What’s Not Covered by Renters Insurance?

If you rent, your landlord is responsible for maintaining your home’s structural integrity and functionality. However, you’ll need renter’s insurance to cover your personal belongings. While renter’s insurance pays for damage to your clothes, electronics, and furniture, it may not cover all situations. The team at Affordable Insurance Inc. in Mountain Home, AR, can walk you through available policies to explain what they cover and what they don’t.

Landlord Responsibilities (Not Yours)

Your landlord is responsible for maintaining the building or home in which you live. That means they have to carry insurance on the physical building, including common areas and hallways. Therefore, the renter’s insurance doesn’t cover the physical structure. So, this isn’t something you’ll typically have to worry about unless you’re responsible for damage to these areas.

Sidewalks and Lobbies

If your guest slips and falls in the lobby or on the sidewalk, your renter’s insurance won’t cover their medical bills. However, this is most likely the property owner’s responsibility.

Pets and Insects, Oh My

If your pet hamster escapes and chews through the wiring, your renter’s policy will probably not cover the damage. If a sudden insect infestation damages your new TV, your policy may not cover that either. Discussing this type of event with an experienced agent is important so that you know your policy won’t pay for any pet or insect damage.

What About Natural Disasters?

Typically, the landlord is responsible for structural damage caused by floods, earthquakes, and mudslides. Because every policy is different, you may want to talk to your agent to better understand your renter’s insurance coverage.

Are you wondering what coverage you need while living in a rental? Contact the team at Affordable Insurance Inc. in Mountain Home, AR, to obtain renter’s insurance or to enhance your existing policy.

How to Make Sure Your Renter’s Policy Covers Your Valuables

Renting in Mountain Home, AR comes with advantages. You aren’t liable for repairs or keeping the property in excellent condition. You don’t have to worry about homeowner’s insurance or many of the headaches that come with ownership. Despite that, you do want to ensure the things you own inside the home are still protected, and you need the right renter’s insurance policy.

How do you make sure your valuables are covered? You can do that in two steps.

Start With Basic Coverage

Each plan differs, but a standard renter’s policy might cover between $100,000 and $500,000 in total liabilities. The policy customization, which you will work out with your Affordable Insurance Inc. representative, will determine this.

Still, these numbers help you gauge the ballpark of the renter’s coverage. If your policy is robust enough to potentially replace everything you care about in the event of the worst, then that’s a great start and probably good enough.

Sometimes, though, you have very special items that require special coverage.

Scheduled Endorsements

This is where scheduled endorsements come into play. A scheduled personal property endorsement is like a special clause in your renter’s policy that ensures the item (or items) you care about gets the coverage they need.

To set up such a clause, you usually need a formal appraisal of the item(s) in question. With that appraisal, you can customize the policy to ensure adequate coverage.

If you want perfect renter’s insurance in Mountain Home, AR, have a conversation with your Affordable Insurance Inc. representative. They’ll walk you through the process to ensure you’re protected in all the ways that matter to you.

How to Back Up Your Renters Insurance Claim

The time to buy renters insurance is the first day you move into a rental. When you suffer a loss or damage, it’s too late to turn back time and wish you’d purchased this value type of insurance from Affordable Insurance Inc. serving Mountain Home, AR. If it does come down to making a claim, here are some ideas to back it up.

How to Back Up Your Renters Insurance Claim

Keep Your Receipts

Whenever you buy something new for your rental, be sure to keep your receipt. You aren’t just keeping it in case you need to make a return or exchange. That receipt proves two things: One, that you own the item, and two, the retail value of the item. If it’s lost or damaged, you can submit the receipt with your claim to expedite the process.

Take Photos

It sounds redundant, but having a photo with you and your possession also helps to prove ownership—and the condition of your item—in the event that you end up having to make a claim on your renters’ insurance in Mountain Home, AR.

Make a Police Report

Some people are cynical about filing a police report when a possession is stolen. They figure that the police have better things to do than look for a stolen bike, etc. But filing a police report adds gravitas to your renters’ insurance claim. In addition, if your stolen item is recovered, the insurance company can recoup its own costs for compensating you for the claim.

Obtain a Replacement Cost

Your insurance company will need to know how much it would cost you to replace the item. Get three quotes and be prepared to submit them along with your claim.

Call Today To Discuss Your Options

If you have questions about renters insurance or need help with filing a claim, contact your insurance representative at Affordable Insurance Inc. today.

