As a renter in Pillager, you may be questioning if you need to get renters insurance. In spite of everything, many renters either don’t know about renters insurance or think they don’t need it. But in spite of these common beliefs, renters insurance is an essential manner that renters can protect themselves and their belongings. To better understand what renters insurance is and why you need it, keep reading to learn everything you need to know.
What is Renters Insurance?
By and large, renters insurance is an insurance policy that provides both personal liability coverage for you and covers the loss or replacement of your personal belongings when you’re living in a rental home. Renters insurance is not always required by law, but it’s still something that every renter should have, as many landlords need coverage. These policies are very reasonably priced, but they also help you if you are injured or your belongings are lost or damaged while living in your Pillager rental home.
What Does Renters Insurance Cover?
Most renters insurance policies will help you replace personal belongings that are stolen, lost, or damaged. But they also cover much more than that. If someone comes over to visit and injures themselves while in your rental home, your renters’ insurance should cover liability that may arise. Not only that, think about what would happen if your rental house was damaged in a flood or natural disaster. In most instances, you won’t be able to live there until upkeeps have been made, so the renters’ insurance will pay for you to stay somewhere else until your rental home is arranged for you to move back in. Policies vary, but you may be surprised to learn that some even cover your car or will reimburse the cost of items stolen while you’re on vacation.
How Do I Put a Value on My Possessions?
When you get a renters insurance policy, you’ll have to understand how much all of your possessions are worth. This is so you can buy the right amount of protection. Some different apps and websites can help you figure out how much your personal belongings would cost to replace, or you could even use a simple spreadsheet to track them. Regardless of how you do it, though, you need to have a list of everything you own and the estimated value if you need to file a claim. Even better, keep purchase receipts for expensive items and take photos of all of your stuff. This can help make the claims process much more efficient.
What About Pets and Roommates?
If you have a pet, renters insurance can help cover your liability if your pet injures someone. While it’s rare, without insurance, your pet’s behavior could make you responsible for the injured person’s medical bills, legal fees, and more. Although renters insurance won’t help you replace your couch if your pet damages it, it will let a friend file a claim if your pet ruins something your friend owns. Nevertheless, some insurers do have breed restrictions and may not offer coverage for certain types of dogs or other animals. Similarly, roommates are generally not comprised in a renters insurance policy unless the provider will allow you to add them. Not all insurers will let you do that, and it’s probably better to have your roommate get their own policy anyway. If you are both on the same policy, your roommate’s claims will go on your insurance record and may cause your rates to go up.
What Else Should I Know About Renters Insurance?
A few more things you need to know about renters insurance contain items that are not covered, such as damage to the premises, insect infestations, and naturally-occurring water damage. For instance, if you discover that your home is infested with bedbugs, renters insurance would not cover any infestation treatments. Or if you forgot about the pot on the stove and burned the wall or caused some other form of damage to the home, the renters’ insurance does not typically cover the actual dwelling.
The same thing goes for certain types of flooding situations. In most cases, natural-occurring flooding is not a covered event on your renters’ insurance. If you live in an area prone to flooding events – or even if you don’t – you’ll have to purchase a separate flood insurance policy. In general, the only type of water damage that a renters insurance policy will cover is burst pipes or plumbing issues.
When you’re prepared to get your own renters’ insurance policy, make sure to take the time to shop around for the policy that meets your needs at a price you can afford. Different insurers may cover other things, so it’s important to read your policy carefully when you buy it. In doing so, you can be prepared should you ever need to make a claim.
Are you looking for a new Pillager rental home? Real Property Management Deluxe can help! Contact us today or visit our rental listing page to check out our great rental home listings in your area.
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