Rented, short-term, or empty — the rental others won't write.
Foremost calls itself the Landlord and Rental Property Insurance Specialist, and it earns the name: long-term rentals, short-term and Airbnb-style rentals, and vacant homes between tenants — with the rare ability to switch a policy between vacant and rental by endorsement instead of cancelling and rewriting. All three Foremost families write landlord; the original is the specialist. Here's how the coverage works, what it does and doesn't protect, and the Arkansas realities. From an independent agency that places it every day.
The short answer
Foremost is a landlord and rental specialist, and all three families write it. The Foremost Choice program is built for the hard cases — long-term rentals, short-term/Airbnb rentals, and vacant homes — on dwellings of nearly any age, $5,000 to $1,000,000 in value. Its standout feature: switch a policy between vacant and rental by endorsement, no cancel-and-rewrite. Coverage centers on the building, loss of rents, and landlord liability — not the tenant's belongings, which need their own renters policy. Backed by an A (Excellent) carrier group — and quoted against 40+ others.
All three write it — one specializes in it.
Like home, landlord is written across all three Foremost families. But this is the line the original Foremost built its name on.
- The Landlord & Rental Property specialist
- Long-term, short-term & vacant
- Any age; $5K–$1M dwelling values
- Landlord & Landlord Platinum packages
- The former MetLife Auto & Home book
- Standard rental dwellings
- Bundles with your home & auto
- Full-featured program
- The merged MetLife + Foremost program
- Modern, standard landlord
- Clean multi-policy bundling
- Often the fit for current, standard rentals
The rental nobody else wants is the one Foremost was built for.
A tidy long-term rental fits almost anywhere. A cabin you list on Airbnb, a duplex sitting empty during a rehab, or an inherited house you haven't decided about — those get declined fast. That's the exact ground the Choice rental program owns, and because we also represent 40 other carriers, we can put the easy rentals where they're cheapest and the hard ones where they're actually writable.
Long-term, short-term, or empty.
A rental changes over its life — leased, listed nightly, or sitting empty between tenants. Foremost's program flexes across all three, and the switch is the part that saves landlords real money.
When a rental goes empty, Foremost moves it to a vacant policy by endorsement — then back to a landlord policy when it's rented again. No cancelling, no rewriting, no coverage gap. Vacant coverage runs up to three years with pro-rated cancellation.
Why the switch matters so much.
Here's the trap: an ordinary homeowners policy — and many landlord policies — restrict or exclude coverage once a home has been unoccupied beyond a set period, usually around 30 days, though it varies by state. So the moment a tenant moves out, a lot of owners are quietly uninsured for the risk that matters most in an empty house: vandalism, water damage, fire nobody's home to catch.
Foremost closes that gap by design. You keep one relationship and endorse the usage as it changes, instead of scrambling for a new vacant policy every time the property turns over. For a landlord with turnover, that's the difference between covered and exposed.
Long-Term Rental
The standard rental house, duplex, or one-to-four-family dwelling leased to tenants. Covered on a dwelling form with loss of rents and landlord liability — the bread-and-butter rental policy.
Short-Term & Vacation
Rentals leased for less than 12 months — daily, weekly, or monthly, including Airbnb and VRBO. Many carriers decline these outright; Foremost fits them right in the landlord program.
Vacant
Between tenants, mid-rehab, newly inherited, or waiting to sell — a vacant dwelling policy for up to three years, with the option to switch back to rental use the moment it's occupied again.
Built around the building and the income.
A landlord policy protects a very different set of things than a homeowners policy — and leaves out one big thing on purpose.
The Dwelling
The rented structure itself against covered perils — the base of every landlord policy. Foremost writes it on a dwelling form for one-to-four-family rentals of nearly any age.
Other Structures
Garages, sheds, fences, and other detached structures on the rental lot — covered under their own limit so a detached loss doesn't eat into the dwelling coverage.
Loss of Rents
If a covered loss makes the property unfit to rent, this replaces the rental income you lose while it's repaired — often the single most valuable coverage on a landlord policy, and the one owners forget to check.
Landlord Liability
If a tenant or their guest is injured on the property or their belongings are damaged and you're found responsible, liability coverage responds — with high limits available, up to $1,000,000.
Landlord's Own Property
Appliances, furnishings, or maintenance equipment you keep at the property can be covered — the items that belong to you, not the tenant.
Not the Tenant's Belongings
A landlord policy does not cover your tenant's personal property — that's on the tenant, through their own renters policy. Requiring renters coverage in the lease is one of the cheapest protections a landlord has.
Broad eligibility, your choice of settlement.
