 | Southeast Kansas native and PSU graduate, Jessica Stice, is the owner/agent of the Shelter Insurance office located at 410 N Broadway in Pittsburg. She has been a licensed Property, Casualty, Life and Health Insurance agent for over 6 years in the Southeast Kansas area. For more information, Jessica can be reached at (620) 231-4580. You can also visit www.shelterinsurance.com/jstice. |
Insurance
2013-03-01 13:42:32
Landlord's insurance coverage
Q-I rent my house. Will my landlord's insurance cover my belongings?
A-When you rent an apartment, house, or other dwelling, a landlord's insurance policy normally won't protect your clothing, electronics, furniture, or other personal belongings. The owner of the home or apartment is generally responsible for coverage for the structure of the home, and that policy will not extend to cover your contents inside. The specific policy designed for renters is typically called an HO-4. This policy will help you pay for damage to your personal property from fire or smoke damage, lightning, wind, hail, vandalism, and more.
When it comes to deciding how much coverage is enough, it's important to sit down with your insurance agent and talk about what you own. If you prefer to do it online, you can even inventory your belongings and estimate their value with an online personal property calculator. Replacing your personal belongings is probably much higher than you realize, so you may be surprised.
In addition to covering your belongings, a renter’s insurance policy can also help to cover liability losses that could put your assets and future income at risk. Liability coverage will help you pay for bodily injury and property damage that you are legally liable to pay. What if:
-A small kitchen fire gets out of control and all of your possessions become a pile of ash? If the fire is your fault, you could be liable for damages to your neighbors' property too.
-Your otherwise friendly dog decides to nip the two-year-old little girl in the apartment next to yours.
-Your friend's buddy trips over your bike and breaks his arm.
In summary, a renter’s insurance policy can help cover your liability and part or all of your contents if a covered loss were to cause damage. Renters’ insurance can be as little as $10 to $15 per month. If you have any questions, or want help calculating the value of your belongings give our office a call.
