A faucet is innocent enough, until your neighbor in the next apartment leaves theirs on all night and floods YOUR apartment! Photo: Idea go
When it comes to renter’s insurance, water damage can be hit or miss, depending on the situation and the type of policy. Since water damage is such a common problem, some policies do not cover your personal possessions, only the exterior and sometimes, interior structure of the building itself. Additionally, if floods are common in your area, it can be left up to you to get flood insurance or coverage tacked on to your current policy. Either way, the most important step is to simply look at your current renter’s insurance.
Take a look at the paperwork you signed when you started your lease. Does the policy include coverage for natural disasters? Is the property owner responsible for any water damage done to your apartment or complex? Are they also liable for your possessions? These are the kinds of details you should look for when reading your policy. Discuss it with your landlord if you need to and ask any questions you feel need to be answered. The last thing you want to happen is to come home with a load of groceries only to stumble into your newly filled living room “pool”.
One exception that policies like to point out is that they will not cover you if water damage was inflicted on your home because you neglected to properly maintain an appliance. But if your neighbor decides to ignore that leaky sink of his, and a sudden explosion of water and furniture bursts through your wall, then that would be a different story.
Fire is also another reason to get renter’s insurance for water damage. Recently, a woman living in an apartment complex had a small grease fire in her kitchen, just on the stovetop. The complex’s fire sprinklers put out the fire shortly after the fire started, but by the time the local fire department arrived and shut off the sprinklers, the complex had already sustained $15,000 in water damage.
So if you have discovered a leak, or suffered a heavy blow from your neighbor’s attention-deprived dishwasher, don’t hesitate to give us a call. Our trained professionals operate 24/7 in the Inland Empire area and can respond to emergency situations for immediate quarantine and clean-up. (877) 732-8471