Renters insurance in Texas: what it costs, whether you need it, and what it covers

How much is renters insurance in Texas?

The average renters insurance policy in Texas costs about $14 a month, or $165 a year, according to NerdWallet, Best and Cheapest Renters Insurance in Texas (Sept 2026). The cheapest large insurers in Texas average $125–$165 a year. Renters with poor credit pay about $405 a year, more than double the good-credit price. Among the 25 largest cities, Round Rock is cheapest at $125 and Corpus Christi most expensive at $214.

For a like-for-like comparison with other states, ValuePenguin's 50-state rate study (updated September 2026) puts Texas at $25 a month against a national average of $23, which makes it one of the more expensive states for renters insurance. Different studies assume different coverage amounts, so treat any single average as a guide, not a quote.

Your own price depends on five things: how much personal property you insure (most renters choose $15,000–$30,000), your liability limit (usually $100,000), your deductible ($500 is common), your ZIP code, and your claims history. Raising the deductible from $500 to $1,000 is the quickest way to lower the premium.

See the national cost guide for how each factor changes the price, and the coverage calculator to size your policy.

Is renters insurance required in Texas?

No. No Texas law requires renters insurance. Texas law does not require tenants to carry renters insurance. A landlord or property-management company can require it in the lease, and many large apartment communities in Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio do, usually with a $100,000 liability minimum. (Source: Progressive, Texas Renters Insurance.)

If your lease requires a policy, it usually asks for a liability limit (often $100,000) and for the landlord or property manager to be listed as an "interested party," so they are notified if the policy lapses. Read more in can a landlord require renters insurance?

What renters insurance covers in Texas

A standard renters policy (an HO-4) has three parts everywhere in the US: personal property (your belongings), personal liability (if you injure someone or damage their property), and loss of use (hotel and meal costs if your home becomes uninhabitable after a covered event). What changes from state to state is which disasters you are likely to face, and whether the standard policy covers them.

• ✓Hurricane wind (Gulf Coast). Wind damage from Gulf hurricanes hitting Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend is covered. Many coastal policies carry a separate windstorm deductible, and in the 14 coastal counties some insurers exclude wind and send you to the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association instead.
• ✕Flooding. Harvey in 2017 flooded more than 100,000 Houston homes, most outside mapped flood zones, and flash floods hit the Hill Country and Austin every few years. Rising water is never covered by a renters policy.
• ✓Tornadoes and hail. North Texas, including Dallas–Fort Worth, sees some of the costliest hailstorms in the country, and tornadoes strike from the Panhandle to the Metroplex each spring. Wind, hail and lightning damage to your contents are covered.
• ✓Frozen and burst pipes. The February 2021 freeze burst pipes in apartments across Texas. Sudden water damage is covered as long as you kept the heat on; a slow leak or mold from it is not.
• ✓Theft. Theft is covered at home and, with limits, from your car. Car break-ins and package theft in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are a main reason those cities price above Austin and Round Rock.
• ✕Flood. No renters policy covers flood, including storm surge in Galveston and Corpus Christi, bayou flooding across Houston, the Trinity in Dallas–Fort Worth, flash floods along the Guadalupe, Blanco and Onion Creek in the Hill Country and Austin, and the San Antonio River. A separate flood policy through the NFIP or a private insurer covers contents.

For the full list of what is and isn't covered, see what does renters insurance cover?

Renters insurance costs in Texas cities

Prices move with local theft rates, weather exposure and building age, so two renters in Texas can pay quite different premiums for the same coverage.

City	What to expect
Houston $14/mo avg	About $167 a year. Hurricane wind is covered but check for a windstorm deductible; flood is the real risk here and needs its own NFIP or private policy, even far from a bayou. (NerdWallet)
Dallas $14/mo avg	About $167 a year. Hail and spring tornadoes are the main weather claims; most Uptown and suburban complexes require a policy with $100,000 of liability. (NerdWallet)
Austin $11/mo avg	About $136 a year, well below the state average. Flash flooding on Onion, Shoal and Walnut creeks is the hazard to watch; the renters policy does not cover it. (NerdWallet)
San Antonio $14/mo avg	About $167 a year. Large military population; USAA members are often cheapest here. Hail and flash floods are the main hazards. (NerdWallet)
Fort Worth $14/mo avg	About $167 a year, the same as Dallas. Hail and tornado wind are covered perils; Trinity River flooding is not. (NerdWallet)

How to get renters insurance in Texas

You can buy a policy online in a few minutes. Lemonade sells renters insurance in Texas and quotes directly on its site: you enter your address, choose how much property coverage you want, add any extras (such as higher limits for jewelry or electronics), and the price updates as you go. A policy can start the same day, which matters when a landlord wants proof of insurance before move-in.

Whatever company you choose, compare the same three numbers: the personal property limit, the liability limit and the deductible. A cheaper quote with a $2,000 deductible is not a better deal if you'd struggle to pay it after a loss.

Renting in Texas: security deposits and tenant rights

These are Texas's statewide rules, checked against the statute and the state's official tenant guide in October 2026. Some cities add their own rules, and your lease can give you more protection but usually not less. Our guides to security deposits, tenant rights and breaking a lease explain how these rules work in practice.

Security deposits in Texas

Maximum deposit	No state statutory limit on the amount.
Return deadline	Within 30 days after you surrender the unit, with a written itemized list of any deductions; the landlord doesn't have to refund it until you give a written forwarding address.
If it is wrongly kept	A landlord who keeps it in bad faith owes $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney's fees; missing the 30-day deadline is presumed bad faith.
Law	Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101 to 92.109

Tenant rights in Texas

Landlord entry	No state law sets notice or rules for landlord entry; check your lease, which may or may not require notice.
Repairs	If you're current on rent, the landlord must make a diligent effort to fix conditions that materially affect health or safety after notice; if not fixed after a second written notice (or one tracked-mail notice) and a reasonable time, you may end the lease, sue, or sometimes repair and deduct.
Retaliation	Landlord may not retaliate within six months after you exercise a legal right, request repairs, complain to a code agency or join a tenant group; remedies include one month's rent plus $500.
Ending a lease early	Victims of family violence, certain sex offenses or stalking may end a lease with documentation and 30 days' written notice. Servicemembers and dependents may also end leases on enlistment, change-of-station orders or 90+ day deployments.
Law	Tex. Prop. Code ch. 92 (§§ 92.016, 92.0161, 92.017, 92.052, 92.056, 92.0561, 92.331 to 92.333)

Official guide: Renter's Rights (Texas Attorney General).

Laws change and vary by city. This is general information, not legal advice.

Tips for Texas renters

1. If you rent on the Gulf Coast, read the wind section of the policy before you buy. Some insurers exclude windstorm in the coastal counties, and you would need a separate TWIA policy for hurricane wind damage to your contents.
2. Buy contents-only flood coverage anywhere in Houston and in low-lying parts of Austin and San Antonio. Most Harvey-flooded homes were outside the mapped flood zone, and the renters policy pays nothing for rising water.
3. Texas premiums are very credit-sensitive: poor credit costs about $405 a year against $165 on average. If your score has improved, requote; the difference can be $20 a month.
4. Most Texas apartment leases require renters insurance and name the landlord as an interested party. Add the management company when you buy so proof reaches them; many complexes otherwise add a forced-placed policy to your rent.
5. In Dallas–Fort Worth and San Antonio, note that hail damage to your car is an auto comprehensive claim, not a renters claim, but hail that breaks a window and soaks your furniture is covered by the renters policy.