The short answer
A mid-term rental — also written midterm, or a medium-term rental in some markets — falls between the categories insurers usually write for. No national or state insurance regulator we found publishes guidance on mid-term rentals as such; what follows uses the NAIC’s and state insurance departments’ guidance on renting out a home, which applies to them. Policies and their names vary by insurer and state — read yours, and get answers in writing.
What to tell your insurer
The quote is only as good as the description. Tell your agent or insurer:
- The home is rented furnished, for stays of roughly one to twelve months — usually 30 nights or more — under a written lease
- How it’s booked: Airbnb monthly stays, your own website, listing sites, insurance or corporate placements
- Who usually stays: travel nurses, project crews, relocating families, households displaced by a claim
- Whether nightly stays still happen between tenants
- What you own inside: the furniture, appliances, linens and electronics, and roughly what they’re worth
- That utilities are in your name, and how long the home typically sits empty between tenants
- Who owns the home (you or an LLC), who manages it, and whether you ever live there yourself
Then ask, for each item: is it covered, up to how much, with what deductible, and what would void it?
Why a homeowner’s policy may not fit
A homeowner’s policy is written for a home you live in. Once it’s rented, the NAIC puts it bluntly: “when the house becomes a rental property it has gone from being a residence to a place of business.” Its paper on home-sharing adds that homeowner’s policies “usually exclude or provide limited coverage for homeowners who are running a business in their home,” and the Texas Department of Insurance tells hosts that “most homeowners insurance won’t cover damage to a rental property, or it might limit what it pays for.” A mid-term rental is rented for months at a time, often to strangers found online — tell the insurer before the first stay, not after the first claim.
The kinds of policies, in general terms
| Topic | What it’s for | What to ask for a mid-term rental |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowner’s | A home you live in | Whether renting it out at all is covered, and for how long |
| Landlord or dwelling (DP-1, DP-2, DP-3) | A home you rent to others: the building, other structures, liability and lost rent — from named perils (DP-1, DP-2) to “all risks” except exclusions (DP-3) | Whether your furnishings are included or need an endorsement, and how stays of 30+ nights are treated |
| Home-sharing or short-term rental coverage | Added to a policy to restore coverage for paying guests | Whether it reaches stays of a month or more, or only short stays |
| Commercial | Rentals run as a business, often several homes or an LLC | Whether it fits better once you run more than one home |
| Umbrella | An extra layer of liability above your other policies | Whether it sits over your rental policy, not only your own home and car |
The NAIC describes a landlord policy — “sometimes called a ‘dwelling fire policy’ or a ‘special perils policy’” — as covering the house, other structures, the owner’s possessions left for the tenant’s use, lost rental income if the house becomes uninhabitable, and some liability. Which fits your home is a question for a licensed agent; this guide only lists what to ask.
Furnishings and contents
This is the gap furnished rentals fall into. NAIC’s home-sharing paper notes that “landlord furnishings or personal property is typically excluded under a dwelling policy, although it may be added back by endorsement.” In a mid-term rental the furniture, the stocked kitchen, the linens and the TV are most of what you own inside the home — so ask how they’re covered and for how much, and keep a dated inventory with photos. The free furnishing and move-in checklist doubles as one. The tenant’s own things are a separate question: “tenant possessions are not covered in landlord insurance policies,” in the NAIC’s words.
Liability
A landlord policy typically includes some liability protection — for a guest who’s hurt on the property, for example. Ask for the limit and whether it fits renting to people who live there for months. An umbrella policy adds a layer of liability above your other policies; the Insurance Information Institute explains how it sits over the coverage beneath it.
Gaps between tenants
Mid-term homes sit empty between tenants — usually for days or weeks, sometimes longer in a slow season. Policies treat vacancy differently: California’s Department of Insurance lists “losses to house vacant for 60 days or more” among the perils generally not covered by a homeowner’s policy, and the NAIC warns that vacant or unoccupied homes can leave an owner exposed to losses a policy may not cover. Ask how your policy defines vacant and unoccupied, what changes after how many days, and what you have to do — inspections, heat on, water off — while the home is empty. Ask, too, about lost rent: dwelling policies may pay for the loss of fair rental value when a covered loss leaves the home unfit to rent.
The tenant’s renters insurance
Your policy protects your building and things, not the tenant’s. Renters insurance, the NAIC explains, covers the tenant’s belongings and their liability, and some policies also pay their living expenses if they can’t live in the home because of an insured loss. Many landlords ask mid-term tenants to carry it and to show the declarations page before move-in; whether you can require it is a lease and state-law question — see mid-term lease agreements.
