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Learn how renter’s insurance may protect you and your belongings. And why your landlord could want it.

What you will discover:

Renter’s Insurance vs. Rental Property Insurance
What Does Renter’s Insurance Cover? Why Might Your Landlord Require Renter’s Insurance?
Calculating the Amount of Renter’s Insurance Required

Crime, as well as fires and natural calamities, occur. Without renter’s insurance, you may be unable to replace stolen belongings or reconstruct your life after a fire or Mother Nature destroys all you possess. Learn more about this critical sort of insurance and why your landlord may include it in the residential lease agreement.

 

Renter’s Insurance vs. Rental Property Insurance

Your landlord may have rental property insurance, but it is unlikely that it would cover the replacement of your things if they are stolen or destroyed. It also probably does not cover an accident that occurs within your house, unless you notified the conditions that caused the accident to your landlord and they were not rectified, such as a broken stair or damaged rug.

However, unless you accepted responsibility for common area upkeep – such as de-icing front stairs – in the lease agreement, your landlord’s rental property insurance coverage covers incidents that occur there. In such a case, obtaining renter’s insurance may protect you from financial ruin if you slip and fall at your front door.

What Does Renter’s Insurance Cover?

What a given policy covers varies per policy, however renter’s insurance often covers the following:

Personal things lost or destroyed in your house as a result of theft, vandalism, fire/smoke, or natural catastrophe
Personal things lost or destroyed in your car due to theft, vandalism, fire/smoke, or natural catastrophe
Because to damage to the rental property, temporary accommodation is required.
Accidents at home for which you are liable
Your pet’s damage to the rental property or liabilities if your pet attacks someone on the grounds

The insurance also differs in how it pays out, with cash value and replacement cost being the two most prevalent possibilities. Cash value accounts for depreciation, while replacement cost gives you the entire price you paid for the item. If you pick renter’s insurance that covers replacement value, expect to pay a higher rate.

Why Might Your Landlord Require Renter’s Insurance?

Your landlord may not only legally compel you to carry renter’s insurance as part of the lease agreement, but he or she may also force you to include him or her in the policy as a ‘additional insured’ or a’secondary insured.’ Such a clause extends your renter’s insurance to your landlord, potentially avoiding the need for rental property insurance in the event of a lawsuit. The presence of your landlord on the policy also implies that he or she may seek notification of policy changes, including cancellation, which would put you in breach of the rental leasing agreement.

Knowing you have renter’s insurance provides your landlord with piece of mind about rent payments. Assume you get home to discover a broken lock and your laptop missing. If you rely on that laptop for a livelihood, you may struggle to pay your rent next month if you do not have renter’s insurance to cover the cost of a replacement.

Calculating the Amount of Renter’s Insurance Required

You may not believe you need renter’s insurance, but tallying up the costs of every thing in your property may persuade you otherwise. Consider how much it would cost to replace all of your furniture, gadgets, clothing, and kitchen things if your rental home burned down or flooded.

Consider your assets in terms of whether you need the personal liability coverage that may come with a renter’s insurance policy. If you are judged liable for an accident in your house, do you have anything of value, such as a paid-off automobile or a large savings account, that may be used to pay for someone else medical bills? If this is the case, you should consider getting renter’s insurance to protect yourself.

In general, the expense of renter’s insurance is well worth it if ever required. An insurance agent can assist you in selecting a policy and deductible that match your requirements and budget, and you may obtain extra discounts if you bundle it with your auto insurance.

Renter’s insurance requirements in residential lease agreements are becoming more prevalent. If you have not seen one yet, you could see one on the next lease you sign.

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