Does Renter’s Insurance Cover Water Damage?
Renter’s insurance policies usually only cover water damage that was caused by accidental overflow or water discharge. However, most renters insurance policies do not cover damages caused by flooding or sewage water, unless you paid for an extra add-on to your standard policy.
Let’s explore each of these causes of water damage at the rented property and whether renters insurance covers it.
- Bad Weather:
Most insurance companies cover the damage done to your personal belongings that may be due to inclement weather such as windstorms, lightning, hail, snow, ice, or sleet. This means that if damage is done to your property due to the weather, it will be covered under your policy. Most of the time, earthquakes and floods are not covered and you would need to get an additional policy for that coverage. You should be aware that you must take any precautions needed to ensure coverage and that any negligence on your part is your responsibility. This means if you leave a window open during a storm, you are responsible for fixing it.
- Accidental Discharge of Water:
If it happens that you have an overflow or discharge of water in your home from a leaky appliance, burst pipe, water leak from your roof, or if water leaks to another unit from yours that causes damage to their property, that would be covered by your policy. However, if you do notice issues with piping, cracks in the wall, or something similar, you should make your landlord aware before further damage happens. Also, you should always report any structural damage as that helps reduce your liability.
Exclusions to Renters Insurance
Make sure that you are aware that renters insurance policies do not cover all types of water damage. For example, if you have flooding or sewage backup, typical renters insurance is not likely to cover the damage. Here are a few things to be aware of when it comes to exclusions to renter’s insurance:
Long term negligence is not covered:
Renter’s insurance covers accidental damage and does not cover any damages you’ve done yourself due to negligence or reckless behavior.
Water backup from a sewage line:
Usually, this type of damage is considered an add-on that needs to be purchased separately from the standard renter’s policy.
Flooding:
Flooding is not covered by your renter’s insurance policy. If you live in a flood zone you should make sure to purchase flood insurance.
Subletting:
If you sublet your property and there is damage that happens when you are not living there, it will not be covered by renters insurance.
The point of renters insurance is to cover your personal property. However, your landlord is responsible for the following damages when it comes to the property:
- Plumbing
- Damage to the structure
- Electrical systems
- Appliances
Even if you are fully aware of what your renters policy covers, you should always check your policy on coverage when it comes to water damage. Most renters insurance policies cover only personal belongings and that includes things like jewelry, appliances, TVs, and laptops. For example, if your apartment has water damage and it is unlivable, your renters insurance should cover your living expenses, rental costs while you find a new apartment, and relocation costs such as laundry, food, etc. Always make sure to check your policy for full details so that you know your course of action in case water damage happens to you.
Should I Purchase Renter’s Insurance?
Renters insurance will protect your personal belongings so that you do not have to replace them yourself in case something happens to them. A lot of landlords now require you to purchase renters insurance as a part of the rental agreement.
Before purchasing renters insurance, you should create a home inventory list. This list will include all the items you own and details about them such as makes, models etc. Also, it should include their cost. This will help greatly with processing your claim and payout from your renters insurance company.
Something to be aware of before filing a renter’s policy insurance claim is your deductible. If the cost of the belongings that were damaged is less than the deductible, you should think about whether it is worth for you to file the claim as your insurance will not pay out anything below a deductible and your insurance premium may go up after filing a claim.
If you are facing water damage at your property and you need water damage restoration, call the professionals for water mitigation services. Highly trained technicians will clean, dry, and restore your property using hi-tech equipment while providing quality service. Calling a professional to deal with water damage as soon as it happens will limit the extent of the damage so you won’t have to file a large insurance claim.
About Vince Sandri
Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.
