5 Things Renter’s Insurance May Cover
Many of us rent our homes or apartments instead of owning. Although it is the homeowner’s responsibility to get insurance to cover their property, you may also want to get your own insurance as a renter. Renter’s insurance covers different things than homeowner’s insurance and can be a great financial protection for people who are renting their homes.
What does renter’s insurance cover? Here is a look at five things that may be covered by your renter’s insurance (but do note that this varies depending upon your policy so you should look carefully at individual policies to determine exactly what each one covers).
1. Your belongings in the home if they are stolen or damaged. One of the main reasons that people choose to get renter’s insurance is because they want to protect their personal items. If your home is broken into and your items are stolen or damaged, they are not going to be protected under your landlord’s insurance. They will be protected by your own renter’s insurance, though. People who have expensive computers and televisions or fine art and antiques are likely to get renter’s insurance to cover these potential losses. Do note that there may be some limitations to the total value amount that will be covered so not every item you own may qualify for all renter’s insurance reimbursement.
2. Portable belongings that may not be in the home at the time that they are stolen or damaged. Many people do know that the items in their home are covered by renter’s insurance but what they don’t realize is that their portable items that they remove from the home may also be covered. For example, laptop computers and expensive musical instruments may be covered by this type of insurance. This is important because taking items out of the home puts them at greater risk of loss or theft.
3. Medical care for someone who gets hurt when they come to the home that you rent. You can get third party liability renter’s insurance to protect yourself from injuries that may happen on your property. For example, if someone slips and falls and has to go to the hospital in an ambulance, your renter’s insurance may cover all of their medical costs. It may also help you out in the event that the person sues you because of the injuries. Pet owners sometimes use this insurance to assist them in paying for medical injuries caused when their pets harm someone who enters the property. Again, not all instances will be covered but it’s a great helpful thing that some renter’s insurance does take care of for you.
4. The cost of repair or replacement if someone who visits you has their property damaged when they are at your home. This is basically third party liability applied to the personal belongings of the people who visit you in your apartment. For example, let’s say that your cousin visits you and brings his computer and while he’s staying with you the computer gets damaged because of a problem in your home (for example, a pipe bursts and leaks on the computer, ruining it). The cost of replacing the damaged computer may be covered by your renter’s insurance.
5. The cost of living in another place if your home or apartment becomes unlivable. Sometimes something happens to your home and you can’t live there anymore. For example, there may be an earthquake or flood that damages the building. Your landlord’s insurance may cover the cost of you living in another place while the building gets repaired but it may not. Your own renter’s insurance may cover these costs for up to a year so that you can live in a place comparable to your home while the home gets repaired.
