I'm renting out my old house. Do I need different insurance?

Yes. Once you move out and a tenant moves in, the house needs a landlord policy. A homeowners policy is written for a house the owner lives in, and if you rented yours out without telling anyone, it may not be covering that house anymore. The middle of a claim is a bad place to discover that.

The reason is underwriting, not fine print for its own sake. Who lives in a house changes its risk, so carriers write different policies for owner occupied homes and rentals. Converting your old house into a rental without updating the policy leaves you paying premiums on coverage that may not respond.

A few things about landlord coverage that surprise new landlords. It does not cover your tenant's belongings. Their couch, their electronics, their clothes are their problem, which is why you can and probably should require renters insurance in the lease.

It also does not cover lost rent unless you add that coverage. Think about when you would need it: the house is unlivable after a fire or a hailstorm, the tenant has moved out, and the mortgage payment is still due every month. That is exactly the situation the base policy leaves you in unless you asked for rental income coverage up front.

One more distinction. A short term rental on a hosting platform is not the same thing to an underwriter as a year lease. If that is your plan, say so when you set up the policy, because the wrong version of the truth on an application can undo the whole thing.

The short version: tell your insurer the house is a rental now, and get the policy that matches how it is actually rented.