Straight answers to what you need to know before signing: whether it is mandatory, who pays, what it covers and what it does not, and how to present it to the agency. And if you want to sort it out now, you see the price online instantly.
Not by law: no national rule requires tenants to buy fire insurance. The obligation comes from the lease, and if you signed it with that clause you must comply: agencies usually ask for the policy before handing over the keys. Since Decree 70/2023 repealed Rental Law 27,551, lease terms are freely agreed and the Civil and Commercial Code applies.
Why almost every lease asks for it: under article 1206 of the Civil and Commercial Code, the tenant is liable for the destruction of the property by a fire not caused by an act of God. The insurance means that, if it happens, the insurer pays and it does not become a debt between you and the owner.
Usually the tenant, because the lease requires it from them: they are the policyholder. The policy must include the building fire clause in favour of the owner, who owns the property. Since no law imposes it, the parties can agree otherwise, and if the tenant does not buy it, we recommend the owner takes out their own cover.
The guarantor is not the policyholder of the fire policy: their role is to back the rent payments, like a surety bond.
From any insurer authorised by the national insurance regulator (SSN), directly or through a licensed insurance broker. At Ayling Seguros, a broker since 1922 (SSN registration No. 30), you quote online and see the price instantly, before leaving your details; cover is provided by Victoria Seguros. If you prefer to talk, we advise you on WhatsApp or at +54 11 7078-7068.
It covers damage to the property from fire, lightning or explosion, including damage caused while putting the fire out, plus liability if the fire spreads to the neighbours. Your belongings are covered only if the policy includes contents. It does not cover water damage, such as a burst pipe or a leak, or broken glass: that is a different cover.
The policy you quote online with us.
These are separate covers, even if bought together.
The water used to put out the fire itself is different: the Insurance Law treats it as part of the fire damage. To cover water, glass or theft you need home insurance (combined household policy): in our home quote tool glass is included and water damage is an optional add-on.
No. The building (consortium) policy protects the building and common areas, and the owner's policy protects their property: neither covers your furniture, clothes or appliances. For that, your policy must include contents, for an amount close to what it would cost to replace what you own.
It is the clause by which the tenant buys the policy but the building cover is in favour of the owner, who holds the interest in the property. If there is a fire, the payout for building damage goes to the owner. The Insurance Law allows this arrangement, insurance taken out on behalf of someone else (art. 21 of Law 17,418), and it is what leases usually require.
To add it you will need the owner's details exactly as they appear in the lease.
There is no amount set by law: each lease defines it, and if yours states an amount, that is the minimum. The building should be insured for what it would cost to rebuild, not its sale value, because if you underinsure the insurer pays proportionally (art. 65 of Law 17,418). Our quote tool sets the building amount by multiplying square metres by a rebuilding value of ARS 2,000,000 per m².
What "pays proportionally" means: if the building is worth 100 and you insured it for 50, for damage of 20 the insurer pays 10. That is why lowering the sum to make the policy cheaper is a bad idea.
Fire insurance covers physical damage: it protects the property, and your belongings if included, when there is a fire. A surety bond and a guarantor cover something else: they assure the owner gets paid if the tenant breaches the lease. So they do not replace each other, and many leases ask for both: a guarantee and fire insurance.
| Fire insurance | Rental surety bond | Guarantor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it backs | Damage to the property and your contents from fire, lightning or explosion. | That the owner gets paid if the tenant does not pay rent or other debts the policy covers. | The same as the surety bond, but with a person's assets. |
| Who buys or provides it | The tenant, as policyholder. | The tenant, with an insurer. | A person who signs the lease as the tenant's guarantor. |
| In favour of | The owner for the building; you for the contents. | The owner. | The owner. |
| Required by law? | No: the lease asks for it. | No: it is one of the guarantees that can be agreed. | No: it is one of the guarantees that can be agreed. |
A security deposit is something else: money handed over at signing and returned when the lease ends, in the amount and currency the parties agree (art. 1196 of the Civil and Commercial Code).
It depends on your role in the rental. These are the four most common cases.
A fire policy in your name, as policyholder, with the building fire clause in favour of the owner. Add contents for your belongings and liability towards neighbours in case the fire spreads. That is exactly what our online quote tool prices.
If the lease requires the tenant to buy it with the clause in your favour, ask for the policy before handing over the keys and check that it is renewed. If the tenant does not buy it, we recommend taking out your own cover: the building policy is not designed to cover your unit.
The bank requires the property to be insured against fire for the life of the loan, with a clause in its favour: after a loss, the insurer cannot pay without notifying the bank first, so it can enforce its mortgage (art. 84 of Law 17,418). Under Central Bank (BCRA) rules, the bank must offer you at least three unrelated insurers to choose from. If you also rent it out, that policy does not cover the tenant's belongings.
No. The building manager is legally required to keep the building insured with a comprehensive consortium policy that includes fire and liability (Civil and Commercial Code, art. 2067). That policy covers the building and common areas, not the contents of each unit or the liability of whoever lives there.
Insurance for buildingsQuoting takes a minute: you see the price instantly. Then you leave your details and an advisor contacts you shortly to complete the purchase. You present the policy or the certificate of cover, and the agency will check that you are the policyholder, that the clause in favour of the owner is there, the amounts the lease requires, and that cover starts before the keys are handed over.
See what amount it asks for, whether it requires liability towards neighbours, and the owner's details for the clause.
Enter the m², contents and neighbour cover and see the price instantly: in 1 payment or 10 instalments.
An advisor contacts you to complete the purchase and, once the policy is issued, you present it to the agency.
In the quote tool, after seeing the price, tap "Share this quote" to build a link with the property details already loaded and send it to the tenant on WhatsApp: they open it, see the price instantly and request the policy. If you add your details, you get a copy when they complete it. And if you are an agency, we show you how to handle the surety bond and the property cover in one process.
It depends on the square metres, the contents you insure and whether you add neighbour cover. We do not publish a fixed price because it changes with those inputs: the quote tool shows it instantly, before you leave your details, and you can pay in 1 payment or 10 instalments.
If the fire was not an act of God, as a tenant you are liable for damage to the property (art. 1206 of the Civil and Commercial Code), and if the fire spreads, neighbours can also claim against you. Without insurance, those costs come out of your pocket. And if the lease required the policy, you are also in breach of it.
Yes, if it includes liability towards neighbours: it responds for damage a fire starting in your unit causes to adjoining properties. Our quote tool includes it for ARS 30,000,000.
Yes, as long as it includes building fire cover with the clause in favour of the owner and the amounts the lease requires. Home insurance (combined household policy) adds what fire alone does not cover, such as theft and glass, and water damage as an option.
The policy from our quote tool is annual: if the lease runs longer, it is renewed every year. Meanwhile, the sum insured rises 3% every 30 days so it keeps up with inflation.
The answers in this guide rely on these rules. All links go to official websites (in Spanish).
Leases, arts. 1187 onwards. Art. 1206: the tenant is liable for fire not caused by an act of God. Art. 1196: deposits and guarantees are freely agreed. Art. 2067(h): the building manager must keep the building insured.
Art. 249: repeals Rental Law 27,551. Published in the Official Gazette on 21/12/2023.
Its art. 13 regulated rental guarantees until the repeal.
Art. 21: insurance on behalf of others. Art. 65: underinsurance and proportional rule. Art. 84: mortgage creditor. Arts. 85 and 86: fire, lightning and explosion.
Item 2.3.12.2: for insurance required by a loan, the bank must offer at least three unrelated insurers.
Lookup of authorised insurers and brokers.
· Information only: it does not replace reading your lease or the policy conditions.
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