Does home insurance cover a let flat in Georgia?
Not automatically. In Georgia, the country, home policies are written for owners who live in the flat, and letting it changes the risk the insurer accepted. The policy wordings we read show the pattern: the letting must be recorded in the policy, damage by a tenant is covered only when it is careless rather than deliberate or grossly negligent, the tenant's own belongings are excluded, and a flat left empty for more than 30 days in a row can lose cover. One insurer pays only if there is a written lease and a signed handover act with an inventory. Only one insurer names lost rental income as an add-on, and none names nightly letting as covered or excluded.
This page compares the landlord terms of the main insurers, explains what the Civil Code requires of a policyholder, what a claim needs, who is liable when water reaches the neighbours or a guest is hurt, and how the platforms' own protection fits in. The general home policies and their prices are covered in our guide to property insurance in Georgia.
Landlord terms by insurer
| Insurer | Letting | Key conditions |
|---|---|---|
| TBC Insurance | Tenant damage covered if the letting is entered in the policy | Wilful or grossly negligent tenant damage excluded; 30 days unattended excluded; deductible 5% of the loss, at least GEL 150 |
| Irao | Tenant's negligence covered | Limits GEL 90,000, GEL 500 per m², contents GEL 15,000; deductible GEL 100, GEL 500 for water leaks; buildings 60 years or older not accepted |
| Unison | Tenant damage and third-party liability as add-ons | Written lease and signed handover act with inventory required; letting damage excluded without the add-on; 30 days empty excluded |
| Aldagi | Add-ons for tenant damage, landlord liability for tenant injury, and lost rental income | Only with core property cover; limits and prices not published |
| GPI Holding | No tenant wording in the Comfort policy | Pays the occupier's rent elsewhere for up to 3 months if the flat becomes uninhabitable; liability add-on GEL 6 a month |
Prices start from about GEL 12 a month at TBC and GEL 30 at Irao for standard cover; landlord add-ons cost extra and are quoted individually.
Telling the insurer you let the flat
The Civil Code requires a policyholder to tell the insurer, when signing, every circumstance known to them that matters for the risk, and anything the insurer asks about clearly counts as material (Article 808). Letting that starts after signing is an increase in risk that must be reported immediately; the insurer may then raise the premium or end the policy on one month's notice (Article 813). Policy wordings add their own deadlines: Unison asks for written notice of a change in use or letting within 3 working days. A mortgage policy offered with one bank names letting as an example of increased risk, and cover can end from the moment the risk increased if the borrower refuses new terms.
There is one safeguard: an insurer still pays for a loss if the undisclosed fact had no influence on it (Article 812). Relying on that is a gamble, so report the letting in writing and keep the insurer's confirmation.
What a claim needs
- A written lease with the tenant; Unison and TBC define a tenant as someone with one.
- A signed handover act with a detailed inventory and the condition of the flat, which Unison makes a condition of payment for a let flat.
- Prompt notice: within 24 hours at Unison, 48 hours at Irao, written notice within 72 hours at TBC.
- Documents within the policy's deadline, from 14 days to about a month.
- A sum insured close to the real value: if it is lower, the insurer pays only in proportion (Article 827).
After paying, the insurer takes over your claim against whoever caused the damage, including a tenant (Article 832), and TBC's wording says so expressly. If you give up that claim, for example by settling cheaply with the tenant or keeping only part of the deposit, the insurer may pay you less. Agree any settlement with the tenant only after talking to the insurer. Our guide to disputes with a tenant covers the deposit side.
Damage by a tenant
The policies cover a tenant's carelessness, such as an overflowing bath or a dropped iron, but TBC and Irao exclude wilful damage and gross negligence by the tenant, and Unison excludes damage caused by a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Deliberate damage by a tenant is therefore usually not insured; the deposit, a guarantor and a claim against the tenant are the protection there. Wear from normal use is excluded everywhere, as it is under the Civil Code's tenancy rules.
Lost rent
Under the Civil Code, insurance covers lost benefits only if the contract says so (Article 824). Of the insurers we checked, only Aldagi names lost rental income as an add-on, for when an insured event makes the flat impossible to let; it publishes no limit or price. The "rent" cover in some other policies pays for the occupier to live elsewhere during repairs, which helps an owner who lives in the flat, not a landlord who loses a tenant.
Liability: neighbours and guests
Water spilling into the flat below is the most common claim between neighbours. Under the Civil Code, the person occupying a flat is liable for damage caused by things falling or spilling out of it, while a building's owner is liable if the building, or a part of it, collapses or breaks away because of poor upkeep or a defect (Article 1004). When the flat is let, that can put the first claim on the tenant or guest, but a neighbour will often turn to the owner too. TBC offers neighbour liability up to GEL 10,000, Aldagi sells neighbour liability on its own, and GPI adds it for GEL 6 a month.
For injuries to a tenant or guest, the general rule is that whoever unlawfully and culpably causes damage pays (Article 992), and the owner of something that presents an increased danger is liable when that danger materialises (Article 1000). Aldagi names landlord liability for a tenant's injury as an add-on; TBC's wording includes it in one clause but excludes damage to health in another, so ask TBC in writing before relying on it. Claims for damage expire 3 years after the injured person learns of it (Article 1008).
