation, for the acts or omissions of either party. Read the sentence against those words.
Sources
The law this guide relies on, and where to read it. Statutes change, so confirm the current text before you act on it.
- Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113(A)(4); Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113(B); Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 113a; Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 122; Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 127; Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 115(B); Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 115(G); Okla. Stat. tit. 11, § 14-101.1, read on oklegislature.gov. Read in the Oklahoma Legislature's complete Title 41 file, whose statutes page says the Oklahoma Statutes were last updated on November 18th, 2025, before the 2026 session, and matched against archived copies of the Oklahoma State Courts Network section pages carrying the same text and amendment history; the Oklahoma City Municipal Code was read on Municode as codified through Ordinance No. 28070, adopted April 21, 2026 (Supp. No. 5, Update 1); confirm the current text before relying on it.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
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A blanket disclaimer for your property
A term excusing or limiting liability for property damage from how the unit is operated or maintained is unenforceable under § 113(A)(4) and (B).
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An indemnity for the landlord's upkeep
§ 113(A)(4) also bars agreeing to indemnify that liability. A hold harmless sentence that asks you to cover maintenance failures is worth a written question.
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A coverage figure credited to Oklahoma law
No section we read in Okla. Stat. tit. 41 or in parts of Title 36 sets a coverage figure. Ask the landlord, in writing, which section it means.
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No flood disclosure on a unit that flooded
If the landlord knew of flooding within the past five years and the written lease is silent, § 113a(A) lets you recover flood damage to your belongings.
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An Oklahoma City rule cited for coverage
No section in our record of the Oklahoma City code uses "renters insurance". Ask which section the lease means, and read the current code.
Your Rights as a Oklahoma City Tenant
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No waiver of liability for upkeep
A term excusing or limiting liability for acts or omissions in operating or maintaining the unit is unenforceable (§ 113(A)(4), (B)).
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No indemnity for that liability
The same rule reaches an agreement to indemnify that liability, whichever party agrees to it (§ 113(A)(4)).
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Flood damage to your belongings
A landlord who knew of flooding within five years and left it out of a written lease leaves you able to recover personal property damages (§ 113a(A)).
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A way out after a fire
After a casualty you did not deliberately or negligently cause, written notice within one week ends the agreement, and prepaid, unearned rent comes back (§ 122).
What To Do - Step by Step
List what the policy must cover
Note the coverage amount, the kind of policy and anyone the lease wants named on it as an additional insured.
Find the sentence about who is not responsible
Read it beside § 113(A)(4). A term excusing, limiting or indemnifying liability for operating or maintaining the unit is unenforceable.
Ask about flooding before you sign
Ask in writing whether the unit flooded in the past five years, and keep the answer with your copy of the lease.
Keep the declarations page with the lease
Store the policy's declarations page beside the lease, and answer any request for proof of coverage in writing with a dated copy.
After a fire, put notice in writing within a week
If you leave after a fire you did not deliberately or negligently cause, send the landlord written notice within one week (§ 122(A)).
Object in writing, then get help
Name the clause and § 113(B) in a dated note to the landlord. If that goes nowhere, a legal aid office is the next call.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Renters Insurance rules near Oklahoma
The same clause in the nearest states we cover.
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