Will renters insurance cover the repair or replacement of my cell phone if I accidentally drop it in the kitchen sink?

Similar to homeowners insurance, renters insurance covers many areas for people who live in rented spaces. This insurance is designed to provide liability coverage, as well as coverage for your personal belongings if they’re damaged or stolen. Our team at Affordable Insurance Inc takes pride in helping Mountain Home, AR renters get the protection and coverage they need through renters’ insurance. 

What is Renters Insurance?

Renters insurance is designed to provide coverage for your personal belongings in your rented space. Typically, renters insurance will cover your personal belongings in a house or apartment that you’re renting. Your personal belongings are protected from damage, theft, and vandalism.

For example, if your personal items are stolen from your car, these items will be replaced even though they weren’t stolen from your rented space. The coverage extends to the personal items in your car as well. 

However, renters insurance differs from homeowners insurance in that it will not cover your dwelling or the structure of your rented space. However, you will need to discuss the coverage terms of your rental insurance because some situations may not be covered by rental insurance. 

Will renters insurance cover the repair or replacement of my cell phone if I accidentally drop it in the kitchen sink?

Perhaps. Accidents you cause that damage your personal items aren’t typically covered by renters insurance. However, there may be some situations where accidentally dropping your phone in water might be covered.

The coverage guidelines and eligibility requirements will determine what’s covered by your renters’ insurance policy.

Looking for Insurance in Mountain Home, AR?

If you have questions about renters insurance, call us at Affordable Insurance Inc. We’d be happy to answer all of your questions.

What types of events does rental insurance cover?

You probably know that your rental insurance will cover you if your apartment is burglarized or damaged by a fire. Affordable Insurance Inc in Mountain Home, AR wants you to know that it can also cover you for floods, earthquakes, and even theft of personal belongings while you’re on vacation.

What types of events does rental insurance cover?

Burglary and Property Damage

If your apartment is burglarized, your rental insurance will reimburse you for the cost of any stolen items, up to your policy limit. It will also cover the cost of repairing any damage that was done to your apartment, such as a broken window or door.

Fire Damage

If a fire damages your apartment, whether it was caused by a cooking accident or something else, your rental insurance will again reimburse you for the cost of any stolen or damaged items, up to your policy limit. It will also help pay for any necessary repairs to your apartment.

Flood Damage

Even if you don’t live near a river or ocean, flash flooding can occur anywhere there is heavy rain. If your apartment is flooded, rental insurance can help pay for the cost of repairs as well as the cost of replacing any damaged or destroyed belongings.

Theft of Personal Belongings

Your rental insurance will also cover you if your personal belongings are stolen while you’re away from home on vacation. For example, if your laptop is stolen from your hotel room, your rental insurance will reimburse you for the cost of replacing it.

Contact Us Today

Renter’s insurance can cover a lot more than just damage to your apartment. If you have any questions about what does and does not fall under your policy’s coverage, be sure to contact Affordable Insurance Inc in Mountain Home, AR for more information.

How Does Renters’ Insurance Work?

When you rent your home, you need insurance on it to keep yourself protected from a number of financial dangers. Unlike home insurance, your renters’ insurance doesn’t cover the home itself. That coverage is the responsibility of the actual owner. Renters’ insurance instead offers a number of different types of protection all in one policy. If you need a renters’ policy, call us today at Affordable Insurance Inc in Mountain Home, AR.

Protection for Your Belongings

Most of what you own is likely in your home, and it should be protected by insurance. Many people seek out renters’ insurance specifically because it protects their possessions, though it does offer a number of other kinds of protection. When a covered event happens, such as a disaster, and your items are destroyed or damaged by it, your renters’ insurance policy will pay for the items to be repaired and/or replaced. This coverage is valuable for every renter. No one wants to have to start over after a big incident ruins their things. 

Accommodation Protection

If something does happen and your rental becomes unlivable, it can be tough to afford to go somewhere else to live while it is being fixed. However, this is exactly what your renters’ insurance policy will pay for. It will help you to move and to stay somewhere else until your rental is habitable again. This is an important protection for your standard of living. It can also prevent you from having a financial disaster if you do have to live elsewhere for a while. 

Get Your Renters’ Policy

If you rent, renters’ insurance is a must. It may even be required by your landlord. If you don’t yet have a policy for your rental, contact us today at Affordable Insurance Inc in Mountain Home, AR to find out more.