No restriction based solely on the age of the home, dwelling values from $5,000 to $1,000,000 in most states, and acceptance of one-property owners and professional landlords alike — the broad eligibility Foremost is known for.
Packages, and how a loss settles.
Two packages, or build your own. Start from the base dwelling coverage and add the Landlord Package or the broader Landlord Platinum Package, or customize with individual endorsements. There's no one-size-fits-all here.
Settlement. The base policy commonly includes an Agreed Loss Settlement on a covered total loss and Actual Cash Value on a partial loss, with Replacement Cost, Extended Replacement Cost, or Repair Cost selectable depending on the policy type. Which options apply depends on the program, the property, and the state — and choosing on purpose is what we do at the quote.
Vacancy and wind/hail are the two to understand.
The vacancy trap.
The biggest surprise for Arkansas landlords isn't wind — it's vacancy. Once a property sits unoccupied beyond your policy's stated period (often around 30 days, varying by state), an ordinary homeowners or landlord form can quietly stop covering the losses most likely in an empty house. That's precisely the gap Foremost's vacant-to-rental switch is built to close — but only if the policy is set up for it before the tenant leaves, not after a pipe bursts.
And the wind/hail deductible.
Like other Arkansas property policies, a landlord policy commonly carries a separate windstorm or hail deductible set as a percentage of the dwelling limit — often 1% to 2%, sometimes higher — rather than a flat amount. On a rental insured for $250,000, a 1% wind/hail deductible is $2,500. It's worth knowing the number before storm season, and it factors into how you set your limits and cash reserves.
The ones worth mentioning.
Foremost rewards owners who bundle, insure more than one property, screen their tenants, or run their rentals professionally.
Multi-Policy / Bundle
Insuring a home, auto, or other Foremost policy alongside your rental earns a package credit — and across the three Foremost families you can mix and match and still bundle.
Multiple Dwellings
Owners who insure more than one rental dwelling with Foremost can earn a multi-property credit — built for the landlord who owns two, five, or a dozen.
Tenant Screening
Landlords who screen their tenants may earn a discount — Foremost even offers access to tenant-screening services at a reduced price, so the credit and the tool come together.
Association & Management
Belonging to a landlord association, using a property management company, or choosing the Platinum package can each earn additional consideration — the professional-landlord credits.
Backed by an A (Excellent) group.
On August 1, 2025, AM Best affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent), stable outlook, for the members of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies — the group behind the Foremost companies that write this coverage in Arkansas. A financial strength rating is an opinion about an insurer's ability to pay claims; it doesn't grade how a specific claim is handled, and it isn't a recommendation to buy or keep a policy. Different question, different source — the current rating is at ambest.com.
Where we earn it on a rental policy.
The landlord mistakes are specific: a rental left on a homeowners policy that doesn't cover rental use, no loss-of-rents coverage, a property that quietly went vacant and lost coverage, and tenants with no renters policy of their own. We catch those at the quote and keep the usage type current as the property turns over. We don't adjust your claim and can't overrule an adjuster — but we'll tell you whether a claim is worth filing, make sure the right coverage responds, chase the file when it stalls, and move you between Choice, Signature, Foremost360, or one of our other 40-plus markets if the fit changes.
The property and its use set the number.
Landlord premium turns on the dwelling's value, age, and construction; how it's used (long-term, short-term, or vacant); your liability and loss-of-rents limits; deductibles — including wind/hail; claims history; and program. Landlord coverage typically costs a bit more than homeowners because it adds loss of rents and landlord liability. Too many variables for a webpage figure to mean anything, so we won't post one. This isn't a quote or a guarantee. What reliably helps: bundling, insuring multiple dwellings together, keeping the usage type current, and requiring tenant renters coverage. Send your declarations page and we'll build the number with you.
The policies around this one.
Foremost landlord questions.
Which Foremost writes landlord and rental coverage?
All three Foremost families write landlord, but this is where the original Foremost shines — it calls itself the Landlord and Rental Property Insurance Specialist. The Foremost Choice rental program is built for the hard cases: long-term rentals, short-term and vacation rentals, and vacant dwellings, on homes of nearly any age and value.
Foremost Signature and Foremost360 write standard landlord coverage too. We place all three, and match your rental to the right one — whether you own a single duplex or a portfolio.
Does Foremost cover short-term, Airbnb, or VRBO rentals?
Yes — and many carriers won't. Foremost considers a vacation or short-term rental to be one you rent under an agreement of less than 12 months, and that fits right in the landlord program, including properties rented daily, weekly, or monthly through services like Airbnb or VRBO.
Homes of nearly any age are acceptable, dwelling values up to $1,000,000 in most states, and owners with some credit or loss history may still qualify. If you're renting a place short-term, this is exactly the market for it.
