What is the AI insurance scanner?
When a tenant uploads a renters insurance policy — or when you upload one on their behalf — TurboTenant automatically audits the document in real time. The scanner checks five things:
Policy type — The policy must be a renters insurance policy (HO-4). Homeowners, auto, and other policy types will not pass.
Additional Interest — You must be listed as an Additional Interested Party on the policy. This ensures you're notified if the policy is ever canceled or lapses.
Lease term coverage — The policy must cover your lease term at the time of upload. For ongoing coverage tracking, we recommend your tenant purchase through SURE — you'll be automatically notified if their policy is ever changed, canceled, or lapses.
Address match — The insured address on the policy must match the rental property address and unit number exactly.
Name match — The name on the policy must match the tenant's name on the lease.
AI can make mistakes — always verify critical details with the insurer.
What happens after a policy is scanned?
Each policy is assigned one of four status tags:
Passed — The policy met all requirements.
Issues found — One or more requirements weren't met. You'll see the full list of what failed. Your tenant will see only the fields they need to fix.
Expired — The policy on file is no longer active.
Not Required — You haven't enabled a renters insurance requirement for this lease.
Both you and your tenant are notified of the result automatically.
How to review insurance status and follow up
Step 1: Get a quick overview from the Tenants list
Open any lease, and below you'll see its tenants. Each tenant appears as a card with a status label showing their current insurance standing. Use this as your triage view to see at a glance who needs follow-up.
You may see the following insurance-related statuses on tenant cards:
Renters insurance verified — Coverage is in good standing through SURE.
Renters insurance uploaded — A document is on file. Open the tenant profile to see the full results of the AI insurance scanner.
Renters insurance missing — Insurance is required but no valid proof is on file yet. Follow up with a reminder or have them upload.
Renters insurance expired/canceled — Coverage is no longer active. Follow up to get a new policy on file.
No renters insurance — Insurance isn't required on this lease, so no requirement is being tracked.
Note: If a tenant card shows Not invited or Payments disabled, address those first — a tenant needs portal access before they can complete the insurance upload flow on their own. Note that Payments disabled will also prevent your tenant from paying rent through TurboTenant.
To follow up with multiple tenants at once, use Message all tenants. For individual tenants, use the ⋯ menu on their card.
Step 2: Open the tenant profile for the full scan result
Click a tenant's name to open their profile, then scroll to the Renters insurance section.
If no proof has been uploaded yet, you'll see options to notify your tenant, send a reminder, or upload a policy on their behalf.
If a document has been uploaded, it will appear as an insurance policy card showing the scan result:
Passed — All checks cleared.
Issues found — One or more checks failed. Use the View audit results option from the ⋯ menu to see exactly what failed, message your tenant, or request a new document.
Not verified — The scan is still in progress. Check back shortly.
Expired — The policy on file is no longer active and should be replaced.
For policies purchased through SURE, the card reflects the live status from the partner directly — no need to run that insurance through the scanner.
Step 3: Know what action to take
What you see | What to do |
Not invited | Invite them to the portal by clicking the ⋯ menu and selecting "Invite to portal." They'll be prompted to upload renters insurance when they sign up. |
Renters insurance missing | Send a reminder or have them purchase a policy through SURE |
Uploaded, but Issues found | Use Message tenant and request a corrected document |
Expired or canceled | Follow up for an active replacement policy |
Passed or Verified (SURE) | No action needed |
FAQs
Q: Can a failed policy be overridden? Yes. If you've reviewed a policy and want to accept it despite a failed scan, you can click "Continue" to override. Use your judgment - the scanner is a tool to assist verification, not a final authority. We recommend performing your own spot-check on any policy you override.
Q: What if my tenant doesn't have insurance yet? You can send your tenant a reminder directly from their profile, or they can purchase a policy through our partner SURE in under 60 seconds, starting at $8/month. Policies purchased through SURE are automatically tracked - you'll be notified if the policy changes, lapses, or is canceled.
Q: Why does Additional Interest matter? Being listed as Additional Interest means the insurance provider will notify you directly if your tenant's policy is canceled or lapses - even mid-lease. Without it, you have no way of knowing when coverage ends. 51% of renters insurance policies are canceled before the lease term ends. Additional Interest is how you stay informed.