208-609-3511 daniel@bittickinsurance.com

Real estate investor insurance is a package of commercial and property coverages that protects income-producing real estate, the landlord's liability exposure, and the investment itself when something goes wrong between tenants or during a renovation. A standard homeowner's policy does not cover rental properties, and a basic landlord policy often falls short once you hold multiple units or carry a property through a value-add project.

Bittick is an independent agency based in Eagle, Idaho. We shop your coverage across multiple carriers and build a program around what you actually own and how you operate, whether that's a duplex in Nampa, a commercial strip in Meridian, or a portfolio that crosses state lines.

What this coverage includes

Rental property and landlord liability

The foundation of any investor program is the same coverage a landlord carries: protection for the building structure against fire, storm, and sudden physical damage, plus personal liability if a tenant or visitor is injured on the property and holds you responsible. In Idaho, rental properties face real exposure from freeze-thaw pipe bursts in late winter and from smoke and ash infiltration during wildfire season, both of which can mean costly remediation. Liability limits that made sense on one property may be inadequate once you hold several.

Vacancy coverage

Most standard policies quietly reduce or exclude coverage once a property sits empty for 30 to 60 consecutive days. A vacant unit between tenants, a property held for renovation, or a commercial building you haven't yet leased all create that gap. Vacancy coverage, or a vacancy endorsement, keeps the building insured when nobody's home to notice a slow leak turning into a flooded floor or a broken window that invites more damage. If your portfolio turns units regularly, this is one of the easiest coverage gaps to overlook and one of the more expensive ones to discover after the fact.

Builders risk and installation coverage

When you're adding square footage, gutting a kitchen, or converting a commercial shell, the property is more exposed than at any other point in its life. Builders risk insurance covers a structure under active construction or renovation against fire, vandalism, theft of materials, and weather damage before the work is complete and before a standard property policy picks it back up. Installation floater coverage protects materials and fixtures while they're in transit or staged on site but not yet permanently attached. A permit pull in Ada County or Canyon County usually requires evidence of this coverage before work begins.

Business income and lost rents

If a covered loss makes a unit or building uninhabitable, your mortgage, taxes, and insurance premiums don't pause while repairs happen. Business income coverage (sometimes called rental income or fair rental value coverage on residential policies) replaces the rent you would have collected during the repair period. For investors with tight debt-service coverage ratios, this can be the difference between absorbing a loss and defaulting on a loan while you wait for a contractor to finish.

Ordinance or law coverage

When a covered loss triggers a required rebuild, local building codes apply to the entire structure, not just the damaged section. An older rental in Caldwell or Nampa may have wiring, plumbing, or structural elements that must be brought up to current code before the city will issue a certificate of occupancy. Standard property policies pay to restore what was there before; they do not cover the added cost of code compliance. Ordinance or law coverage closes that gap, and for properties built before the 1990s it is rarely optional.

Pairs well with

Commercial General Liability

If you manage properties directly or make decisions about maintenance and repairs, a standalone commercial general liability policy broadens your protection beyond what's built into most landlord forms, especially once you hold multiple properties or work with contractors regularly.

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Commercial Umbrella Insurance

A serious injury claim or a multi-party lawsuit can exceed the liability limits on an individual property policy quickly. A commercial umbrella sits above your underlying policies and extends the total limit available across your portfolio for a relatively low additional premium.

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Workers' Compensation

If you employ a property manager, maintenance worker, or leasing agent directly, Idaho law requires you to carry workers' compensation. Even a misclassified contractor relationship can create an exposure, so it's worth reviewing your situation before you have a claim.

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Commercial Property Insurance

Investors who own commercial buildings, mixed-use properties, or retail strip centers need a commercial property form rather than a residential landlord form. The coverage structure, valuation methods, and coinsurance requirements differ significantly.

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Inland Marine (Equipment and Tools Floater)

Inland marine coverage follows physical property that moves, not just property that stays in one building. If you carry tools, equipment, or materials between job sites and storage, an inland marine floater covers them in transit and on site in ways a building policy cannot.

What this coverage protects against

Common risks and how this coverage addresses them. Tap any scenario to expand.

  • Pipe bursts in a vacant unit you're holding between tenants.

    The risk

    You turned over a rental in Star in late October and the next tenant doesn't move in until December. A cold front drops overnight temperatures into the teens and a supply line in the crawlspace freezes and bursts. Nobody's there to catch it, and by the time a neighbor notices water running under the fence, the subfloor and drywall are saturated.

    How this coverage helps

    Vacancy coverage keeps your policy in force during the gap period. The water damage claim proceeds normally, repair costs are covered up to your policy limits, and lost rent coverage replaces the income you would have collected during the weeks the unit is out of service.

  • Wildfire smoke damages a rental's HVAC and interior finishes.

    The risk

    During a heavy smoke week in August, a tenant leaves windows open before evacuating. Smoke infiltration coats the HVAC system, requires duct cleaning, and leaves odor embedded in carpets and drywall. The tenant is displaced while remediation happens.

    How this coverage helps

    A well-structured landlord or commercial property policy covers sudden and accidental smoke damage as part of the fire peril, even when no flame touches the building. Business income coverage replaces the rent during the remediation period while your tenant is temporarily housed elsewhere.

