Insurance is important for renters too

MOSES LAKE — The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune – things like windstorms and fires – can afflict people who rent their dwellings. Local insurance agents said renters need to think about what it would cost to replace what they own when setting up a rental insurance policy.

Most apartment landlords require tenants to carry liability insurance, just in case. Jill Heath of AIC Insurance in Moses Lake said that to the renter, the liability clauses are just as important as the personal property clauses.

Heath cited a hypothetical case, an apartment renter who left a candle burning, and the candle started a fire.

“You do damage to that (building), you’re responsible. You’re liable,” Heath said.

She said renters should look at their residence and think about what it would cost to rebuild – and not just their unit but the entire building, if it’s a multiplex or apartment building.

While renters might not own the roof, they own what’s inside the place.

Chad Schwab, owner of the Chad Schwab Agency in Moses Lake, said renters need to think about what it would really cost to replace their couch, their dishes, their clothes — and everything else.

“What are your personal contents? What is the value of your life in that home?” Schwab said.

People should be careful not to underestimate what it would cost to replace their belongings. “Be fair to yourself,” Schwab said.

Heath said more and more insurance companies are placing what she called “special limits” on personal property policies, and renters (and homeowners) need to be aware of that. Depending on what it is, “not all of your stuff may be covered,” she said.

She cited jewelry as an example. That ring stolen in a burglary might not be covered for its full value if the value exceeded the special limit. “They (insurance companies) are adding more and more special limits,” she said.

Homes and apartments being what they are, and people being what they are, sometimes renters — and homeowners, for that matter — have more belongings than they can fit into their home. Heath said renters and homeowners should look at their policy for what it says about belongings that aren’t stored at the primary residence.

“They (insurance companies) like you to be with your stuff,” she said. Policies may not cover the full value of personal property in storage, she said.