Short stays and the platforms
No Georgian wording we found names nightly letting either way, and the conditions written for long leases, such as a written lease and an inventory act, fit nightly guests badly. Tell the insurer in writing that the flat hosts short stays and ask for written confirmation of cover.
The platforms add their own protection, which is not a substitute for a policy:
- Airbnb damage protection. Up to USD 3 million per stay for damage by guests, but not wear and tear, mould or acts of nature including earthquakes. You must ask the guest to pay within 14 days of check-out and file within 30 days, and any insurance payment is deducted. Lost income is paid only for Airbnb bookings cancelled because the flat was uninhabitable.
- Airbnb host liability. USD 1 million for injury to guests and damage to their property or to common areas and neighbouring property.
- Booking.com partner liability. USD 1 million per incident outside the EEA and the UK, with Georgia on its list of covered countries, for claims by guests and third parties; it does not cover damage to your own flat.
Empty months and old buildings
TBC, Irao and Unison exclude losses when the flat has been left empty or unattended for more than 30 days in a row unless agreed, which matters for a Batumi flat closed for the winter or a Tbilisi flat between tenants. Arrange regular visits by someone local, keep a record of them, and tell the insurer about longer gaps. Building age also matters: Irao does not insure buildings 60 years or older or wooden houses, and earthquake cover varies by insurer, as our guide to property insurance explains.
Insurance for the tenant
Landlord policies exclude the tenant's own belongings, and we found no dedicated renters' policy from a Georgian insurer. A tenant can buy neighbour liability cover on its own at Aldagi, and an insurer can insure a home owned by someone else with the owner's permission. A lease may ask the tenant to carry liability cover, since parties are free to agree the contents of a contract, but the request should not become extra security beyond the legal limit for a deposit.
If the insurer refuses
An insurer must answer a written complaint within 30 calendar days. After that you can write to the Insurance State Supervision Service, but the regulator says it cannot decide contract disputes between insurers and clients, and we found no insurance ombudsman, so an unresolved claim goes to court or to agreed arbitration. Insurers must give clients an information sheet before signing that shows exclusions in bold; read it, because that is where the letting conditions sit.
The market is sizeable: insurers issued 920,530 property policies in 2025, with 301,306 in force at the end of the year, collected GEL 157.93 million in property premiums and paid GEL 38.07 million in property claims.
Insuring a let flat step by step
Tell your current insurer
In writing, before the first tenant or guest.
Compare landlord terms
Tenant damage, liability, lost rent, vacancy clause.
Check the sum insured
Close to the real value of finishes and contents.
Prepare the paperwork
Written lease, handover act, inventory with photos.
Add liability cover
For neighbours, and for guests if you let by the night.
Plan for empty months
Visits by a local contact, notice to the insurer.
Keep the policy terms handy
Notice deadlines are short.
Risks and exceptions
- Undisclosed letting. The insurer may refuse or end the policy.
- No inventory. Some insurers will not pay without it.
- Deliberate tenant damage. Usually excluded.
- Empty for 30 days. Cover can lapse for that loss.
- Settling with the tenant. Can reduce the insurer's payout.
Frequently asked questions
Does my home policy cover a flat I let?
Only if the insurer knows and the policy records the letting.
Is damage by a tenant covered?
Careless damage usually is; deliberate or grossly negligent damage usually is not.
Can I insure against lost rent?
Aldagi offers it as an add-on; most policies do not.
Who pays if water floods the neighbour?
The occupier of the flat is liable for spills, so the tenant first; neighbour liability cover protects the owner too.
Is Airbnb's protection enough?
No, it excludes wear, mould and earthquakes and is not insurance.
Does Booking.com's liability cover apply in Georgia?
Yes, Georgia is on its list, but it does not cover your own flat.
What if the flat stays empty all winter?
Most policies exclude losses after 30 days empty unless agreed.
Can I make the tenant buy insurance?
You can ask for liability cover in the lease; landlord policies exclude the tenant's belongings.
Sources
- Home owner insurance and property insurance terms, TBC Insurance (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Home insurance and information document, Irao (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Property insurance and property insurance terms for individuals, Unison, May 2026 (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Complete home insurance and neighbour liability insurance, Aldagi (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Comfort policy, GPI Holding (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Property insurance information sheet, Terabank and GPI Holding (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Civil Code of Georgia (Articles 808-832, 992, 1000, 1004, 1008), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Host damage protection terms, Airbnb, 1 August 2026, and host liability insurance, Airbnb (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Partner liability insurance policy, Booking.com and Zurich, 2026 (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Complaints procedure and 2025 statistics, Insurance State Supervision Service of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Instruction on pre-contract information, Order No 18 of 2017, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
Change log
- - Explainer published from the policy wordings of TBC Insurance, Irao, Unison, Aldagi and GPI Holding, the Civil Code, Airbnb and Booking.com protection terms and Insurance State Supervision Service statistics.