  • Vandalism hits a commercial building during a renovation holding period.

    The risk

    You acquired a former retail space on a Caldwell commercial corridor and pulled permits for a full interior build-out. The building sits empty for three months while you finalize contractor bids. During that time, someone breaks in, damages the new HVAC rough-in, and spray-paints the block walls.

    How this coverage helps

    Builders risk insurance covers the structure and materials in place during the active construction period, including vandalism and theft of installed components. Without it, that damage falls to you out of pocket because the property's prior policy likely excluded the building once construction began.

  • A tenant's guest is injured on exterior steps you own.

    The risk

    A guest visiting a tenant at one of your Boise rental duplexes trips on a deteriorating concrete step in the shared entry. She sustains a wrist fracture and retains an attorney. The claim names you as the property owner responsible for maintaining the common area.

    How this coverage helps

    Personal liability coverage on your landlord or investor policy covers your legal defense and any settlement or judgment up to your policy limit. If the claim amount could exceed that limit, a commercial umbrella policy sitting above it extends the total available coverage.

  • A partial fire loss triggers a full code-compliance rebuild.

    The risk

    A kitchen fire at a 1978 rental in Nampa damages one room significantly but doesn't touch the rest of the house. The city's building department informs you that bringing the damaged section back to code requires upgrading the knob-and-tube wiring throughout the whole unit and adding a sprinkler system under current ordinance.

    How this coverage helps

    Ordinance or law coverage pays the added cost of bringing the undamaged portions of the building into compliance as part of the repair. Without it, your property policy pays only to restore what the fire destroyed, and the code-compliance work is entirely your expense.

  • Roofing materials are stolen from a renovation site overnight.

    The risk

    You're two weeks into a value-add rehab on a Meridian fourplex and a pallet of roofing shingles staged in the driveway disappears overnight. The project is delayed, you need to reorder, and the original delivery lead time adds another two weeks to your timeline.

    How this coverage helps

    A builders risk policy covers theft of building materials on site, including staged materials not yet installed. The reorder cost is covered up to your policy limits, which helps keep the project on a recovery schedule rather than forcing you to absorb the loss and fall further behind.

  • An employee you hired to manage properties is injured on the job.

    The risk

    You brought on a part-time property manager to handle showings, inspections, and minor maintenance across five units. While doing a walk-through inspection at one of your properties, she falls from an exterior deck and fractures her ankle. She files a workers' compensation claim.

    How this coverage helps

    Idaho law requires employers to carry workers' compensation coverage for employees, including part-time workers. A workers' compensation policy covers her medical treatment and a portion of lost wages during recovery, and it shields you from a personal injury lawsuit arising from a workplace injury.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a separate policy for each rental property I own in Idaho?
Not necessarily. Some carriers offer a landlord or investor portfolio policy that covers multiple properties under a single form, which simplifies renewals and can reduce per-unit cost. Others underwrite each property separately. The right structure depends on how many properties you own, whether they're residential or commercial, and how geographically spread out they are. We can show you both options and help you decide.
Does my regular homeowner's policy cover a house I'm renting out?
No. A standard homeowner's policy covers an owner-occupied primary residence and generally excludes business activities, including renting to tenants. Using a homeowner's policy on a rental property can result in a denied claim and potential policy cancellation. You need a landlord policy or an investor policy form from the start.
How much does real estate investor insurance cost in Idaho?
Premiums vary based on the number of properties, their total insured value, your claims history, vacancy rates, and the coverage limits and endorsements you select. A single-family rental in the Treasure Valley typically runs several hundred dollars per year for a basic landlord policy, but investors with multiple properties, commercial holdings, or active renovation projects will see higher premiums that reflect the broader exposure. We shop multiple carriers to find competitive pricing for the actual risk you carry.
What is builders risk insurance and when do I need it for a renovation?
Builders risk insurance covers a building under active construction or renovation against physical damage, including fire, vandalism, theft of materials, and certain weather events, during the period when the work is happening and the structure is more exposed than usual. You typically need it from the day work starts until the project is complete and the property transitions back to a standard occupancy policy. Many general contractors and lenders require it before work begins, and in Idaho, a permit pull often triggers that conversation.
Does a landlord policy cover lost rent if my property is damaged and a tenant has to move out?
Loss of rental income coverage is usually available as an endorsement or a named coverage within a landlord policy, but it is not automatic on every form. It pays you the fair rental value of the unit during the period it is uninhabitable due to a covered loss. Check your current policy declarations page for the coverage and the limit, because many investors discover they have it but at a limit that covers only a fraction of the actual income loss.
I own rental properties in Idaho but also in other states. Can Bittick help with all of them?
Yes. Bittick holds active licenses in CA, CO, ID, NV, OR, TX, VA, and WA, and our San Antonio office extends that reach into Texas and the surrounding states. If your portfolio crosses state lines, we can often consolidate coverage with carriers that write in multiple states, or we can coordinate separate policies where state-specific requirements make that the better approach.

Talk through your investment portfolio with an independent agent

Tell us what you own and how you operate, and we'll show you where your current coverage may fall short and what it would take to close those gaps.

Don't like forms? Contact us at 208-609-3511 or email us.