What about a rental that's sitting vacant between tenants?
Vacant is a Foremost specialty — and the standout feature is that you don't have to cancel and rewrite. If your rental goes empty between tenants, Foremost can move it to a vacant policy by endorsement, then move it back to a landlord policy when it's rented again, with no gap and no starting over. Vacant coverage is available for up to three years with pro-rated cancellation.
This matters because ordinary homeowners and many landlord policies restrict or exclude coverage once a property has been unoccupied beyond a set period — usually around 30 days, though it varies by state.
What does a landlord policy cover, and does it cover my tenant's belongings?
A Foremost landlord policy is built on a dwelling form and covers the rented structure, other structures on the property, loss of rents (the rental income you lose if a covered loss makes the home unfit to rent), and landlord liability if a tenant or guest is injured or their property is damaged.
It does not cover your tenant's personal belongings — those are the tenant's responsibility, through their own renters policy. Requiring tenant renters coverage in the lease is one of the smartest, cheapest moves a landlord can make, and we can talk through it.
Can I insure several rentals, or a rental mobile home?
Yes. Foremost accepts landlords who own a single rental home and professional landlords who own multiple properties, and it can schedule several dwellings. Rental and vacant mobile and manufactured homes are also accepted through the mobile home program.
Owners with more than one dwelling insured with Foremost, members of a landlord association, and those who use a property management company or screen their tenants may qualify for additional discounts — we sort that out as part of the quote.
How do I get a Foremost landlord quote in Arkansas?
Foremost is agent-only, so an appointed agency like ours is how the coverage is bought. Start at our personal lines quote form or call (479) 286-1066. Have the property address, how it's used (long-term, short-term, or vacant), and the dwelling's approximate value and age handy.
If you carry a current declarations page on the property, send it — reading what you already have is faster than answering questions about it, and it's how we check your loss-of-rents, liability, and settlement basis actually fit the rental.
If our coverage explainers are useful, mark Cribb Insurance as a preferred source so more Northwest Arkansas landlords can find our local, plain-English guides.
Foremost is one of 40+ carriers we represent.
Which means we can put your rental on the right Foremost family — Choice, Signature, or Foremost360 — or on one of our other markets if that fits better, and keep the usage type current as it turns over. Send your current declarations page and we'll read it back in plain English: your loss-of-rents, your landlord liability, your settlement basis, and whether a vacant gap is lurking. If what you have is already right, we'll say so.
Cribb Insurance Group Inc. is an independent insurance agency licensed in Arkansas. We are not Foremost, and this page is not endorsed, sponsored, reviewed, or approved by Foremost. "Foremost," "Foremost Choice," "Foremost Signature," "Foremost360," and "Farmers" are service marks or trademarks of the Foremost Insurance Group, the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, and their affiliates, used here nominatively to identify products we are appointed to place. "Landlord and Rental Property Insurance Specialist" is a designation used by Foremost. Foremost Signature is the property-casualty business formerly known as MetLife Auto & Home, acquired by Farmers in 2021. Foremost's Arkansas landlord, rental, and vacant dwelling policies are issued by Foremost- and Farmers-affiliated underwriting companies across the Foremost Choice, Foremost Signature, and Foremost360 programs.
This page describes coverage in general terms for informational purposes only. It is not a policy, not an offer of insurance, and not a guarantee of coverage, availability, eligibility, or price. Programs, coverage, packages, usage types (long-term rental, short-term/vacation rental, vacant), the vacant-to-rental endorsement, dwelling value ranges, settlement options, limits, deductibles, discounts, and eligibility vary by Foremost family, by form, by policy, by state, and over time, are set by the carrier, and are subject to underwriting approval and to the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions of the policy actually issued. Vacancy periods and their effect on coverage vary by policy and state. A landlord policy does not cover a tenant's personal property; tenants should carry their own renters insurance. Flood and earthquake are excluded and require separate coverage. If anything on this page conflicts with the issued policy, the policy controls.
Statements about Arkansas wind and hail deductibles, vacancy periods, and roof schedules are general market information, not legal advice, vary by carrier and policy, and are subject to change. Financial strength ratings are opinions of an insurer's ability to meet its ongoing insurance obligations, are subject to change, are not recommendations to purchase, hold or terminate any policy, and do not address an insurer's claims-handling practices; current ratings are at ambest.com. The A (Excellent) rating referenced was affirmed by AM Best on August 1, 2025 for the members of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, which include the Foremost underwriting companies. No cost figures are represented or guaranteed on this page; any premium is determined by the carrier at quote based on your specific property and risk.
Last reviewed July 2026.