What AirCover is — and isn’t — for monthly stays
Airbnb’s AirCover for Hosts includes $3 million of host damage protection and $1 million of host liability insurance, and Airbnb says hosts are covered “whenever you host a stay booked on Airbnb.” Its articles set no separate rule for stays of 28 nights or more. What it isn’t:
- Insurance for your direct stays — it covers stays booked on Airbnb, not the lease you sign with someone who found you elsewhere
- A policy: Airbnb says host damage protection “is not insurance or a financial service”
- Cover for wear and tear, which it excludes — and months of living add up to a lot of it
- Open-ended: a reimbursement request is due within 14 days of the guest’s checkout
So keep your own policy for every stay, and treat AirCover as a backstop for the Airbnb ones. The rest of Airbnb’s 28-night rules are in Airbnb monthly stays.
ALE is the tenant’s insurer’s, not yours
Many mid-term tenants are families displaced by a fire or flood, housed through their own homeowner’s policy’s additional living expenses (ALE) coverage — the NAIC describes it as the “temporary housing costs if you move into a hotel or apartment while your home is being repaired or rebuilt.” That coverage belongs to the tenant’s insurer and pays for the stay; it doesn’t insure your home. How those placements work is in insurance (ALE) housing and additional living expenses.
Keeping the paperwork
The proof matters when there’s a claim: the lease, the move-in inventory and photos, the tenant’s renters-insurance declarations and your own policy. In Nexxus, residents upload their renters insurance from the resident portal, staff keep it on the tenant’s documents next to the signed lease, and your own policy can sit in the property’s documents. It works the same for one home you self-manage as for a portfolio you run for owners. See mid-term rental software, or open the live demo set up for mid-term — no sign-up.
Mid-term rental insurance FAQ
What insurance do I need for a mid-term rental?
A policy written for a home you rent out — usually a landlord or dwelling policy, or a homeowner’s policy with the insurer’s home-sharing or rental coverage added — that covers the building, your furnishings, liability and lost rent, for furnished stays of 30 nights or more. Tell the insurer exactly how the home is rented and ask how each of those is covered. This is general information, not insurance advice.
Does homeowners insurance cover a 30-day rental?
Often not fully. The NAIC says homeowner’s policies usually exclude or limit coverage for running a business in the home, and the Texas Department of Insurance warns that most homeowner’s insurance won’t cover damage to a rental property, or limits what it pays. Ask your insurer before the first stay, in writing.
Does Airbnb AirCover cover monthly stays?
AirCover for Hosts applies to stays booked on Airbnb, and Airbnb’s articles don’t set a separate rule for stays of 28 nights or more. It doesn’t cover stays you book directly, its damage protection excludes normal wear and tear, and Airbnb says host damage protection is not insurance. It’s a backstop for Airbnb stays, not a replacement for your own policy.
Are my furnishings covered by landlord insurance?
Not always. NAIC’s home-sharing paper notes that a landlord’s furnishings are typically excluded under a dwelling policy, though they may be added back by endorsement. In a furnished mid-term rental the furniture is most of what you own inside the home, so ask how it’s covered and for how much.
Should I require mid-term tenants to have renters insurance?
Many landlords ask for it, because a landlord’s policy doesn’t cover the tenant’s own belongings. Renters insurance covers the tenant’s belongings and liability, and some policies pay their living expenses if the home becomes unlivable. Whether you can require it is a lease and state-law question — ask a landlord-tenant attorney.
Is my rental covered between tenants?
Check the vacancy terms. Many policies limit coverage when a home sits vacant for a set period — California’s Department of Insurance lists losses to a house vacant 60 days or more among the perils generally not covered by a homeowner’s policy. Mid-term gaps are usually days or weeks, but ask how your policy defines vacant and unoccupied.
Sources
Read on October 6, 2026. Policies vary by insurer and state — your policy’s wording is what counts.
- NAIC: insurance implications of home-sharing, leaving home: insurance considerations, renters insurance, additional living expenses and dwelling policy forms (DP-1, DP-2, DP-3)
- Texas Department of Insurance: home-sharing
- California Department of Insurance: residential insurance guide
- Insurance Information Institute: umbrella liability
- Airbnb Help Center: AirCover for Hosts, host damage protection, host liability insurance