Insurance World

The best advice regarding renters insurance is purchase it. When we rent an apartment, a condo, a house, or a mobile home, we sometimes feel a bit too secure in knowing the property isn’t ours. We don’t own it; therefore, whatever happens to it, outside of the damage we may cause the property ourselves, is not our responsibility.

If the plumbing is faulty, the landlord will clean up the small lake in the kitchen and replace the pipes, right? If a storm hurls a tree through the living room window, the landlord will sweep up the broken glass and replace the window, right? If faulty wiring sparks a fire and burns the building to the ground, the landlord will just build again, right?

While it is the responsibility of the landlord and/or owner of the property to fix these damages not caused by you, it is not his or her responsibility to replace or repair your damaged or lost possessions along the way. So, who’s going to replace your kitchen table when it becomes water logged, your television set once a tree rams through it, and everything else you own when the building burns down?

Your renters insurance company; that is, if you have a renters insurance policy.

A renters insurance policy is like a homeowners insurance policy in that your possessions are protected against accidents such as fire and water damage, as well as theft. When purchasing a renters insurance policy, you should follow the same advice as purchasing a homeowners insurance policy: take inventory of your possessions, decide how high or low you want your deductible to be to get the premium you can afford, and look into a “floater” policy if certain valuables aren’t covered under the renters insurance policy.

Don’t be swept away by the false security of not owning the property in which you live; remember, you do own the property you moved in with!

Home owners insurance policies are designed to protect your house and personal property against losses from the perils listed in your policy.

Home owners insurance rates vary widely based on your geographic location. Areas prone to hurricanes, floods, hail, earthquakes, fires and other natural disasters will generally have higher rates. Even the distance to the nearest fire department or fire hydrant can have an impact on your home owners insurance rates.

Knowing Your Policy Is VERY Important
Coverage for Property and Possessions

Liability Coverage

Theft Off Premises

Additional Living Expenses

What Can a Homeowner Do To Be Prepared?

What Can a Homeowner Do To Save Money?
Coverage for Property and Possessions

Damage to the dwelling and the contents could be the biggest unexpected disaster awaiting a homeowner who has less coverage than needed. Most policies provide a stated maximum amount of coverage for the dwelling and another amount for contents.

Generally, dwelling coverage is based on replacement cost, which means that in the event of a total loss, the policy will provide reimbursement, up to the policy limit, to replace the structure. Ideally, a homeowner should buy enough insurance to completely rebuild the home, known as replacement value. This figure may not be the home’s actual market value or what the owner originally paid for the home. This is especially true in a depressed or an inflated market or if the home is simply not replaceable to its condition prior to the loss. Replacement cost policies, which may pay over the policy limit to rebuild the home, may be available from your insurer.

To determine how much insurance to purchase, an accurate appraisal of the home for replacement cost should be made. Working with your insurance company is important in this process. Most insurers recommend or require that a homeowner insure the dwelling for 100 percent of its full replacement value. Some homes, very unique ones such as national register-types or very elaborate ones, cannot be insured for exact replacement since some features are not replaceable in either workmanship, materials or practical costs. The insurer and/or the agent is the best source for these issues.

Coverage for personal property is different. Most policies provide actual cash value coverage for contents which includes depreciation, or full value contents without depreciation. Actual cash value means that if a power surge blows out a 10-year-old television set, the homeowner should know what to expect. Unlike full value contents coverage, which would essentially provide a new television set, actual cash value coverage allows the insurance company to calculate the useful life of the item and then depreciate the item to present value. A depreciated 10-year-old television set would be insured for only a fraction of its original cost. A homeowner may want to consider replacement cost coverage to be sure that the contents are adequately insured.

In addition to making sure that contents are covered for replacement cost rather than actual cash value, homeowners should purchase additional coverage for items that would ordinarily be subject to loss limitations. Virtually all policies cover contents loss up to the policy limit for items that include furniture, clothing, toys, accessories such as lamps and other items which are used for decor. Explicit limitations are set in the policy for high-cost items such as jewelry, fine art, furs, electronics, collectibles, oriental rugs and antiques. If a thief comes in and steals a two-carat engagement ring, it will not be covered well enough without what is commonly known as a personal property rider to cover specific, costly items. For more information on home owners insurance visit our specialist site below.