Does Alabama law require a landlord to carry property insurance?

Quick answer: No. Alabama's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not require a landlord to carry insurance. It does require the property be kept habitable and code-compliant (Code of Alabama Sec. 35-9A-204), which creates the liability exposure landlord insurance addresses. A lender may separately require it.

Does Alabama require a landlord to carry property insurance?

No. Alabama's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not require a landlord to carry property or liability insurance.

What does Alabama require of landlords instead?

The Act does require the landlord to keep the property in a habitable, code-compliant condition, under Code of Alabama Section 35-9A-204. That statutory duty is what creates the liability exposure landlord insurance is built to address, even though the insurance itself is not separately mandated.

Who actually requires landlord insurance, then?

A mortgage lender may separately require insurance as a loan condition on a rental property, which is the most common source of a real-world requirement even though it does not come from state law.

What should a landlord check?

Even without a state mandate, an uninsured landlord carries real exposure from the habitability duty alone. A coverage review can confirm the right property and liability coverage for a specific rental. See Alabama landlord insurance for more.